British Ambassador inaugurates Hay Festival Arequipa 2016
The Hay Festival Arequipa is a symbol of the growing cultural links between the UK and Peru.
The Hay Festival Arequipa is a symbol of the growing cultural links between the UK and Peru
Arequipa, 8 December 2016 - For the second annual edition of the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts in Arequipa, the British Ambassador to Peru, Anwar Choudhury, returned to the White City to inaugurate “the festival of ideas”. Also present at the inaugural reception were the Regional Governor of Arequipa, Yamila Osorio Delgado; congresswoman Ana Maria Choquehuanca; the Honorary Consul of the United Kingdom in Arequipa, Francis Rainsford; representatives of the British Council, and many others. Over 100 writers and artists from 15 countries came to Arequipa and 18,000 people in total attended the Festival, including the President of Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.
Ambassador Choudhury compared some aspects of the city of Arequipa to the town of Hay-on-Wye, where the Hay Festival originated:
Hay has a great link with Arequipa. Hay, in Wales, is a city of 1500 people and 40 bookshops. It is a place of books, literature and art. Arequipa is a bigger and very beautiful city, but it resembles Hay because it too is a place of books and literature.
The United Kingdom is very committed to the Region of Arequipa. As such, we are providing Arequipa with the best English teaching and training programs to improve the region’s competitiveness.
The British Embassy and the British Council recently completed a project to help implement the National Bilingual English Peru Plan 2021 at a regional level.
Together with the British Council and the British Peruvian Cultural Association (better known as Britanico), the British Embassy was delighted to have the participation of five outstanding British writers in this edition of the Hay Festival: Imtiaz Dharker, Nell Leyshon, Ben Okri, Steven Fowler, and Rosie Boycott.
The Hay Festival Arequipa’s 2016 programme was launched in Lima, at the British Ambassador’s residence on 19 October. The Hay Festival Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Cristina Fuentes La Roche, presented the programme to corporate sponsors and representatives of partner institutions of the Hay Festival.