Militant/Jonathan Silberman

Among those speaking at the opening ceremony of the 10-day book fair were Venezuelan author Tarek William Saab and Venezuela's minister of culture, Francisco Sesto, as well as Cuban minister of culture Abel Prieto (above right; from left to right: Saab, Sesto, and Prieto). Among the guests of honor were the two Cuban writers to whom this year's fair is dedicated, Angel Augier and Nancy Morejón, who were seated in the front along with Cuban president Fidel Castro and fair organizer Iroel Sánchez, president of the Cuban Book Institute (right; front row from left to right: Augier, Castro, Morejón, and Sánchez). Sesto paraphrased a well-known statement by Castro in the early years of the revolution: "We don't tell people 'believe.' We say, 'read.'" With the success of the initial literacy campaign in Venezuela, Sesto noted, the government's goal is to continue to widen access to culture, including the expansion of state-run bookstores—carrying books at subsidized prices—from 47 today to 60 across the country by the end of this year.

The inaugural ceremony was the occasion to present a new book by Saab, Los niños del infortunio (Children of Misfortune). It tells the story of the Cuban volunteer contingent of 2,540 doctors who have been providing health care in the region of Pakistan devastated by last October's earthquake. Saab is the governor of Venezuela's Anzoátegui state.

At the fair’s opening, Chávez and Castro signed an agreement between their governments establishing a new joint fund to promote cultural projects. Prieto said the fund, among other things, will be used to launch a new publishing house to print books by Latin American authors, two cultural magazines, and a recording label to promote music throughout the continent. Chávez spoke briefly at the conclusion of the inauguration (above center).