Cartagena's literary festival hopes to inspire a new generation of artists

Cartagena's literary festival hopes to inspire a new generation of artists

Transcript¹

The literary festival in the Colombian port city aims to bridge the gap between the city's cosmopolitan² center and the surrounding neighborhoods, where many of the poor never make it downtown.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Caribbean beaches, museums and Spanish colonial architecture have turned Cartagena into Colombia's biggest tourist attraction. But the wealthy city center is surrounded by impoverished³ areas. Recently, a literary festival tried to bridge this gap and inspire a new generation of artists. Reporter John Otis has more.

ALEXIS PIMIENTA: (Speaking Spanish).

(LAUGHTER)

JOHN OTIS, BYLINE⁴: Cuban poet Alexis Pimienta is holding a workshop for about two-dozen teenagers. They arrived here by bus from an outlying town, and for some of the kids, it's their first time in Cartagena. They don't know much about poetry but are mesmerized⁵ by Pimienta, who invents verse on the spot.

PIMIENTA: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: Pimienta calls poetry a powerful tool to spark the imagination.

PIMIENTA: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: "When kids invent rhymes or discover new words, they get excited, and their eyes begin to shine," he says.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: (Speaking Spanish).

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

OTIS: Pimienta's workshop is part of the annual Hay Festival, which took place at the end of January. It gets its name from the town Hay-on-Wry in Wales, where it was first held in 1987. Since then, sister Hay Festivals have sprouted⁶ up in other parts of the world. They feature novelists, playwrights⁷, philosophers, economists⁸ and political activists⁹.

IRENE VALLEJO: (Speaking Spanish).

(APPLAUSE)

OTIS: That's applause for one of this year's invitees - Spanish novelist Irene Vallejo. In Cartagena, organizers are using the festival to address one of the city's biggest problems.

CRISTINA FUENTES: Cartagena is one of the most unequal cities in Colombia.

OTIS: That's Cristina Fuentes, director of the Hay Festival in Cartagena. Besides the gap between rich and poor, the city is racially divided. The downtown is dominated by mostly white Colombians and tourists; nearby slums are populated by descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought to Cartagena starting in the 1500s. So, Fuentes says, festival speakers have been going out to poor neighborhoods to address these issues head on.

FUENTES: We talk about race. We talk about inequalities. We bring economists like Thomas Piketty. And it's very significant to talk about this, here.

(CROSSTALK)

OTIS: In addition, the festival brings kids from poor communities into Cartagena for events like this one, featuring Spanish actress Julia Barcelo.

(APPLAUSE)

JULIA BARCELO: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: Barcelo's talk is held in a gorgeous Spanish colonial building that's been turned into a library. Afterwards, I speak with one member of the audience, Ashley. We're not using her full name because she's only 13.

ASHLEY: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: "This is my first time here, and it's so beautiful," she says. "There are so many books. They look fascinating. I'd like to read them all." Cartagena's Hay Festival plans to be back next year, bringing literary and artistic¹⁰ stars to new audiences.

For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Cartagena, Colombia.

(SOUNDBITE OF PHLOWSUM'S "CRISPY")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

3 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

6 sprouted   

v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• We can't use these potatoes; they've all sprouted. 这些土豆儿不能吃了，都出芽了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rice seeds have sprouted. 稻种已经出芽了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

8 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。