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ARTS


Hay's event in Kerala includes classical Indian arts like Kathakali HAY FEVER


Literati the world over are drawn to the Hay Festival in Wales each year. Project director Cristina Fuentes tells Julie Cramer how the organisation is now busy creating a network of international events


When did Hay fi rst decide to expand internationally?


Hay Festivals has been giving advice and sharing know-how with other inter- national festivals for many years. As a special and successful model, many people came to us asking for help set- ting up similar festivals and we did so with Mantova, Berlin and Parati, etc. There came a point when we thought we could use our expertise to create new festivals elsewhere. We wanted of create bridges and a culture of exchange between all these festivals. The power of telling stories, sharing, and talking is universal.


How many international sites do you now have? We currently have Hay Festivals in Colombia, Mexico, Spain, India, Maldives and Kenya and we are plan- ning one in the Arab world.


What is your criteria for selecting a new location? We look for special places with the right human, architectural and histori- cal context – it needs to be a place with cultural richness where the right exchange can be achieved.


42 Cristina Fuentes is passionate about creating cultural exchange


How are the international festivals funded?


It depends on which festival - each of them has got its own soul and per- sonality. For example in Kerala, south India, we have a production partner. In other places, such as Cartagena or Segovia, it is produced entirely by the Hay Festival, but always working with amazing local teams.


What are the average costs? Again it depends on the festival. Some of them have more in-kind support than others, different infrastructures, more or less funding capacity, etc - but we could say on average an invest- ment of US$800,000 is needed for a four-day festival.


Could you highlight some particular literary achievements? I am particularly pleased with the Bogota39 and Beirut39 initiatives that we have developed with UNESCO and its 'World Capital of the Book' years in Bogota (2007) and Beirut (2010). Both events were about a panel of experts selecting, highlighting and celebrating 39 of the best regional writers under the age of 40. We created a great fes-


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tival of talks and celebration in each city with these writers and opened up many opportunities for them. With Beirut39 we convinced Bloomsbury to publish an anthology of texts and short stories of the 39 writ- ers simultaneously in the Arab world, England and the US. We have since invited many of the Bogota39 and Beirut39 writers to our international festivals and many of them are now being published in other languages. I think it is very exciting to promote new talent – it’s a vital objective for us.


What are the main challenges you face with Hay International? Getting the necessary funds and cre- ating sustainability – the balance of public and private money varies per country. Another challenge is working with new cultures, teams and tim- ings.... we're learning all the time!


What is your professional experience with Hay? I am director of the Americas and spe- cial projects. I set up and run the festivals in Mexico and Colombia, co- direct de festival in Segovia and run projects like Bogota39, Beirut39.


ISSUE 4 2011 © cybertrek 2011


PHOTO: DANIEL MORDZINSKI


PHOTO: ZZVET / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM


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