Jill Biden participated in the reading promotion activity in the context of the 10th North American Summit. In the act, she listened to poetry in native languages, such as Purépecha, Nahuatl and Mixtec.Photo Cristina Rodriguez
The voice of the people can never be silenced, said Jill Biden, wife of the president of the United States, in a brief message before her participation in the Fandango for Reading, an activity that is part of the National Reading Strategy of the government of Mexico and the one that was added when reading a poem in English.
His hostess at the National Palace, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, wife of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, explained that for four years this activity has supported this initiative with which he has traveled various states of the country to read aloud, accompanied by music and dance.
“For us it is a celebration dedicated to young people, so that they know that books are not strange objects, but valuable ones. For a year now, in the fandangos we have had a guest country; In April 2022, in Tijuana, we did it with the United States. Today it is repeated here because we want to express to the whole world that reading is an act of invaluable linguistic beauty.
The plurality of voices is a reflection of our plural societies as well. Books tell us stories that allow us to increase our fantasy. They are allies in the knowledge of other cultures and times, of heroes or historical facts or, simply, of the art of feeling of an author about his way of seeing life. The book here is the king of the party.
Don’t miss the inspiration
Dr. Jill Biden insisted that art is a powerful thing, whether poetry, prose, dance or music can unite us across time and space, across languages and borders; They show us that our differences are something to appreciate and that our similarities are endless..
He recalled that, in the context of the recent celebration of the bicentennial of the beginning of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, “although some things have changed, the deep ties that unite us remain the same. Both countries share the understanding that freedom of belief, expression or the press are the foundation of democracy, and that the voice of the people can never be silenced.
The love for our countries drives us to continue fighting for justice and opportunities; love for the world makes us strong, with courage, with courage, so that we can build a better one. That is the future I see in students like you.Biden pointed out before an audience made up of high school students.
For the next generation of poets, singers, dancers or dreamersadded, each of you has something unique to offer; I hope they feel inspired to continue telling their own story..
Later, Jill Biden shared the following poem: Imagine that your words become stars / that your actions resurface in the space that exists between them / let us learn that you are our legacy / that you have risen from the earth / that we have left behind.
poetry and dance
In the Fandango for Reading, which took place at the tenth Summit of North America, poetry was also heard in Purépecha, Mixtec and Nahuatl, in the voice of Rubí Huerta, Nadia López García and Iván León. The actor Daniel Giménez Cacho and the Secretary of Education, Leticia Ramírez, also participated, who read poems by Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, in homage to the tenth anniversary of the author’s death.
Also present was the American writer Ada Limón, who was distinguished as Poet Laureate of the United States in July 2022, who read poems of her own. Gutiérrez Müller and the federal Secretary of Culture, Alejandra Frausto, read the texts in English Charge y Wonder Woman, both from the young writer.
At the reading party, the dance was performed by the Amalia Hernández Folkloric Ballet, whose members presented Veracruz prints. Then it was the turn of the mariachi from the Secretary of the Navy and the Santa Cecilia group.
President Biden’s wife described Gutiérrez Müller as An old friendwhile the second confirmed that between them “there was chemistry from the beginning, because we both love teaching and languages.
I think this fandango is a great experience that (Jill) will take to her country, and if she invites us, we will take them, because we would like to share again how much we have in common between Mexico and the United States..