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.

Hegemonic and even official cultures that live alongside those of people who come from other parts of the world, who are the descendents of migrants or who belong to indigenous cultures. How can we navigate through what can be seen as cultural wealth but which can also involve difficulties, often due to disagreement caused by a lack of understanding of others, since we operate in different codes or even languages, and a frustration that can be generated by seeing badges of identity disappear? Yásnaya Elena Aguilar (Mexico), mixe thinker and writer; Amets Arzallus (Basque Country/France), writer and poet in the Basque language; and Darrel McLeod (Canada), writer and Executive Director of Education and International Affairs of the Canadian Assembly of First Nations, will talk to Ingrid Bejerman.

Simultaneous interpreting from English to Spanish available

A literary event at which two authors will speak about their new books, in conversation with Felipe Restrepo Pombo. Juan Esteban Constaín (Colombia), the El Tiempo columnist and author of numerous titles, including ¡Calcio!, El hombre que no fue Thursday and Álvaro: Su vida y su siglo, presents Cartas abiertas, a novel that reflects on the past, on fictions and their possible effects on history, told through the fascinating character Marcelino Quijano. Mariana Travacio (Argentina), with a degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Creative Writing from the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, is also a translator from French and Portuguese. Travacio has published the books of short stories Cotidiano and Cenizas de carnaval, as well as the novel Como si existiese el perdón, set in a desolate rural setting, with a plot involving vengeance and redemption that questions the importance of what are supposed to be the determining factors of origin, family and fate.

The Colombian author María del Mar Ramón has lived in Argentina since 2012 and currently works for radio and on the creation of audio-visual content. In her work as a writer and content creator, her main interest is feminism and related matters, such as pleasure, violence and liberties. She is the co-founder of the Argentinean NGO Red de Mujeres and coordinates the Fanáticas de los Boliches project, which aims to raise gender awareness in nightlife venues. She has written for media outlets such as Vice and Playboy and has published the book Tirar y vivir sin culpa: El placer es feminista, which relates her experiences regarding sexuality and the feeling of guilt that arises when living in a society that constantly judges women. María del Mar Ramón offers a space for talking to young women about their bodies and their desires, without restrictions, fears or shame, where they can think about how to live fully and at liberty. Her latest work is the novel ​​La manada, which explores the intricacies of group attacks. A city and a society that could be anywhere in Latin America; this is the setting for an exploration of masculinity. The book examines the motivations, fears and frustrations of a group of young men who will live the rest of their days knowing they are responsible for a life that is not their own. Can you escape the weight of a body for the rest of your days? In conversation with Carolina Échavez Martínez.

A look at the work of our favourite writers through the more intimate format of the book club, together with Ana María Aponte. The Colombian writer and journalist Alonso Sánchez Baute, the author of novels, literary journalism and essays, as well as the original story of the successful soap opera Leandro Díaz, will talk to us about his latest book, La mirada de Humilda. In the book, based on the experience of the death of his pet, the author deals with issues such as love, bereavement, friendship, the absence of bitterness, the feeling of loss, loneliness and the great pain of absence, examining the question: are we only truly ourselves when we are accompanied?

The works of Canadian-British author Rachel Cusk have been published in over thirty languages. She is the author of works of fiction such as the iconic Outline trilogy (including the novels Outline, Transit and Kudos) and, most recently, Second Place, a story about bonds, the contradictions of motherhood, art, ageing, failure and the place of women, always determined by others. She has also published well-received non-fiction books, such as Aftermath: On Marriage and Separation and A Life's Work. Her work is critically acclaimed and popular around the world. Cusk has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and awards such as the Whitbread in the UK and the Prix Femina Etranger in France in 2022. The author will talk to Margarita Valencia.

Simultaneous interpreting from English to Spanish available

A society that offers its citizens quality public services, where peace and access to education are guaranteed, is also a less violent and unequal society, one where cultural manifestations flourish. We speak to four experts who, from their various specialities, present ideas about how to achieve this equity. With Darrel McLeod (Canada), a writer who was chief negotiator for land claims with the Canadian Federal Government and Executive Director of Education and International Affairs of the Canadian Assembly of First Nations before turning to writing; Paula Marcela Moreno (Colombia), former Minister of Culture, Chair of Corporación Manos Visibles and author of Soñar lo imposible and Maria Ressa (Philippines), journalist, winner of the Peace Nobel Prize in 2021 for work denouncing Duterte's regimen, corruption and and brutality. In conversation with Karim Ganem Maloof.

Simultaneous interpreting from English to Spanish available

The figure of the mythical vallenato composer Leandro Díaz (Colombia) has been brought to life in the recent biographical series of the same name produced by RCN. The writer Alonso Sánchez Baute and the screenwriter Rafael Noguera talk to Silvia Hoyos about the task of adapting for television the life and experiences of this personality, so loved by the Colombian public.

Ceniza en la Boca, the new novel by the Mexican writer Brenda Navarro, and Gloria, by the Colombian author Andrés Felipe Solano, are the focus of this conversation with Felipe Restrepo Pombo, about some great new Spanish-language fiction, which deals with issues such as migration, family relationships and narrative viewpoints and voices. Brenda Navarro studied Sociology and Feminist Economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and did a Master’s in Gender, Women and Citizenship at the University of Barcelona. This novelist, screenplay writer, reporter and publisher founded #EnjambreLiterario, a project that focusses on publishing the writings of women. Her first novel was Casas vacías. Andrés Felipe Solano is a writer, narrative journalist and author, among other books, of the novels Los hermanos Cuervo, Cementerios de neón and Sálvame, Joe Louis; of the book of journalism Salario mínimo: Vivir con nada, as well as Corea, apuntes desde la cuerda floja, a publication that won the 2016 Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana Prize. In 2010, the British magazine Granta chose him as one of the 22 best young fiction writers in Spanish.

The singer, composer, musician and musical legend in the Spanish-speaking world, the Paisa artist Juan Esteban Aristizábal, or Juanes, comes to Cartagena to talk about his book of memoire, Juanes by Diego Londoño, written with the journalist Diego Londoño (Colombia), author of various books about musicians. In conversation with Juan Esteban Lewin Pinzón.