"However adverse the circumstances, we could not fail to hold this Book Fair, dedicated to Fidel, because that great reader, the Commander, became, from the very first days of the Revolution’s triumph, our greatest promoter of books and literature," said Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute, at the opening of the 34th Havana International Book Fair, presided over by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, at the Cultural Station on Línea and 18th Streets in Havana.
In his address, Rodríguez Cabrera referred to Fidel not only as the founder of the National Printing Office of Cuba and its National Publishing House, but also of the Cuban Book Institute, as well as the Territorial Publishing System. "We also owe to his constant personal efforts the transfer of rights and subsequent publication in Cuba of great works of contemporary literature," Rodríguez Cabrera emphasized, recalling that this event has historically been a space for exchanging knowledge, disseminating the most advanced literary trends, and debating the contemporary world, so that, in the current circumstances, the Book Fair continues to be a vital forum for ideas.
He referred to the poet, novelist, and journalist Marilyn Bobes, and the historian and researcher José Bell Lara, authors to whom the Book Fair is dedicated, as "relevant intellectuals." The work of both writers was summarized in two audiovisual presentations that included not only their respective speeches but also words of praise endorsed by their colleagues.
Rodríguez Cabrera underscored the close bonds of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation that unite Cuba with the Russian Federation, the guest of honor.
On the Russian side, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, addressed the audience. With a resounding "Long live Cuba!", he concluded his emotional remarks, given that he was inaugurating the event on the eve of the Centennial of Fidel Castro's birth. Regarding the Book Fair, he noted that Cuba has always been a magnet for writers.
The audience responded with a standing ovation to the performance by the Russian State Academic Folkloric Ensemble, which featured two musical pieces: "Comandante Fidel" and variations on the Russian folk song "Kalinka." The opening ceremony concluded with a performance by Pancho Amat and the Cabildo del Son.
Also present were Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People's Power; Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister; and Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs, all members of the Political Bureau; and Yuniasky Crespo Baquero, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and head of its Ideological Department. Alpidio Alonso Grau, Minister of Culture, and Víctor Koronelli, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Cuba.
