United States.– The Minister of Culture, Roberto Ángel Salcedo, led the inauguration of the 2026 Dominican Book and Culture Festival last Friday, a gathering that brings together more than 180 writers, academics, artists, educators, and researchers from the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Ibero-America in New York.
Organized by the Directorate of Dominican Culture Abroad (DCDEX) of the Ministry of Culture, the festival will feature a program over three days consisting of more than 120 cultural and educational activities, including conferences, book presentations, colloquiums, workshops, poetry recitals, exhibitions, theater, music, documentary screenings, and children’s activities.
One of the main themes of this edition is dedicated to the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the passing of Juan Pablo Duarte, with a special program on his life, thought, and relevance as the founder of the Dominican nation.
Among the featured activities are the keynote lecture “Juan Pablo Duarte: 150 years of absence, an eternity of presence in the nation’s conscience”, the presentation of the book “Duarte’s Mirrors”, the lecture “Juan Pablo Duarte and the founding of the Dominican homeland”, the screening of the documentary “A young man named Juan Pablo Duarte”, and various artistic expressions inspired by the legacy of the founding father.
During the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Ángel Capellán, founder and president of LEA Book Distributors, was also recognized for his career in promoting books, education, and Hispanic culture in the United States. As part of the tribute, an audiovisual about his life and his contributions to the publishing and academic world was screened.
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The programming featured the participation of the National Publisher of the Ministry of Culture, Editorial Santuario, Isla Negra Editores from Puerto Rico, Editorial Centro Bonó, La Pereza Ediciones from the United States, and Elefanta Editorial from Mexico, along with numerous international cultural and educational organizations, Dominican authors from the diaspora, as well as authors from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
As part of the festival, Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo will offer the lecture-discussion “The power of good words”, an initiative aimed at promoting respectful language and dialogue as tools to strengthen democratic coexistence and social transformation.
Under the slogan “Reading is blooming”, the 2026 Dominican Book and Culture Festival reaffirms its commitment to the promotion of reading, education, and Dominican culture, both inside and outside the national territory, consolidating New York as one of the main stages for Dominican identity abroad.
The organizers reported that the full festival schedule can be consulted on the portal dominicanaflc.com, as well as on the DCDEX social media channels.
