Book lovers gather at Día del Libro 2009

The finale of the three-day celebration of Día Internacional del Libro (International Book Day) was a melting pot of cultures as book lovers and literature enthusiasts of different ages and races went to the Instituto Cervantes de Manila grounds last April 25 for a day filled with activities and programs - all free. With the aim of promoting cultural relations between Spain and the Philippines, the series of celebrations opened on April 23 with a poetry-reading session by Juan Gelman, followed by Poetry Night and contemporary dance and film presentations last April 24.
Jose Rodriguez, director-general of Instituto Cervantes, opened the event "Rosas y Libros" at 10 am, with a short exhibition from the City of Manila Band and a book and food fair at the school's patio. People availed of the special discounted prices of different book titles sold by the exhibitors, and as with Spanish tradition, a rose was given for every book purchase. A coloring and drawing session for children was also held at the same time at the Casino Español, and food booths offering authentic Spanish cuisine were put up for a complete gastronomic experience.

The celebration also coincided with World Copyright Day on every April 26, and to honor this event a round table discussion on "Copyright in the Digital Environment" followed at the auditorium at around 10:30. Speakers included Adrian Cristobal and Atty. Louie Andrew Calvario of the Intellectual Property Office, writer and professor Dr. Isagani Cruz, and writer-publisher Ramon Sunico, with introductions from Jose Ricardo Molina. The forum focused on the definition and facts regarding copyright, the position of the writer and the "copier", the issues and concepts surrounding it, and the importance of reading contracts between the publisher and the writer. An open forum was held afterwards.

Another highlight of the day's festivities was the book launch and signing of Tesoro Literario de Filipinas, a compilation of Philippine short stories translated in Spanish. Two of the edito--Lourdes Castrillo Brillantes and Renato Prado--were present.

Other free activities were available for participants interested in the Spanish language and culture, aside from the whole-day book fair. There was storytelling for children, demo classes, Spanish diagnostic tests, film showings, a guided tour around the institution, a guitar concert, live jazz ensemble, and a Foto del Día (Photo of the Day) contest for the photography aficionados. A European poetry recital contest was also held at the patio at around 4:00 pm where ambassadors and representatives from different European embassies came to read poems from writers of their respective countries, and the audience voted for the best reader.

Awarding of the winner for Foto del Día took place after the guitar concert at around 7:30 pm, and the whole celebration ended with a grand Latin fiesta at the patio until midnight.

Photos by Trixie Caliban; licensed under Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA-2.0.

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