For the first time in almost half a century of existence, the traditional exhibition would be left not only without a cultural portfolio stand but also without an official from the area to attend the opening.
The president of the The Book Foundation, Alejandro Vaccarotold this newspaper today that, despite being asked for a response since last January, The National Ministry of Culture did not confirm its participation in the next Buenos Aires Book Fair, which begins on April 25 in La Rural.
“Not only did they not answer us if they will participate with the traditional stand, which is in the Blue sector and is usually one of the most visible and busy, but They also did not confirm to us if the Secretary of Culture or any of his envoys will come to the Fair. Until today they have not responded to any of the emails, whatsapps and messages we sent them. Nothing. They ignored us”.
Vaccaro, in the dialogue, said that this would represent the first time in the history of the Book Fair that there is no representation of the national State. Next year, the traditional exhibition will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary: “Culture of the Nation, both when it was the Ministry and when it was the Secretariat, during the Macri era, as it was again now, was never lacking. It seems even inconceivable.”
“I understand,” he added, “that, If you consider some of this government’s statements on culture, this very anti-cultural policy, officials prefer to save themselves some bad times.. In fact, Macri’s minister, Pablo Avelluto, received some boos when he gave his speech, and there were writers who turned their backs when he spoke, but he came. He was. And there was a stand. But for them to ignore us like they are ignoring us is unheard of.”
Vaccaro prefers not to talk about booth rental costs at this economically delicate time. Last year, the stand (one of the largest at the Fair, and with greater visibility, is located in the Blue Sector) cost 25 million pesos. If accumulated inflation were applied today the figure would be close to 80 million. “But it is not a matter of costs. Throughout the history of the Fair, there were many agreements and there were not rare occasions when other national institutions, such as the Ministry of Education and the National Library, for example, shared the stand and offered activities that were very beneficial for students. and the general public.”
“The Foundation is reasonable, it always was: in other cases we negotiate exchanges with official spaces such as the CCK to make free presentations, and deduct them from the value of the stand; There are hundreds of possibilities, even reducing the surface of the stand. But what seems incredible to us is the abuse to which we are subjected this year. They don’t even say no to us for reasons of mere courtesy.”
“The City stand, on the other hand,” continued Vaccaro, “confirmed its presence as it does every year as soon as the new minister of the area, Gabriela Ricardes, took office.” Will there be a response? The president of the FEL says that the doors remain open. Now, if tomorrow a publisher or a group of publishers appears that wants the stand for Culture of the Nation, what would you do? “I’ll rent them to you immediately, of course.”he answers without hesitation.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
