| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | November 2008 
The Best Way to Celebrate Fuentes is by Reading Him: President Calderón
 Presidencia de la República
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| | Tribute to 80-year-old Carlos Fuentes at the Alcázar del Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico City. | | |
Alcázar del Castillo de Chapultepec - Monday, at the citadel of Chapultepec Castle, President Felipe Calderón led a tribute to Carlos Fuentes on the occasion of the writer's 80th birthday, and declared that the best way to celebrate him is to read him, as a result of which Federal Government has implemented a series of programs to promote the reading of his works.
The President announced that an edition of The Buried Mirror is being prepared to distribute to over a million third grade students, an example of which was given to the author.
Addressing an audience of writers and intellectuals, including Nobel Literature Prize laureates Nadine Gordimer adn Gabriel García Márquez and former Presidents of Spain and Chile, Felipe González and Ricardo Lagos, respectively, President Felipe Calderón announced that November will be Carlos Fuentes Month on the school calendar, with various activities and promotions.
He announced that there will be publications and discussions of his work and competitions to produce a weekly mural newspaper with details of his biography, main works, awards and well-known phrases.
The country’s 120,000 elementary and 32,000 secondary schools in the public education system will be invited to undertake activities on the life and works of Carlos Fuentes and write a letter to the author. Cinema-debates will be organized on the film The Old Gringo and temporary photographic exhibitions will be staged with texts and images.
"The authorities will also participate actively in various Mexican states and Mexico City with ambitious programs for this unusual occasion," stated the President.
At the same time, President Felipe Calderón recalled that through their stories and novels and their participation in the press of the time, 18th century French writers, including Montesquieu and Voltaire produced a new type of intellectual who, without belonging to the Church or being subjected to power, realized the importance of producing ideas to trigger change in their societies and the rest of the world.
A propos of this, he added: "In Mexico, we are fortunate enough to have a similar tradition. In the 19th century, Mexicans such Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Riva Palacio and Francisco Zarco turned ideas into weapons against injustice. This tradition was joined in the 20th century by outstanding literary figures such as Octavio Paz, Rosario Castellanos and of course, the subject of today's tribute, Carlos Fuentes."
In this respect, President Felipe Calderón acknowledged the fact that political coherence and the contributions of men and women like them from every part of the political spectrum have played a key role in creating the democratic Mexico of today.
He therefore added, "I would like to honor all Mexican artists and intellectuals without reservations. I am convinced of the importance of their contributions to strengthening culture and national life, democracy, the evolution of our customs and the elimination of prejudice."
For his part, Carlos Fuentes referred to the duty of literature to society, adding that, "In a democracy, legitimate opposition, party debates and diversified proposals are expressed."
He hoped that, "Without reducing this plurality, I hope it will be possible to consider a degree of unity surrounding the three dates in 2010: the Independence Bicentennial, the Centennial of the Revolution and the 100th anniversary of today's university."
He declared that the three celebrations offer everyone, those that govern and those that are governed, power and opposition, the opportunity to reflect on what unites us a Mexicans, without ignoring what differentiates us as citizens.
He thanked President Felipe Calderón for defending him from the attempts to censure Aura, one of his books, a few years ago. He recalled that on that occasion, President Calderón read out extracts of his work in public to prevent its censure.
Lastly, he added that "an old tradition says that the elderly give young lessons. I would prefer young people to give me lessons. They will see a world I will not see, they will bring news of the future. Conversely, we the elderly must ensure that they do not forget the novelties of the past." |
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