Ezequiel Martínez, general director of the El Libro Foundation, which organizes the Book Fair in Buenos Aires, assured in dialogue with Chain 3 that they found out on the radio that President Javier Milei was leaving the presentation of his book, “Capitalism, socialism and the neoclassical trap.”
In any case, he clarified that said presentation would not have been part of the Fair, but rather a separate event within it.
In that sense, he indicated that they had met this Tuesday with the entire Milei team to carry out their presentation.
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Regarding state support for cultural events like this, Martínez declared: “We do not receive any contribution from the State. We are a private institution.” The Fair is financed mainly by renting stands to exhibitors and any government participation is paid as if they were any other exhibitors.
Martínez expressed his concern about the government’s recent decisions regarding culture: “Decisions are being made…such as not being present at the Book Fair for the first time with a stand by the National Government…they are signs,” he said. He also questioned attempts to repeal the bookseller defense law, which ensures that books have the same price at any point of sale.
Finally, Martínez concluded: “The signals given by the Government go in that direction. I personally, personally, do not agree with that vision of thinking that what is related to culture is not an investment.”
For his part, the head of the El Libro Foundation, Alejandro Vaccaro, assured that everything was organized for the president to go and that it was his unilateral decision.
“It’s a trap: it turns out that he’s not coming now because we don’t want to (…) Yesterday (on Tuesday) 25 people from the production company, from the Military House and even from the Presidency of the Nation were here. We agreed on everything, what the fences would be like, everything,” Vaccaro revealed in statements to Infobae.
“There was even someone who worked on the production of this with Karina Milei, Mara Gorini,” explained the president of the El Libro Foundation, who had met Milei during his opening speech at the Fair last week.
And he insisted: “We were clear, we wanted the President to come. But they must have evaluated that it was not convenient for them… you have to get those people in, who have to pay the entrance… it’s not easy.”
“We had a Council meeting and we said that we had to ratify that we wanted the President to come, because otherwise he was going to say that we are communists, Kirchnerists, from the ERP…”, Vaccaro ironically said.
And he closed: “It is clear that they have evaluated that it does not suit them and now they say that, that we are violent, hostile, not good people like he wants.”
Milei had planned to use the Rural Central Court, outdoors, in an event for about 6,000 people, for the presentation of the economics book “Capitalism, socialism and the neoclassical trap”, accompanied by the libertarian deputy José Luis Espert.
The fair in 2024
Martínez, meanwhile, remarked in dialogue with Chain 3 To help alleviate the cost for visitors, ticket prices include coupons of the same value that can be used to purchase books. In addition, the hours of free access have been extended for those who cannot pay the entrance fee (Monday to Friday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.).
Martínez also explained how the financing of the Book Fair works: “We are a private institution, a non-profit organization […] The Foundation and the Fair are financed by the rental of the stands.” He also added: “If the national government comes, if the provinces come, if the City of Buenos Aires comes, they pay for a stand like just another exhibitor.”
Interview by Giuliana Piantoni.
