Hay Festival Cartagena 2023

The professor Marcus du Sautoy (United Kingdom) is renowned for his work as a mathematics communicator. In his latest publication, Thinking Better, he reflects on shortcuts and their reputation as ways of cheating; but for Sautoy, they are legitimate tactics of the creative process. The author explains how this is reflected in mathematics, in ‘the art of the shortcut’. Together with Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (Argentina), he will talk about the brain’s capacity to code abstract ideas as well as the work done by Quian Quiroga on the “Grandmother cell”. A session that reflects on the relationship between science and art, and the representation of science in film, as dealt with by Quian Quiroga in his book NeuroScienceFiction.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

In 2025, the Hay Festival celebrates 20 years of conversations and thought in Colombia. To mark the anniversary, we have run a collaborative project in which Colombian society has helped us to put the twenty key questions for our time. This panel invites us to reflect on the vital nature of the sciences, nature and the future of research based on the questions: How can we guarantee the rights of animals and plants? Can science meet the demand for meat and fish with protein created in a laboratory? How can science tackle the problems of mental health and prolong our life expectancy? How can extensive farming by made compatible with protecting biodiversity in Colombia? With Jennifer Ackerman (United States), Wieldler Guerra (Colombia), Rogelio Mejía (Colombia), María Negroni (Argentina) and Javier Cajiao (Colombia).

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

In 2025, the Hay Festival celebrates 20 years of conversations and thought in Colombia. To mark the anniversary, we have run a collaborative project in which Colombian society has helped us to put the twenty key questions for our time. In a context in which the environmental crisis and climate change have become urgent matters, festival guests urge us to reconsider our relationship with the planet based on the following questions: How can we change existing narratives to tackle the climate emergency? How can we make the exploitation of raw materials compatible with their climate impact? How can extensive farming be made compatible with protecting biodiversity in Colombia? Amitav Ghosh (India), writer and thinker; Peter Frankopan (United Kingdom), writer and historian; Virginia Mendoza (Spain), journalist, writer and anthropologist; Gustavo Ulcué Campo (Colombia), Nasa film and television producer. In conversation with Rosie Boycott.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

In 2025, the Hay Festival celebrates 20 years of conversations and thought in Colombia. To mark the anniversary, we have run a collaborative project in which Colombian society has helped us to put the twenty key questions for our time. With democracy being questioned and affected by growing disinformation, the participants at this round table invite us to reflect on the following questions: Are we experiencing the end of the single Western narrative? Are there models other than the democratic one? Will we give up our civil rights to have more security? How should we combat disinformation? How should governments manage immigration? With Daniel Coronell (Colombia), Anne Applebaum (United States), Nataliya Gumenyuk (Ucrania), Susan Neiman (United States) and Edward Chancellor (United Kingdom).

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

In 2025, the Hay Festival celebrates 20 years of conversations and thought in Colombia. To mark the anniversary, we have run a collaborative project in which Colombian society has helped us to put the twenty key questions for our time. Festival guests will bring a wide ranging focus to the conversation, including perspectives from both the global south and the north, and based on the following questions: How can economic degrowth be made an attractive alternative? How would the legalisation of drugs affect the world economy? What can the city learn from the countryside, and vice versa? With Anne Applebaum (United States), Nataliya Gumenyuk (Ukraine) and Jorge Ramos (Mexico / United States). They will talk to Clara Elvira Ospina.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

All Sunday 2 February events will be free for people from the department of Bolívar. Complimentary tickets can be requested at the box office of the Hay Festival (Centro de Convenciones) showing your ID, between 27 Janaury and 2 February.

Peter Frankopan (Croatia / United Kingdom) is Professor of Global History at Oxford University, where he directs the Centre for Byzantine Research, and is a Senior Researcher at Worcester College. He is also UNESCO Professor of Silk Roads Studies and a bye-fellow at King's College, Cambridge. Called a “literary star” by The Times and a “rock star don” by the BBC, his work has been acclaimed internationally, particularly his book The Silk Roads. His latest work, The Earth Transformed. An Untold Story, has been praised for its wide-ranging and erudite analysis of how the environment has moulded global history. In conversation with Andrea Bernal.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

All Sunday 2 February events will be free for people from the department of Bolívar. Complimentary tickets can be requested at the box office of the Hay Festival (Centro de Convenciones) showing your ID, between 27 Janaury and 2 February.

Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (Argentina) is a physicist, mathematician and neuroscientist, as well as an authority on the neuronal mechanisms of visual perception and memory. In his latest publication, Cosas que nunca creeríais. De la ciencia ficción a la neurociencia, the author explores the working of the brain. Quian Quiroga is the discoverer of “concept neurones”, sometimes known as “Grandmother cells”, and he investigates neurological advances that, in some cases, are bringing us close to possibilities that, until now, seemed to be from the realm of science fiction. Since 2019 he has been a member of the UK’s Academy of Medical Sciences, and he currently lectures at the Hospital del Mar’s Research Institute in Barcelona. He will offer his conference What makes us Human? In conversation with Pilar Garavito.

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The Ecuadorian poet and writer Yuliana Ortiz Ruano is the author of Fiebre de carnaval, a novel that pays homage to dance, Latin American culture, and African roots. She presents this book and talks about her experiences as an author and activist. In conversation with Josef Amón.

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