Open the FILPM with special attention in the challenges facing reading

With the hope of sowing the seed of intellectual curiosity, yesterday began the 46th edition of the International Book Fair of the Mining Palace (FILPM), the oldest in the country.

Leonardo Lomelí, rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), said when he headed the inaugural act that the meeting responds to the challenges facing the habit of reading, because, according to recent data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, only 70 percent of the literacy population over 18 declares read, a figure that represents a decrease of 14 points compared to 2015.

In a polarized world, platforms like this remind us of the unifying power of reading and the exchange of opinionshe said in his speech yesterday morning in the auditorium of the Mining Palace.

The purpose is to bring the university community closer to the most relevant works and the news of the editorial industry in the architectural jewel of Manuel Tolsá, located in Tacuba 5, in the historic center.

Until March 2, with Oaxaca as a guest of honor, 1,48 activities will be carried out, including 765 editorial presentations, 102 conferences, 47 public readings and 25 round tables, with the participation of more than 700 authors and 443 editorial stamps. The schedules to go are from Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with an entry cost of 20 pesos, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. for 25 pesos.

Shortly before the opening ceremony, the shelves were almost ready, with the tables showing the most striking for visitors. In the central courtyard, the great temporary libraries of the publishers shone waiting; For example, 21st century, Random House or that which offers a blind appointment with books, without knowing its content, with a surprise for 70 pesos. Meanwhile, at the box office, although a couple of hours were missing for the opening of doors, the first visitors have already romed.

When giving a brief press conference, the rector of the top house of studies declared that assistance has been gradually recovered, compared to the figures prior to the pandemic: We hope that in this edition there is more presence than last year. He said that although there was a cut in the number of days of activities, it lasts longer than other important fairs in the country. Carrying out restructuring will depend on the influx of attendees and the participation of publishers.

José Antonio Hernández, director of the Faculty of Engineering, welcomed in the historic building of the 18th century to celebrate the transforming power of the book and reading; He was accompanied by Fernando Macotela, who has directed the FILPM for 25 years, as well as Rosa Beltrán, director of Cultural Diffusion of the UNAM, among other officials.

For his part, Hugo Setzer, president of the National Chamber of the Mexican Editorial Industry (Caniem), said that in a world where the challenges for the book are constant, spaces such as the FILPM charge greater relevance, and allow to reaffirm the importance of the Word written as a vehicle of knowledge and tool for the construction of a more informed and democratic society.

At the beginning of the FILPM, which coincided with the International Day of the Maternal Language, an Oaxaca girl, dressed in tehuana, on behalf of the guest of honor, recited with a powerful voice a poem in Zapotec and then in Spanish. Mariel Ramírez Orozco sent a message from the heart of the original communities by expressing that, although indigenous languages ​​have better conditions, they also face the pain that many were erased. He underlined the need to defend, promote and protect maternal languages Sincerelywith real actions and not only with laws.

The guest state of honor prepared a program with more than 70 activities to know its traditions, its ethnic diversity and its literary inheritance, in addition to an art sample created by women.