• This edition of the festival is dedicated to the poet, storyteller, essayist and translator of Nicaragua-Salvadoran, Claribel Alegría, Reina Sofia Award of Ibero-American Poetry 2017.
• More than 50 creators and creators of literature, music and cinema participate.
• Reuben Blades and Leonardo Padura have been talking about salsa and literature at the opening night

The Central American and South American Festival Counted this Wednesday in Panama City to share and share with the most representative voices of Ibero-American literature about the great issues of the region.

That issue, held from Wednesday, May 22 to Sunday, May 26, was co-organized by the Ministry of Culture of Panama as an opportunity to project the country as a cultural destination with the presence of more than 50 voices from Ibero-American literature, cinema, music and journalism from 14 countries.

"Central America is the geographical bridge that binds America and through which thousands of migrants cross to the north forced by economic inequalities and lack of opportunities, but it's also a cultural bridge, as this festival wants to be, where our realities meet with literature. It's a place of encounter with the literary creation with the daily reality that imagination transforms and reflects and a place of meeting for open dialogue, and for debate without prejudice or bondage, as literature, when it's forced to serve political and ideological dogs, loses all the creative vigor that it only finds in freedom," said José Torzo and Retirez's 2015.

"Panamanian literature has been and remains a light beacon that illuminates our identity but above all illuminates our history. That festival is an outstanding platform and we are very proud to be part of this initiative that celebrates and promotes the literary wealth of Central America," said Giselle González Villarué, Minister of Culture of Panama.

Delivery of the Central American Caratula Prize

 At his opening, CharDee MacDennis, a pseudonym of the Central American writer who won the XII Central American Cuento Caratula Award, was announced as the winner of the XII Central American Caratula Award.

According to the minutes of the qualifying jury, its text The fall of VersaillesIt stands out because "it's a demonstration of solid construction of characters, atmosphere and creativity, united with the ingenuity of those already assumed as a right-handed writer. It's a tale that manages to put together with master two remote worlds and among those that appear to have no connection: the world of high fashion, luxury and Parisian collectionism, and the world of a Central American girl who has had to leave his town's university and dedicated herself to selling second-hand clothing in a village of province. Borgean in his conception, the complainant manages with an eminently speculative fabric and with his interiors and with his interiors and his interiors and his interiors."

The jury formed by writers Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), Brenda Navarro (Mexico), Gabi Martínez (Spain) and Daniel Centeno Maldonado (Venezuela) - the last director of the magazine Caratula, with a voice but without a vote - deliberated about nine final stories from the 88 received by the Organizer's Committee, all of them from Central American authors up to 35 years old, according to the bases of the prize.

Following up with this, Rubén Blades and Leonardo Padura talked about their passion for art and how music and literature intertwined in their works at the first dialogue of the festival, held at the National Theater of Panama with the name Artists: words and music in the creative salsa of Blades and Fishhis passion for art, exploring how music and literature intertwines with his respective works.

More than 40 activities

That issue was dedicated to Claribel Alegría, a poet, storyteller, essayist and translator from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Reina Sofia Award for Ibero-American Poetry 2017and to celebrate his centuries of his birth. The tribute includes his dialogue A Centennial Joy: The poetic Wills of ClaribelTo be held on Sunday 26 at the National Theater of Panama.

The travelling festival includes headquarters at the National Theater, Canal Museum, Panama National Library and Spanish Cultural Center in Panama / Casa del Soldado. Activities and meetings will be held at the University of Panama, the Santa María La Antigua Catholic University, the specialized University of the Americas (UDELas), Farmacias ArRocha, 12 October, Librería Gran Morrison, El Dorado and El Man de la Mancha at Pacific Mall.

The program includes dialogues about literary editing and management in Central America, the relationship between literature and music or cinema, artificial intelligence and literature, a dialogue dedicated to Gabriel García Márquez ten years after his death, among others. The accounts of Central America, the fifth edition of the chronicle project Central America accountas well as poetry with The verse that countsand presentations of books and training workshops.

Besides an encounter with illustrators and writers who will discuss adaptation, illustration and writing, an account with elisa guerra and film projection The good pattern (2021), by Fernando León de Aranoa, one of today's best known Spanish filmmakers.

From all Ibero-America

The more than 50 participants of this party are Claudia Piñeiro, Eliezer Budapoft, Daniel Mordzinski, Gabriela Cabezón Cammara and Ricardo Gil of Argentina, the Chilean Alejandro Zambra and Alejandra Costanagna, Piedad Bonnett, Jaime Abello Banfi and Vanessa Londoño for Colombia and the Mexicans Juan Vildoro, Antonio Ortuño, Brenda Navarro, Emiliano Monge, Enrique Díaz Álvarez and Elisa Guerra and Venezuelan Daniel Centeno Maldonado.

The festival includes Fernando León de Aranoa, Luis García Montero, Ana Jaren, Antonio Sáez Delgado, Aoa Moreno, Guillermo Altares, Jaume Seguras, Juan Casamayor, Lorena Arroyo and Nadal Suau.

The participation of Rodrigo Rey Rosa (Guatemala), Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), María Eugenia Ramos and Luis Lezama Bárcenas (Honduras), Sergio Ramirez and Gioconda Belli, Mario Martz and Claudia Neira Bermudez of Nicaragua, and Dorelia Barahona, Alexander López, former President Luis Guillermo Solís, Marcela Salazar and Oscar Castillo of Costa Rica.

From Panama: Aristides Royo, Carlos Fong, Consuelo Tomas Fitzgerald, Ilya Espino de Marotta, Emiliano Pardo-Tristan, Ela Urriola, Eyra Harbar, Javier Alvarado, Isabel Burgos, Jorge Eduardo Ritter, Juan David Morgan, Carlos Wynter Melo, Mar Alzamora, Moises Pasquual Pérez, Roxana Muñoz, Olga de Obaldi ″ a, Rubén Blades, Sabrina Bacal, Salvador Medina- Barahona, Sol Lauría, Gloria Arrocha, and Domelta, and Domador.

Also includes book presentations: The golden horseby Sergio Ramirez All poetry from Gioconda Belli Almudena: an illustrated biography from Aloa Moreno and Ana Jaren The figure of the world of Juan Villoro and The Accounts of Central America: Panels of Contemporary Central America coordinated by Luis Guillermo Solís, former president of Costa Rica.

The agenda also includes the presentation of books made in Central America as a collection of Uruk Editors, the cedar of Central American literature: 40 years of novels, stories and essays y They come from Panama, Research collection of Central American Poetry, published by Blue Dog Editions.

Partnerships to count

The event was made possible by its leading partners, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the European Union Delegation to Central America (DUE), the Bank for Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAFEC) and the Mayor's Office of Panama and the International Film Festival in Panama (IFF) and the support of Open Society Foundations (OSFoundations), the Cervantes Institute, Ford Foundation, International Human Rights Network Europa (RIDHE), Penguin Random House, Planet Group, General Direction of Book, Comic and Reading of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport, the French Embassy in Panama, the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) and Spanish Cultural Action (AC / E).

In addition to COPA, Morgan & Morgan, Mas Móvil Foundation, the Panamanian Chamber of Books, Farmacias ArRocha, Fundación Felipe Motta, Bank Mercantile, Global Bank, EFG, ASSA, Hutchison Ports PC, Embassy of Portugal in Panama, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Tecnasa, Coca-Cola FEMSA, National Beer, Bahia Motors, Gabriel Lewis Galindo Foundation and as participating means The Country and EFE Agency.

The complete program is available on the social networks of the festival and on the website www.centramricacuenta.com.