«There is a real danger that politics will begin to interfere more than necessary in journalism, using various pretexts. Some of them, such as the level of tension and verbal violence observed on the networks, are not minor matters. Nobody likes the virulence that is sometimes spread. But I believe that what is being proposed in Spain, in some Latin American countries, and also in the United States, is extremely dangerous. Instead of solving the problem, it aggravates the situation, because it leads to a level of control and censorship “That goes against freedom of expression, which we all defend here.” This is how Álvaro Vargas Llosa spoke this Friday at the presentation of the IV Annual Conference of the Chair that bears his father’s name when speaking about the future of the journalism in Spain (in reference to the measures announced by Pedro Sánchez on the control of media ownership)
«For example, in the United States, the ‘New York Times’ has ten times more readers in its digital edition than in its print version, but obtains five times less advertising revenue. This shows that the model is in transition and represents a challenge important for traditional media, which are losing readers and income. Faced with competition from social networks, which often do not have the same level of rigor in the search and dissemination of information, the solution is not to increase control over the media, but to defend their independence,” he stressed.
Regarding the activities of the Libertad Foundation, he said: «It has been in existence for more than two decades and was born with the objective of defending freedom in all areas: political, economic, and cultural. Through various activities that we carry out in Spain, Europe, Latin America and the United States, we have been collaborating intensively for years with organizations and institutions that share our ideas.
Álvaro Vargas Llosa continued: «In recent times, we have incorporated the Vargas Llosa Chair, which previously functioned independently. This chair was created in 2010, on the occasion of the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to my father, to promote culture, and especially literature in the Spanish language, not focused on his work, but on Hispanic literature in general. Initially, it operated within the framework of the Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library, but when the library ceased to exist, the chair was absorbed by the International Foundation for Liberty. ‘Absorbed’ does not mean dissolved, but from a legal and administrative point of view it passed to the foundation, although it maintains a differentiated profile, since the foundation also has a political focus, while the chair focuses on the literary and cultural. .
He said that the chair continues to function autonomously, but coordinated with the Foundation. It has activities in both Spain and Latin America, as well as an important presence in the United States, where Spanish has great cultural relevance.
Raúl Tola, general director of the Vargas Llosa Chair, pointed out that it has three important projects for the remainder of this year and next. One is the expansion of the Writers Festival. This festival, which is now in its fourth edition in Malaga and Andalusia, will expand to other countries. «Next week we will celebrate the first edition in Mexico City, with the participation of 25 authors from Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, Spain and other countries, thus continuing our mission of strengthening ties between Latin America and Europe. Another project is the Youth Literature Festival, which we organize together with the Community and the Madrid City Council. This event, which will bring together renowned youth writers and their audience, seeks to generate a recreational and meeting space for young readers.
Also highlighted was the sixth edition of the Mario Vargas Llosa Novel Biennial, a key event for the chair. This biennial, which has already been held in Peru and Guadalajara (Mexico), will take place next year in Cáceres. It will bring together the main Spanish-speaking creators for a week of debates, talks and dialogues, and will conclude with the presentation of the biennial prize, worth $100,000.
Gerardo Bongiovanni, president of the Libertad Foundation, commented: «The foundation has a cosmopolitan character, representing a great Ibero-American ‘networking’. The Foundation was created in Spain in 2002 because Mario Vargas Llosa wanted it to be here, in Madrid. Since then, we have integrated the Vargas Llosa Chair into our structure, at the request of Mario, who wanted both institutions to operate under the same umbrella, maintaining the independence of the chair in the literary field. We work to strengthen the Ibero-American relationship, collaborating with some 20 universities in Spain and Latin America, which is a central component of the International Foundation for Freedom.
Regarding his father, Álvaro Vargas llosa added that “he is fine. He is about to turn 89, so he is on the threshold of 90. At that age, obviously, one reduces the intensity of one’s activities a little, and he has done so.
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