Hay Festival Colombia Digital

In this talk, we will discuss about the repercussions of the war in Ukraine in the world and, in particular, in Latin America; and about the possible bridges that could be built, both as the support that Latinamerican countries could give to a besieged country and as the lessons learned from this war. With the journalist and activist Lydia Cacho (Mexico), Sergio Jaramillo (Colombia) former Peace Comissioner in Colombia, Oleksandra Matviichuck (Ukraine) Director of the Human Rights Organization for Civil Liberties in Ukraine and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2022, and authors Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine) and Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Colombia). They will talk to the Colombian journalist Catalina Gómez Ángel, war correspondent in Ukraine.

Fighting Women is a compilation of interviews of Spanish women who took part in the civil war. Some took up arms and fought at the front, others participated in organizations such as POUM, Mujeres Libres or other anarchist groups. All of them fought against the nationalist forces and for women’s emancipation, and together they achieved social progress such as free, legal abortion. They started a revolution, and to do so they not only had to fight fascism, but sometimes also their own brothers-in-arms. The great impact of these testimonies invites us to reflect on a struggle that belongs to another time and yet is relevant today. Diego Rabasa (Mexico) talks to the film director Ken Loach (United Kingdom) and Isabella Lorusso (Italy), about this extraordinary message of rebellion and justice.

The eminent historian Margaret MacMillan (Canada) lectures at the University of Oxford and is the author of various books that cover, among other subjects, that devastating and urgent matter, one that is a threat in all civilizations: war. Her book, War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020) examines the role of war in the history of humanity. Since the end of the Second World War, humanity has experienced what Steven Pinker has called “the long peace”, a period in which much of humanity has enjoyed an absence of major wars. However, MacMillan questions this idea and analyses the continuous military conflicts that have occurred since 1945. Her latest book published in Spanish is 1914. De la paz a la guerra (2021), which is an account of the political, social, cultural and economic forces that brought about the First World War. These essays ask us some disturbing questions: is war an inherent part of human nature? Is it inevitable? MacMillan explores these crucial questions with the eminent writer and historian, Enrique Krauze.

The eminent historian Margaret MacMillan (Canada) lectures at the University of Oxford and is the author of various books that cover, among other subjects, that devastating and urgent matter, one that is a threat in all civilizations: war. Her book, War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020) examines the role of war in the history of humanity. Since the end of the Second World War, humanity has experienced what Steven Pinker has called “the long peace”, a period in which much of humanity has enjoyed an absence of major wars. However, MacMillan questions this idea and analyses the continuous military conflicts that have occurred since 1945. Her latest book published in Spanish is 1914. De la paz a la guerra (2021), which is an account of the political, social, cultural and economic forces that brought about the First World War. These essays ask us some disturbing questions: is war an inherent part of human nature? Is it inevitable? MacMillan explores these crucial questions with the eminent writer and historian, Enrique Krauze.

Yuri Andrukhovych is one of the most singular figures in European narrative in recent years. Novelist, poet, essayist and translator, in his new book Small Encyclopedia of Intimate Cities, he uses his unique flair for uncovering the different among the obvious as he maps life in 39 cities, all scenes of historical events. Andrey Kurkov, recently awarded the Médicis Étranger prize in France, began a diary when the first Russian rockets fell on Kiev on 24 February 2022. In Diary of an Invasion, he recounts the horrifying impact of the conflict through a personal chronicle, which is also an astonishing account of Ukrainian identity and the daily lives of his compatriots. Both will discuss their latest books and the current circumstances with María Sahuquillo, El País correspondent in Brussels.

After the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall at the main entrance of IE University.

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish.

The chair of the Colombian Truth Commission, Francisco de Roux, will talk about this extraordinary analysis carried out in the country in order to establish a legal and sociological framework given the impact of decades of violence. The work of this commission has become a model for similar peace processes around the world. De Roux will talk to the editor of El País Mexico, Jan Martínez Ahrens.