Colombia's cultural diversity shines at Seoul book fair
The Colombia pavilion at the Seoul International Book Fair gives a peek into the vibrant literature of the Latin American country at Coex from June 1 to 5. Newsis
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Colombia has been invited to the 2022 edition of the Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) as the guest of honor, the first time for a Spanish-speaking country.
Colombian Minister of Culture Angelica Mayolo Obregon said it is important to strengthen cultural ties between Colombia and Korea.
"We see this book fair as a great opportunity to show our cultural richness through our literature," Mayolo said during a video interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.
Ahead of the SIBF, Korea participated in Colombia's Bogota International Book Fair as guest of honor and Mayolo said it was a great success with more than 500,000 visitors.
Mayolo said she met Eun Hee-kyung, author of "Bird's Gift" and a member of the Korean delegation, twice during the fair and her book and presentation were impressive.
She also said the book fair will be a great opportunity to promote the Spanish language in Korea, which is gaining more importance as the Spanish-speaking population continues to increase.
"We feel honored to be the first Hispanic country as guest of honor in this book fair. One of our objectives is to respond to the growing interest in the Spanish language in Korea. Also we want to encourage more Koreans to read Colombian literature and invite Koreans to study in Spanish in our country," she said.
Colombia's Culture Minister Angelica Mayolo Obregon speaks during a video interview with The Korea Times, June 1. Captured from Teams
The minister said the Colombian pavilion is a great place to showcase Colombia's diversity under the slogan of "Colombia: Creative, Diverse and Fraternal."
"The main characteristics of the Colombian literature are originality, creativity and diversity. The universe of Colombian literature is as rich and diverse as the environment and society, consistent of our territory," Mayolo said.
Among recognized and predominant authors of Colombia, 21 authors have been selected to represent the country's diversity.
"We want to guarantee diversity in terms of gender, ethnic and regional territories in Colombia. That's why we have representation of many woman, Afro-Colombian communities and indigenous communities. We also have writers from different generations," the minister explained.
Colombia also strategically highlighted women's engagement in literature by presenting a book talk titled "Women in Charge: Contemporary Colombian Writers."
"We have been working under this policy to promote women in literature as a way to guarantee equality in our literature. We consider diversity the most valuable characteristic of Colombian society," Mayolo said.
The minister also expressed her hopes to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation to other cultural fields such as music and film.
"In terms of film production, in Colombia we have a special policy with economic incentive to promote international investment in the audiovisual sector. We want to strengthen the relation with Korea by having more Korean companies producing and broadcasting from Colombia," she said.
"I consider that culture is a bridge that facilitates mutual understanding between Colombia and Korea and also helps foster the social and economic development of both nations, despite the physical distance between both countries."
Colombian musician Julio Victoria's live band performs during the opening of the Seoul International Book Fair at Coex in southern Seoul, Wednesday, celebrating the guest of honor country Colombia. South Korea's Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon, third from left, takes a photo of the band. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Women in Colombian literature
The "Women in Charge: Contemporary Colombian Writers" session at the SIBF had a full audience, reflecting high interest in Colombian literature as well as women's empowerment.
Moderator Ana Roda, director of the Library Network in Colombia, kicked off the session by introducing writers Laura Ortiz, Catalina Gonalez and Pilar Quintana.
The Colombian culture ministry sponsored the publication in Korean of "Los vientos que cantaron" (The winds that sang), an anthology of Colombian poems, and "Muchas vidas por vivir" (Many lives to live), a short story anthology, for the SIBF, giving a peek into Colombia's vibrant contemporary literature.
Ortiz took part in the novella anthology with “Tigre americano: panthera onca" (American tiger: jaguar), which revolves around a girl living in a jungle of Colombia.
She said Colombia went through some 50 years of internal conflict and it influenced many people and their families directly and indirectly.
"There were many efforts to implement justice along the way and as a Colombian, I thought a lot about justice, which is a fundamental value of humans, regardless of ideology," Ortiz said.
Poet Gonalez said it is crucial for female writers to be open about their desire and love, which is natural.
"I talk about myself in my poems, which includes my desire. I think women should be free of prejudice and be more honest with oneself," Gonalez said.
Quintana, who couldn't attend the fair in person and sent her answers in a video clip, said she learned about herself and what is happening in the world through writing and literature.
Quintana took part in a project reprinting books by 18 forgotten female writers with the Colombian Ministry of Culture. She explained how she rediscovered literary talents neglected because they were women and was glad to share their work with the women of another generation.