Hay Festival Colombia Digital

The American Joseph Stiglitz is one of the world’s most eminent experts on the subject of economics. This Columbia University professor and former Chief Economist at the World Bank was a Nobel prizewinner in 2001 and was an advisor to President Clinton; he is the author of a number of books on capitalism and globalization. His most recent book, Rewriting the Rules of the European Economy. An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity explores the current European crisis, with an emphasis on the problems that have been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic: sluggish growth, cuts to social programmes, and the appearance and rise of far-right political movements.

The writer and journalist Laura Restrepo (Colombia) will talk to Luz María Sierra about her most recent novel, Canción de antiguos amantes (Song of Former Lovers), whose main character travels the world in search of the Queen of Sheba, in an exciting adventure that serves as a reflection on issues such as love and pain, crossing cultures and eras. Restrepo is one of the most internationally renowned Colombian authors thanks to novels such as the saga of Pecado (2016), The Divine Boys (2017) and Delirium (2004).

With the arrival of the pandemic, the usual gloomy predictions regarding the fate of the book were joined by new ones announcing the death of bookshops. However, despite the forecasts, many new and vibrant bookselling projects have sprung up. Bookshops receive widespread sympathy and support, being a model of local commerce and because of their capacity to create links and build community. The conversation at this event will be on the subject of the difficulties being experienced in Mexico, with its great lack of independent bookshops, very unlike the situation in Spain, where they have a very strong presence. In conversation with Ana Cañellas will be Alonso Salmerón (El Desastre bookshop, Mexico City); Alberto Sánchez de Gregorio from ¡¡¡Tremenda!!! bookshop (Granada, Spain); Maru Urbina from the children’s bookshop and workshop Letrasconmás (San Luis Potosi, Mexico); and Paula Vázquez, from the bookshop Lata Peinada (Barcelona and Madrid, Spain).

Elisa Guerra (Mexico), educator and researcher, talks to Juan Manuel Restrepo about the urgent issue of education in the world and how to establish new systems that guarantee quality, free and universal education. Guerra holds a Master's degree in Education from Harvard University and in 2015 was named Best Educator in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Inter-American Development Bank; she was also a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize - considered the Nobel Prize for teaching - in 2015 and 2016. A member of the International Commission on the Futures of Education (UNESCO), she is co-author of the report Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education. In 2017, Al Jazeera television made a documentary about it, recognising its proposal as one of the six most important educational innovations worldwide.

The American Joseph Stiglitz is one of the world’s most eminent experts on the subject of economics. This Columbia University professor and former Chief Economist at the World Bank was a Nobel prizewinner in 2001 and was an advisor to President Clinton; he is the author of a number of books on capitalism and globalization. His most recent book, Rewriting the Rules of the European Economy. An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity explores the current European crisis, with an emphasis on the problems that have been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic: sluggish growth, cuts to social programmes, and the appearance and rise of far-right political movements.

Writer, priest and founder of the association Amigos del Desierto, Pablo d'Ors (Spain) is the author of the publishing phenomenon Biography of Silence (2012), an essay on introspection, meditation and spiritual contemplation. His most recent book is Biografía de la luz (Biography of Light) (2021), a look at the Gospel and the life of Christ, where he reflects on the teachings of this extraordinary figure and how we can integrate them into our lives today. In this event, d'Ors will talk with David Escobar about the importance and benefits of connecting with our spirituality, in order to have fuller and more committed life experiences with our environment.

The graphic novel has become an established form of artistic expression, as much as literature itself, and the award-winning Spanish illustrator and cartoonist, Paco Roca, is one of the form’s most outstanding artists at the present time. His body of work includes around 30 graphic books, published in over ten countries. His most recent graphic novel, written together with the US expert on Spain, Robert Coale, is Los surcos del azar (2021), which looks at the role of Spain during the Second World War. It is told from the point of view of Miguel Ruiz, a Spanish republican in exile in France. He will talk about this extraordinary work with Felipe Rosete.

Conversation between Adriana Villegas Botero and activist and ecofeminist thinker Yayo Herrero (Spain), one of the most important voices of a movement that advocates for environmental care with a gender perspective. Yayo Herrero defines the aim of ecofeminism as “putting at the centre what is necessary to sustain life”. Herrero is an anthropologist, lecturer and a very influential researcher in the ecofeminism and ecosocialism fields in Europe. She has been coordinator of the Ecologistas en Acción NGO and has taken part in numerous social initiatives on the promotion of Human Rights and social ecology.

The Colombian writer and journalist Alonso Sánchez Baute, author of novels, books of chronicles and essays, and even the original story of the successful soap opera Leandro, will talk about his latest book, La mirada de Humilda (The Gaze of Humilda), in which, based on the experience of the death of his pet, he deals with themes such as love, grief, friendship, the absence of resentment, the feeling of loss, loneliness and the infinite pain of absence; and which delves into the question, "Are we only when we are accompanied? He will talk about it with Marta Hincapié.

In recent decades, the publishing market has experienced a striking degree of concentration, becoming dominated by a handful of publishing conglomerates, and the arrival of the pandemic has brought even more difficulties to independent publishers. Nonetheless, even considering the problematic outlook, small publishers continue to resist with a startling richness and diversity of proposals. On this occasion, we will talk to young Mexican and Spanish publishers who have managed to find a market niche even during these difficult times, at the head of projects of great professionalism and cultural ambition. Emiliano Becerril (Elefanta Editorial, Mexico), Nicolás Cuéllar Camarena (Dharma Books+Publishing, Mexico), Zacarías Lara (Editorial Barrett, Spain) and Susana Romanos (Greylock Editorial, Spain). They will talk to Diego Aristizábal.

A very relevant conversation about the human body, the healing and pain, with doctor Santiago Rojas (Colombia), lecturer, science communicator and specialised in palliative cancer care and integrative medicine. In conversation with Gabriel Mesa Nicholls.

An important talk on burning issues, with three proposals for the future to build a better world, by participants in the festival who, from their respective trenches and countries, raise problems and solutions needed for a world in crisis. With educator and writer Elisa Guerra (Mexico), environmental activist and feminist Yayo Herrero (Spain) and social leader and activist Paula Marcela Moreno (Colombia), in conversation with Hay Festival Director Cristina Fuentes La Roche.

The US jazz expert Ted Gioia, a musician, composer, writer and lecturer, will talk to Mariana H. Together they will explore some of the ideas about music that Gioia has presented in his latest book, Music. A Subversive History (2019). This long essay presents the history of music, but instead of looking at matters of technique or style, it focuses on the relationship between music and everyday life, human experience, socio-political movements and pop culture. The conversation that all music-lovers have been waiting for.

From her experiences of racism and inequality, Indhira Serrano (Colombia) will talk with Juan Mosquera Restrepo about how to overcome exclusionary imaginaries for racialized people, launching a message of self-acceptance, respect for differences and pride in Afro-Latino heritage. Serrano was a model, which gave her an insider's view of how the media influences people's self-perception. In addition, since 2015 she has been developing a series of conferences and workshops entitled Reconstruyendo imaginarios (Reconstructing Imaginaries), where she reflects on the relationships we have with money, education, our partner and power.

All the figures seem to indicate that, during the pandemic, online sales platforms have positioned themselves strongly in the Ibero-American book market. Companies that specialize in this area, hardly known in pre-pandemic days, have become major actors and are able to fight the giants of digital commerce for spaces and customers. Juan Pablo Grunewaldt (Buscalibre.com, Santiago, Chile), Esteban Restrepo (Buks Librería, Medellin) and Marc Subirats (Bookshop, Barcelona) will talk to Myriam Vidriales.

The US jazz expert Ted Gioia, a musician, composer, writer and lecturer, will talk to Mariana H. Together they will explore some of the ideas about music that Gioia has presented in his latest book, Music. A Subversive History (2019). This long essay presents the history of music, but instead of looking at matters of technique or style, it focuses on the relationship between music and everyday life, human experience, socio-political movements and pop culture. The conversation that all music-lovers have been waiting for.