One month before the festival of ideas returns to Querétaro, the International Coordinator of Hay Festival, Izara García Rodríguez, reviews the details of the ninth edition that will take place from September 5 to 8.
In an interview with Diario de Querétaro, the coordinator affirms that they maintain their commitment to expand the impact of the festival beyond the Historic Center of the capital; that is why in 2024 they will reach the seven delegations again, and for the first time to neighborhoods such as Tepetate, La Solana and Bolaños. In addition to having venues in the municipalities of Corregidora and Tequisquiapan.
Although the programming begins on September 5, Izara García assures that they work all year on its organization, and that they have preliminary events.
“For example, on August 16 we will carry out activities in collaboration with La Otra Banda, which is one of the associations with which we collaborate. Creative writing, music and theater workshops will be taught; The three are sponsored by guests of the festival who will see the culmination of the workshops at the meeting.”
Regarding the structure of the program, Izara says that they conduct surveys among the public before, during and after each edition, so over the course of nine years they have managed to define what interests the people of Querétaro the most.
“The relationship between music and literature is one of the most popular topics, so every year, since at least 2018, we have created activities within the program that touch on that theme, as well as topics related to technology, artificial intelligence and everything that has to do with science, which are also in high demand.”
He asserts that although the program is designed to reflect the best of the cultural scene both in Querétaro and in the rest of Mexico and the world, “it does not mean that we are only talking about big names like Kailash Satyarthi, who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner from India; Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) or the Spanish author Javier Moro, who are coming this year; There will also be other younger guests or emerging authors whose work we think is very relevant to highlight; quality does not only mean fame for the festival, but also projection and interest.”
In literature, the presence of Raúl Zurita, Alberto Fuguet (Chile), Rebecca Solnit (United States), Antony Passeron (France), Rosa Beltrán and Emiliano Monge (Mexico) stands out.
“And this year we are going to make a special stop in poetry with Najwan Darwish, one of the most important Palestinian poets in Arabic who has gained special relevance if we take into account what is happening right now in Palestine; it is a way of embracing that community and listening to what he has to say from poetry.”
Regarding current issues, he details that the 30 years of the Zapatista movement will be discussed, “a very important political, cultural and sociological event for the history of Mexico, in addition to being a movement that is still alive and has influenced social movements around the world.”
In terms of music and literature, there will be three very powerful guests: “Colin Greenwood who will present Cómo desaparecido, which is a biography with photographs of the band, which is probably the most followed contemporary rock band in the world. We will also be accompanied by the Mexican artist Lila Downs who will participate in a live episode of El Hilo, a very powerful Latin American podcast, and Glen Matlock, member of the Sex Pistols, a legendary band and probably the creator of the punk movement.”
There will also be film screenings, posthumous tributes, activities for children, events in sign language and for neurodivergent people, and book sales, which is a fundamental part of the Hay Festival for the strengthening of the book industry.
It is worth mentioning that tickets for the in-person events will cost 20 pesos, and can be purchased on the festival platform or directly at the box office of the Teatro de la Ciudad.
The proceeds will be donated as every year to the social programs of the Municipal DIF System; It is expected to exceed the figure of 2023, which was 171,380 pesos.
There will also be free admission activities, and both university students and people over 60 years of age will be able to purchase up to ten free tickets by registering on the official website.
Source: diariodequeretaro