Colombia’s Ministry of Culture, Arts and Knowledge has paid tribute to 20 years of Hay Festival Global’s work in the country with Resolution 0404.
Presented by Director of Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia Adriana Martínez Villalba, Resolution 0404 recognises the Festival’s role in widening cultural participation and peacebuilding, stating:
“Over the course of two decades, the Festival has played an essential role in promoting critical thinking, exchanging ideas and disseminating literature, history, science and the humanities by bringing together nationally and internationally renowned writers, academics, artists and thinkers, and ensuring access to culture for diverse audiences, including local communities.”
The Resolution was shared at the launch of the Festival’s 20th anniversary programme, with events scheduled in Jericó (24–26 January), Medellín (28–29 January), Cartagena de Indias (30 January–2 February), and Barranquilla (3 February).
It follows news from Peru of a Medal of Culture being awarded to Hay Festival International Director Cristina Fuentes La Roche in celebration of the charity’s work.
Since its inception in Colombia, Hay Festival has inspired thousands of people by bringing together renowned authors, thinkers and artists in a diverse and accessible programme, positioning Jericó, Medellín and Cartagena de Indias as epicentres of dialogue and exchange.
The Colombian edition is part of an international calendar of Hay Festival events, Forums and outreach work that spans North and South America, Europe and Africa.
Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said:
“This wonderful honour from the Government of Colombia marks two decades of Hay Festival’s impact in Colombia, opening access to culture and encouraging the free exchange of ideas. It is a tribute to the inspiring work of our international team and our wider family of colleagues, supporters and funders who make it happen every year.”
Hay Festival international director Cristina Fuentes La Roche said:
“Colombia was the first country to host a Hay Festival event outside of Wales. The support we have received here from artists, partners and funders has buoyed us through a period of transformation for our charity. Thank you to the Ministry of Culture for this honour. And thank you to our great Festival teams who make it all possible – we can’t wait to celebrate with you all with a dazzling programme next year!”
Next year’s programme in Colombia will launch the best new fiction and non-fiction, while engaging with the world’s biggest challenges. Guests feature Nobel laureates, award-winning writers and journalists, global policy makers and innovators in a diverse range of conversations and activities.
More than 190 artists from 28 countries feature in the programme, including authors Salman Rushdie, María Negroni, Jorge Ramos, Isabella Hammad, Colson Whitehead, Cristina Rivera Garza, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Yomi Adegoke, Leila Guerriero, Gioconda Belli, Juan Gómez-Jurado, Camila Sosa Villada, Colm Tóibín, Amitav Ghosh, Piedad Bonnett, Richard Ford, Mayra Santos-Febres, Justin Torres, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and María Dueñas; scientists Rafael Yuste, Marcus du Sautoy, Jennifer Ackerman, Rodrigo Quirán Quiroga, Mariano Sigman, Thomas Hertog; historians and philosophers Susan Neiman, Peter Frankopan, Anne Applebaum, Álex Grijelmo, Nicola Lagioia, Diana Uribe, Natalie Haynes and John Sellars; and musicians Carlos Vives, Carlos López Puccio (Les Luthiers), Juan Carlos Coronel, Jorge Velosa and Bocafloja.
Major Hay Festival Global projects feature throughout the programme, forging essential global connections across borders: South to South conversations supported by Open Society Foundations, Lviv BookForum series, Eccles Institute platforms, and the launch of the Serie Malunga Network for global justice with the support of the Ford Foundation where academics and writers talk racism and ways to challenge existing narratives.
Outreach and education programmes across the region, including Hay Festival Joven for young people and Hay Festival Communitario in communities, will continue to open access to Festival inspiration more widely, while some sessions will be broadcast live online, maintaining Hay Festival Global’s commitment to digital accessibility.
To celebrate the Festival’s 20th anniversary, a new engagement project – 20 Questions – invites audiences to share their burning questions with a selection put to all of this year’s guests and shared in digital shorts throughout the event.
The programme in detail
Great literature leads the 20th anniversary programme as renowned international writers share new work, including Salman Rushdie, Colm Tóibín, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Justin Torres, Isabella Hammad, Camila Sosa Villada, Gioconda Belli, Lyonel Trouillot, María Negroni, Cristina Rivera Garza, Gilbert Shang Ndi, Mayra Santos-Febres, Richard Ford, Colson Whitehead, Juan Gómez Jurado, Rafael Navarro de Castro, María Dueñas, Raúl Quinto, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Melba Escobar, Piedad Bonnet, Laura Ortiz Gómez, Yurieth Romero, and illustrator María Hesse.
Rhythm and wordplay weave their way across the Festival stages in events featuring poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths and musicians Carlos Vives and Andrés Mompotes.
The latest thinking in science and the challenges with AI are platformed in conversations with neuroscientists Rafael Yuste, Mariano Sigman and Rodrigo Quirán; mathematician Marcus du Sautoy; journalist Jennifer Ackerman; and ethnologist and anthropologist Martin von Hildebrand.
The past is reimagined in conversations with historians Diana Uribe, Alfonso Munera, John Sellars, Pablo Montoya, Peter Frankopan and Greg Clark; while classicist Natalie Haynes shares her enchanting retellings of Greek myths.
Society comes into focus as Amitav Ghosh critiques western values; Virginia Mendoza explores water wars; Javier Zamora tells the story of migrant children from Central America; Silvia Vásquez-Lavado shares tales from the power of the mountains; Malose Malahlela, Polly Russell and Gustavo Ulcué Campo discuss the importance of archives; and philosophers Wolfram Eilenberger and Susan Neiman share their latest work.
Democracy and the state of our world is further explored as historian Anne Applebaum presents Autocracy Inc; economist Edward Chancellor explores interest rates; plus Colombian thinkers Alejandro Gaviria, Florence Thomas, Óscar Guardiola-Rivera and Laura Quintana take the pulse of their nation.
Journalists spotlight the fight for free experience as Ukrainian reporter Nataliya Gumenyuk joins fellow journalists Txell Feixas, Catalina Gómez and Tatiana Velásquez; Abraham Jiménez Enoa and Juan Diego Quesada discuss attacks on a free press; and there are conversations with Daniel Coronell, María Jimena Duzán, María Elvira Samper, Yomi Adegoke, and Johny Pitts.
Late nights offer a chance to celebrate with the opening concert led by Juan Carlos Coronel; a special performance curated by interdisciplinary artist Bocafloja; a special event with Carlos López Puccio from Les Luthiers, and the closing musical session with Jorge Velosa, El Carranguero Mayor.