With FIL, the magic of letters returns to the Zócalo

The Zócalo CDMX International Book Fair (FIL) started its 24th edition this Friday with an announcement that promises to bring reading to every corner of the capital: 100 bookstores from the Economic Culture Fund (FCE) will be installed in the Utopias (Transformation and Organization Units for Inclusion and Social Harmony), which will be built soon.

This year, the magic of letters will flood the space with the participation of 327 publishers and 269 activities that seek to enrich the reading experience. From book presentations and fascinating talks to community gatherings and live music, every corner of the Zócalo plaza will be filled with stories celebrating cultural diversity and the transformative power of books.

Clara Brugada, head of the capital’s government, shared the news in front of an enthusiastic audience that applauded the promise of bringing books to the most remote neighborhoods. After 24 years, this fair is expected by millions of people nationwide, not only because of the publishers and the meetings around books, but because it has a democratic perspective.Brugada explained.

The Elvia Carrillo Puerto Forum was filled with energy during the opening ceremony, a space where words, books and art were intertwined with the expectation of a future where reading is accessible to all. The head of Government stressed the importance of the Brigade to Read in Freedom, an entity that has turned the FIL into a space where reading is promoted free of charge and without barriers.

Ana Francis López, Secretary of Culture of the capital, highlighted the crucial role of the FIL as a plural and inclusive meeting point. In his speech, he recalled how, year after year, the Zócalo is transformed into a large public square where literature and ideas circulate freely.

Argel Gómez, responsible for Large Community Festivals, reinforced this idea, pointing out that the fair is also a space for cultural exchange that has been able to adapt and grow with the needs of the city’s inhabitants.

Paco Ignacio Taibo II, director of the FCE, did not miss the opportunity to echo the magnitude of the Utopias project: It is a commitment to the democratization of reading. The applauded bookstore project in the Utopias promises to be a giant step towards the goal of promoting reading as a right and not a privilege.

Paloma Saiz, from the Brigade to Read in Freedom, joined the voices that promote this idea of ​​reading as an engine of social change, celebrating the consolidation of a space in which, in addition to books, social justice is breathed.

The book meeting had a musical intervention by the flutist Horacio Franco, and an hour later the book was presented Suku-un Felipe: Felipe Carrillo Puerto and the Mayan revolution of Yucatán, by Armando Bartra. The FIL Zócalo will conclude on October 20.