Matanzas Book Fair kicks off with an inaugural gala on March 5 (+photos).

The 33rd International Book Fair in Matanzas begins next Wednesday night, March 5th, and will last until Sunday, March 10th, in days where readers and relevant authors will enjoy the most attended cultural event in the country. The fair will be held at the beautiful promenade of Narvaez Street.

The 33rd International Book Fair in Matanzas begins on the night of Wednesday the 5th and will last until Sunday the 10th, in days where the reader along with relevant authors will enjoy the cultural event of greater concurrence in the country and will have as fairgrounds the beautiful promenade of Narvaez Street and points of interest in the street of Medio and institutions of the Athens of Cuba.

At a press conference with the organizing committee, chaired by the director of the Provincial Center of Books and Literature, Efrahím Pérez Izquierdo, it was announced that the opening gala will be on the 5th, at 8:30 p.m., at the José White concert hall, with a first-class cast, directed by Liliam Padrón.

The opening remarks will be made by the award-winning playwright and storyteller Ulises Rodríguez Febles, to whom our province dedicates as a personality this giant appointment with books, together with the selected institution Ediciones Vigía, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its foundation.

The exhibition «Creatures of Islands», a tribute by visual artists to the work of Rodriguez Febles, will also be held there.

It was learned that this fair has as guest of honor the South African nation and celebrates the intellectuals Francisca Lopez Civeira, National Prize of History and National Prize of Social and Humanistic Sciences and the poet, essayist, researcher and literary critic Virgilio Lopez Lemus, who will be present at our event.

It also pays tribute to the 130th anniversary of the fall in combat of Cuba’s National Hero, José Martí, and the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Territorial Publishing System, of which the city deserves the Vigía, Matanzas and Aldabón imprints.

Regarding the Book Fair in our territory, Pérez Izquierdo highlighted the transcendence of carrying it out in very complex moments, which serve as an impulse to offer our population the best of the literary intellect with authors and texts that elevate their spirituality and culture.

The Narváez Street promenade will feature sales, book presentations and musical performances. Also, a novelty was announced, the sale of the first batch of twenty books «Biblioteca del Pueblo», a selection of the best of Cuban and universal literature.

Regarding the colloquiums, the director said that the Palacio de Junco Museum will become the main venue. In the morning, panels and museum exhibitions will be held on Thursday on the work of Rodriguez Febles, on Friday on Matanzas Magazine, on Saturday on Vigia Editions, and Sunday is reserved for the tribute to Virgilio Lopez Lemus with the presentation of his new book «Cuadriga», published by Matanzas Publishing House.

The morning colloquium in tribute to researcher Francisca Lopez Civeira will be held on Thursday 6th at the Social House of the UNHIC and the Jose Marti Cultural Association, along with other events; on Friday 7th will pay tribute to the Apostle and Saturday 8th will be dedicated to women in the historiography of Matanzas.

The Social House of UNEAC, the halls Teatro de la Estaciones, El Mirón Cuba and El Peregrino, plus the Curator’s Office with the Children’s Pavilion, among other relevant institutions, will offer an interesting program for lovers of reading and the literary movement.

The evenings will be dominated by the José White Concert Hall with the «Café Mezclao», directed by writer and promoter Alfredo Zaldívar.

Written by María Elena Bayón.