By María Josefina Arce.
With all its diversity and cultural richness, Brazil arrives at the 32nd Havana International Book Fair, where for the second time in the history of this important literary event it is the guest of honour.
The South American giant brings nearly six thousand volumes published in Spanish, including children's classics, to this event, eagerly awaited by the public, and which this year has a special attraction due to the closeness between the Cuban and Brazilian peoples.
For the Brazilian ambassador in Havana, Christian Vargas, being the guest of honour is of great significance in the process of resuming relations with Cuba, which began after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's return to the presidency in January 2023.
The importance that Brasilia attaches to the event is confirmed by the large participating delegation, headed by the current Minister of Culture, the well-known singer and composer Margareth Meneses.
Brazil is the land of outstanding writers well known to our people, not only for reading their works, but also for their adaptation to cinema and theatre, such as Jorge Amado with his unforgettable "Dona Flor y sus dos maridos" and "Gabriela, Clavo y Canela".
The latest literary production in the South American country now reaches readers and opens the way for them to get to know new figures in this fascinating world.
The Brazilian representation is also made up of a group of the main comic book writers, an important and growing genre in Brazil.
The Fair includes in its programme the exhibition of films from that nation, whose filmography Cubans have also been able to enjoy at the International Festivals of New Latin American Cinema, held every December in the capital of the Greater Antilles.
The identification in various aspects between the two peoples, united by close ties of friendship and solidarity, is undeniable. In fact, several Brazilian intellectuals will be travelling to Havana as part of the official delegation for their interest.
Officially inaugurated the day before, the Fair opens its doors today to Cuban families, who have made this event, considered one of the most important in the publishing world in Latin America and the Caribbean, their own, and which now has the satisfaction of once again having Brazil, an old friend of Cuba, as its main protagonist.
