The Hay Festival, one of the most recognized cultural events in the world, comes to Jericó, a much-loved town in the southwest of Antioquia that celebrates the arrival of cinema, music and above all: good conversations. We spoke with Constanza Escobar, Development Director of the Hay Festival of Cartagena, Medellín and Jericó.
As the days of January progress, Jericho is also approaching the arrival of the Hay Festival, an event that takes place in various cities around the world, and is an announcement and fulfilled promise of the arrival of ideas and people who are going to talk or present their jobs, to make life better; the theme goes beyond entertainment. This happens when we listen to other people, put ideas together and create together with them. Between January 20 and 22, guests will arrive at the Jericó spaces to join the inhabitants of this much-loved town in Antioquia.
Several announcements confirm this: the film “Los reyes del mundo” directed by Laura Mora will be screened. Andrea Echeverri will present “Ruiseñora”, a new album. Elisa Guerra, educator and researcher, will talk with Juan Manuel Restrepo, director of Cosmoschools and head of Education and Culture.
Likewise, Pablo d’Ors, writer and priest, will speak with David Escobar, director of Comfama and one of the most prominent regional leaders.
Can we say that Hay Festival Jericó has something that sets it apart this year?
Each Festival is unique because the conversations that are generated between authors are specific to each moment. I could say that they are unrepeatable. This year we also have a very complete agenda in which we will celebrate ideas on ecofeminism, education, well-being and spirituality, the environment, poetry and literature. We will also have an important component of music, activism and cinema. On the other hand, we will have a new space, in the Jericó park, which will become a kind of cultural corridor so that everyone can interact with the guests, buy books and enjoy spontaneous conversations.
Is there any data, evidence or sample of what Jericó has changed since the arrival of the festival?
These years in which the festival has had a presence in Jericó, it has served to train audiences, through previous processes that encourage reading and interest in culture and current affairs. In children and adults, the local public that awaits the festival every year is growing more and more. In addition, it has been possible to see the training and development of different sectors of the economy such as the hotel and gastronomic sector, hand in hand with our ally Comfama. With them, processes and businesses that have to do with tourism and visitor service are strengthened. Additionally, Jericó now even has a bookstore, a space that did not exist in this municipality before.
What has it meant to work with Comfama?
Working with an ally like Comfama is a great privilege because it is a partner that is committed to culture, art and the development of the region in the long term and permanently. It is a partner that allows us to bring culture to rural areas, to democratize it, and that gives a seal of quality to everything it does.
It is wonderful teamwork that adds up from all points of view and generates added value from both a social and economic point of view, so that the festival has a really positive impact on the region.
All the programming of the Hay Festival Jericó is available here:
The Hay Festival approaches Jericho