de México
Pajaritas de Papel
Congreso Mundial del PEN
es Quién
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| PEN Club de México |
PEN México: Pajaritas de Papel |
Ciudad de México 2003: Congreso Mundial del PEN |
Quién es Quién |
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The 69th PEN International World Congress of Writers, dedicated to Cultural
Diversity, could not have a better venue than Mexico. It will explore the literature
of the Americas; of Canada, the United States and Latin America, shining a particular
light on the indigenous literatures which are so essential to the understanding
of the cultural map of our continent, from Chile to Canada.
Mexico City is privileged in having been the historic, political and economic
center of the Mexica civilization, whose archaeological ruins are ubiquitous
in the modern city. It also had the benefit of receiving, via Spain, the contributions
of the European and Arab cultures, including the Spanish language, the Judeo-Christian
religion, the university, the printing press and a pluralistic concept of living.
That is why Mexico, which in the past was the cultural bridge between the Old
and New Worlds, is in the present, thanks to its geographic place and the lives
of its people, the border and the meeting place between North and South America.
This is the foundation for Mexico's importance as both a recipient of and a
catalyst for cultural diversity- a cultural diversity that encompasses past,
present and future; the use of indigenous and European languages and the survival
of various cultures alongside the presence of modern thought.
I sincerely believe that without cultural diversity, the only force capable
of counterbalancing unrestrained and denationalized globalization, we will not
be able to understand the world of the 21st century.
Welcome to the 69th PEN International World Congress of Writers in Mexico City.
Homero Aridjis
President International PEN
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