“Central America has celebrates culture, thought and constructive dialogue.” With these words, Philippe Hunziker, a member of the Central America Advisory Council, describes one of the most relevant literary activities of the Isthmus.
According to information from the organizers, The activities in Totonicapán and Comalapa, Chimaltenango, marked the beginning of the festival. In addition, the feast of letters included meetings in the capital city as part of this year’s program.
During these activities crucial issues for the region were addressed, such as the memory, identity and cultural resistance of the original peoples.
Regarding the festival, Hunziker said: “Few countries like Guatemala are defined from the diversity of their cultures, languages and visions of the world. Leaving the usual scenarios of discourse formation is essential to account for the wealth that from Central America can be told. Hence the decision of the festival to leave Guatemala City in this 2025 edition.”
Activities in Comalapa and Totonicapán
Rodrigo Carrillo, Vice Minister of Culture, pointed out that both places are relevant venues of the festival: “Comalapa and Totonicapán They are two important headquarters because the organizers and we as a ministry share that literature must reach everyone and, in this case, Central America counts will reach these two populations of the West that I think they have many stories to tell, ”he said.
According to the organizers, the day began in Totonicapán with the projection of the documentary The Tsimane, the community of Bolivia where people age slowerproduced by BBC Mundo, one of the collaborating media of the festival.
What activities were organized in Comalapa?
In this municipality, various national and international guests participated in the dialogue Memory peoples: art, identity and resistance. The participants were David Díaz (Peru), Nadia López García (Mexico), Ángel Poyón (Guatemala), Fernando Poyón (Guatemala) and Carmen Lucía Alvarado (Guatemala).
In this space, the identity and cultural resistance of the original peoples were discussed. The speakers addressed issues such as narrative and visual language that has been used to express their visions about the world, their link with the history and challenges of contemporaneity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnb-ltheatw
Other personalities attended by the Central America Festival
In the activities carried out in the capital city, personalities such as the Ambassador of the European Union in Guatemala, Thomas Peyker; the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Program for Latin America and the Caribbean, Michelle Muschett; and Sergio Díaz -Granados, president of CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. They talked to the former president of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís, about the opportunities offered by multirregionalism as a tool for sustainable development.
At the end of the day, the Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli presented A silence full of murmurshis most recent novel. This activity was carried out in Sofos.
What are the next activities of Central America?
This festival will be a tribute to Miguel Ángel Asturias, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1967. According to programming, among the activities are conversations, workshops, visits to schools and universities, presentations of books and dialogues.
Activities will be carried out in the National Palace of Culture, Lux Theater, Cultural Center of Spain in Guatemala, Librería Sophos, Punto D Contemporaneo and the Rafael Landívar University.
According to the director of the festival, Claudia Neira Bermúdez, this literary party returns to Guatemala at a crucial moment for the region: “Central America has returns to Guatemala as a way of supporting democratic values in our countries at a crucial time as the one that is being lived in the region. We believe that culture, thought and constructive dialogue are essential conditions for its defense and strengthening,”
The inauguration of the festival will be held on Tuesday, May 20 with a dialogue between Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer -songwriter, and Sergio Ramírez, president of Central America and Nicaraguan writer.
The closure of the festival will take place on May 24 with a dialogue between the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, and the director of the Spanish newspaper The countryPepa Good.
The activities of Central America count in Guatemala are free until capacity is filled. The full program can be downloaded on the website www.centroamericacuenta.com.