The new Minister of Culture, Jose Antonio Rodriguez is exploring ways of cutting the cost of the annual Santo Domingo book fair, a massive annual event that experts say has not served its purpose of encouraging book readership and instead serves as a focus for month-long cultural activities of all kinds that practically eat up almost all of the Ministry of Culture budget.
Diario Libre leaked the information that Minister Rodriguez believes that RD$50 million could be saved by using the facility at the Sans Souci convention center and not having to invest in building the expensive stands.
Rodriguez says they would make books the stars of the show and would copy from the Chilean backpack model. This involves publishing a selection of 100 of the leading books by Dominican and international authors and distributing backpacks with books among fair visitors.
He said they are considering charging admission this time, with students, seniors and disabled people exempt from the payment. Everyone who buys a book would have the admission fee refunded, as reported in Diario Libre.
Rodriguez told Diario Libre: “It is difficult to change people’s mindset… but I am an enemy of doing the same,” he said. He wants to books to again be the draw of the Book Fair.
Rodriguez says that what is happening now is that people are attracted by all the shows, and not by the books themselves. Diario Libre reported criticism of the idea of charging for admission to the book fair.