Hay Festival Presenta: Santa Marta will bring together diverse writers and thinkers from Colombia, Latin America and the wider world to inspire audiences, 22–23 July.
Taking place as part of ‘Santa Marta 500 años’ celebrations – marking the 500-year anniversary of the city’s founding – the event will feature a free programme of conversations reflecting on history, storytelling and what the next 500 years might bring.
Events will be hosted in two iconic venues – the Café de Pombo Bookstore and the Santa Marta Theatre – broadening access to cultural inspiration in the heart of the city.
Two reading clubs open the Festival on Tuesday 22 July, exploring the work of Claudia Piñero and Yurieth Romero, before five panels on Wednesday 23 July tackle questions of history, indigenous memories, and contemporary narratives with speakers including author Marie Arana; historian Joaquín Viloria; activist Gunna Chaparro; anthropologists Carl Langebaek and Weildler Guerra; screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, essayist Erna von der Walde; and more.
Hay Festival Global international director Cristina Fuentes la Roche said:
“Hay Festival Presenta: Santa Marta is an invitation to look at our history with fresh eyes, through the words of great storytellers and thinkers from the continent. We are very excited to return to this city steeped in memory, where we will gather to converse, dissent, and imagine together.”
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“Our mission is to provide accessible platforms for audiences to engage with culture and exchange new ideas. Hay Festival Presenta: Santa Marta is an exciting new chapter for our charity as we continue to expand our portfolio of events around the world, working with our partners to host impactful conversations to imagine a better future. Join us!”
Hay Festival Presenta: Santa Marta takes place with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
One of the world’s leading cultural charities, Hay Festival was founded in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in 1987, providing audiences with dynamic platforms to come together to share ideas, different perspectives and provoke conversations that can create a better world.
For more information about Hay Festival Presenta: Santa Marta see here.