Hay Forum Seville returns to the Andalusian capital, 14–16 March, for the second iteration of this international gathering, with experts and world leaders in the field of ideas, architecture, literature and art coming together for vibrant discussion and the exchange of ideas.
Now in its second year, this latest edition of Hay Forum Seville is comprised of 15 events, three special projects, more than 30 visiting guests and two emblematic venues – the Cajasol Foundation and the Valentín de Madariaga y Oya Foundation.
Participants will include the winner of the latest Cervantes Prize, Luis Mateo Díez; filmmaker Stephen Frears; winner of thee Pritzker Architecture Prize, Yvonne Farrell; and South Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang, together with other leading names in literature, art, urban planning and journalism.
Explore the full programme and book tickets now here. Events can also be watched via livestream free of charge on the website.
Hay Forum Seville is produced by Hay Festival Foundation Ltd, the international charity bringing readers and writers together to share stories and ideas in sustainable events and projects around the world. Its work in Spain has included events in Castilla y León (Segovia) for over 19 successive years, along with celebrating two successful editions in Andalusia (in Granada’s Alhambra). The charity was awarded the 2020 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.
The organisation returns to Seville in the lead up to the centenary celebration of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, a landmark in the contemporary history of the city, and one which shaped the Andalusian capital’s modern image on the world stage.
Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said: “We believe ideas can change the world. Hay Forum Seville 2024 offers a programme of cross-pollination to complement our global calendar of events, adding something new and exciting to the work we do. Join us for a dzaaling programme of inspiration and hope.”
Hay Forum Seville director Sheila Cremaschi said: “Building on the success of the first Hay Forum Seville last year, we are delighted to present a new programme of activities. Since the Exposition in 1929, Seville has exemplified the role of culture in transforming a city and we are excited to continue this journey in partnership with our Spanish audiences.”
Hay Forum Seville takes place with the support of Banco Sabadell Foundation, Cajasol Foundation, Valentín de Madariaga y Oya Foundation, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Grupo Planeta, Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, José Manuel Lara Foundation, Embassy of the United Kingdom, Embassy of the Netherlands, Embassy of Portugal. University of Seville, Loyola University, Seville College of Architects, and Turismo de Portugal.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
The Fundación Cajasol will be the venue for literature, film and flamenco events. The agenda of this section of the Hay Forum Seville is headlined by writer Luis Mateo Díez, recent winner of the Cervantes Prize. He will come to the Andalusian capital shortly before his award ceremony to revive the cherished tradition of El Filandón, oral storytelling, together with the academic José María Merino and the writer Juan Pedro Aparicio. Director of publishing relations at Grupo Planeta, Ana Gavín, will talk to best-selling novelist María Dueñas, who will guide the audience through the cities and landscapes in which some of her most popular titles are set.
Cinema plays a leading role in the 2024 Forum, in the guise of British filmmaker Stephen Frears, one of the film world’s most influential creators in recent decades. In addition to the conversation he will hold with the film critic Marta Medina, the Sevillian public will get a chance to watch three of his most acclaimed films: My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons and The Queen, a film in which Frears paints a sharp portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the days following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Flamenco, a defining feature of the city’s identity, cannot be overlooked, and we will get to know the flamenco singer Nano de Jerez, in his conversation with the director of ABC de Sevilla and flamenco expert, Alberto García Reyes.
Artistic aspirations intersect with economic vision, as South Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang, specialist in development economics, shares his critical analyses of the phenomena of globalisation and the free market. He will be joined by the prestigious British journalist Helena de Bertodano, noted for her interviews with major international personalities, from the Dalai Lama to George Soros.
And journalism is debated by well-known writers from the media scene such as Pepa Bueno (El País), Carlos Franganillo (Mediaset), Rafa Latorre (Onda Cero) and Teodoro León Gross (Canal Sur).
The Valentín de Madariaga y Oya Foundation will house sessions on architecture, urban planning and art at its headquarters in the former United States Pavilion of the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. The Forum will open with the themes of fashion, design and the urban environment, with the art and fashion curator Eloy Martínez de la Pera and the international cultural manager Sofía Barroso in a discussion moderated by the director of COPE in Andalusia, Joaquín López-Sáez.
Alongside all of this, world experts such as architects Reinier de Graaf, Martha Thorne, Yvonne Farrell, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, host Valentín de Madariaga, and the Dean of the College of Architects of Seville, Nuria Canivell, will come together to debate and share ideas. They will reflect on the present and future of cities, the dominant discourses in architecture today, and the contribution of architecture and art to the individual and the community. The 21st century is set to be the century of cities, the natural arenas for innovation and progress. Few people are better placed to talk about the crises and opportunities of urban development than prestigious urban planner Greg Clark, who will talk to journalist Miquel Molina about the future of cities in a globalised world.
Finally, at the headquarters of the Valentín de Madariaga y Oya Foundation, the Sevillian painter Miki Leal and the diplomat Santiago Herrero will analyse how culture acts as a driving force for development and cultural cooperation, as well as being an essential tool for the Spain brand.
Special projects
In line with Hay Festival’s values and purpose, activities for young people throughout Hay Forum Seville will offer free opportunities to engage with culture. A secondary school in Polígono Sur will take part in an activity to promote reading organised by the José Manuel Lara Foundation. Under the title ‘Opening Doors to the Future through Reading’, secondary students from this school will talk to the author of two works that they have chosen themselves.
In addition, innovator Kike Labián, director of the artistic project Kubbo together with the musical group Mayumaná, who specialise in dance and percussion, will lead a fascinating multi-artistic workshop 'Todo lo bueno' (The Bright Side), which comes to Seville as a result of a partnership between the Banco de Sabadell Foundation and Hay Forum Seville. The Bright Side will bring together a group of young people in a creative and dynamic environment to reflect on the narrative they want to leave behind to future generations.
And chef Gioconda Scott will open the doors of the ‘Casa de María’ to host a very special poetry reading, accompanied by Braulio Ortiz Poole, Caroline Michel, Julie Finch, Miquel Molina, José Félix Valdivieso and Beltrán Gambier.