Upcoming International Book Fair keeps reading within everyone's reach

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 4 (ACN) Classics of Cuban and foreign literature belonging to Biblioteca del Pueblo (People’s Library) will do credit to the 33rd Havana International Book Fair (FILH), to be held on February 13 to 23, according to Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute and of the FILH Organizing Committee, who said that this initiative reflects the government's will to promote reading across the nation despite the current difficulties.

“Cuba will keep putting every effort into making the best of its culture available to the people, as confirmed by the 33-year-old FILH, in which more than 1,300 new publications will be presented in physical and digital format”, he said, “and sales are bound to exceed the sales figures of 2024, when 1,300,000 copies of books were sold”.

Expected to gather more than 40 countries and around 400 foreign guests from all over and particularly from Africa―since this edition is dedicated to South Africa―the FILH’s program will also feature cultural events that include music, cinema and plays.

“As usual, the FILH pays permanent tribute to its architect, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ediciones Territoriales and the 130th anniversary of José Martí's fall in combat”, Mr. Rodriguez added, and described as a great honor to have South Africa as a guest country because of the friendship between the two countries, forged by Fidel and Nelson Mandela during the struggle against apartheid.

“Whereas 2024 marked 30 years of relations between Cuba and South Africa, this year witnesses three decades since we opened our Embassy in Havana”, said Yvonne Nkwenkwezi Phosa, South African ambassador to Cuba, who pointed out that her country’s delegation to the Fair will be headed by Bertha Peace Mabe, a deputy from the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture, and 15 renowned South African authors who will share their books with readers at the event.