With the motto “historical, popular and federal”, The Rioja held the 20th edition of its traditional book Fairwith fifteen days full of activities throughout the province and, especially, in its “zero kilometer”, the Castro Barros Cultural Walk in the capital.
The success of the meeting was reflected in very good numbers: 100,000 people visited the fair (many did it several times throughout its two-week run) and more than 20,000 books were sold. Data that once again put the importance of consolidating new scenarios for cultural activity, which transcend the centrality of Buenos Aires, at the center of the scene. Is it possible to think of a space for local consecration, even interprovincial, that competes with the country’s capital in importance?
The effusion with which people accompany this kind of meeting suggests that yes, it is likely to imagine another future for the dissemination of books, among other activities of thought and art, far from the “mainstream” of the Río de la Plata.
The protagonists
“The great merit, from the beginning, was of the people. The first edition was held in a very cold winter, but the halls were full. And the attendance was massive. Since then, it has not stopped growing, “he says. Robert Red, historian, writer and journalist, and one of the most prestigious authors in La Rioja. For him, the cultural tradition of the province, from Rosario Vera Peñaloza to Joaquín V. González, explains this passion of his co-provincials for books.
On the other hand, La Rioja is one of the few places in Argentina where a law encourages local publishing, tax relief for companies that collaborate with the publication. To this fact is added the circumstance of a succession of political steps that continued the project that began in 2002, without too many variations. “All Argentine writers passed through here. The only one missing is César Aira”, says Rojo with a smile, alluding to the list of visitors that the Fair convenes each year. In this edition, that of 2022, they were present, for example, Darío Sztajnszrajber, Juan Solá, Gisela Marziotta, Luis Pescetti, Alejandra Laurencich, Pablo Ramos, Javier Núñez, Mariano Quirós, Tute, Ruth Kaufman, Juan Sklar, Georgina Orellano, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Miss Bolivia, Luis Fucks, Soledad Barruti, Mariana Dapuez , Alejo Carbonell, Víctor Pintos, Liliana Heker, Nicolás Jozami, Hernán Brienzaamong others and others.
One of the writers who contributed the original idea for the Fair was Hector David Gatica, a venerated poet in the province, also an educator and author of texts such as the “Cantata Riojana”, “This song is America”, “The founders of oblivion” and many other titles. “The most important thing was the poets and writers who were going to come to that first edition. They came from La Pampa, Neuquén, Misiones, San Luis, Santiago del Estero, Buenos Aires. There were 80 acts, 130 participants, two rooms and a stage. One did not have to ask: can I sit at this table? The writers who didn’t see each other all year, we saw each other there every day”, says Gatica, who throughout his life made the connection of authors from Argentina and Latin America one of his goals in the field of culture.
Among the current local publishing projects, that of Estantigua de Marcelino Montaña stands out, specializing in handcrafted texts, books as objects of art and fanzines that invite a non-reading public to approach reading from a different format.
Or the excellent seal editorial planeof the Ministry of Cultures, which publishes the best new authors in the province and circulates their texts throughout La Rioja.
“Our objective now is to focus on disseminating what is produced here in the rest of the country, in addition to consolidating what we have already done,” says Linda Fragapani, who collaborates in the organization of the Fair as a member of the Secretariat.
The word “tinkunaco” It is very important in La Rioja, because it designates the largest religious celebration in the province, which takes place at the end of December. A festival that recalls the uprising of the original inhabitants of the land, the diaguitas, against Spanish rule, in 1593. In the Quechua language, “tinkunaco” means “encounter”. This term and all the meanings it symbolizes were repeated over and over again, for 15 days, in the texts and exhibitors at the La Rioja Book Fair. A space where languages, traditions and testimonies from all over the country can meet and multiply.
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