GFDD and FUNGLODE Organize Workshops, Conferences and Book Presentations During 2008 International Book Fair

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) are offering various workshops, conferences and book presentations during the 2008 International Book Fair in Santo Domingo.

Activities in honor of the International Book Fair began Tuesday, April 22nd with the release of the 2007 GFDD/FUNGLODE award recipient works. The following prizes were awarded: The Juan Bosch Award in the category of Short Story, the Rafael Herrera Award in the category of Journalism, and the Pedro Mir Award in the category of Poetry.

On Monday, April 28th at the GFDD/FUNGLODE pavilion at the fairground, GFDD and FUNGLODE’s Global Media Arts Institute (GMAI) will kick off the course, “Realization of Documentary Films,” with Professor Jorge Fuentes, organized in coordination with the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (International School of Film and Television) in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. The course will be offered from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm until Friday, May 2nd. Those interested may register by sending a request to: igm@globalfoundationdd.org. The class forms part of a series of formative activities being offered by GMAI.

On Tuesday, April 29th at 7:00 pm at the GFDD/FUNGLODE pavilion, Dr. Ángel Pérez Herreros, Professor of History at the Universidad de la Habana, will present the conference: “The Caribbean in Literature: From the XVII Century Until Today.”

Additionally, on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 pm at the FUNGLODE Auditorium, GFDD and FUNGLODE will present and put into circulation three volumes of the collection, Tratados y acuerdos internacionales de la República Dominicana: 1844-1998 (International Treaties and Accords of the Dominican Republic: 1844-1998). Volume 4, which includes cultural treaties, will be presented by Cultural Secretary, José Rafael Lantigue. Volume 6 on international legal treaties will be presented by Lawyer and Dominican Ambassador to the United States, Flavio Darío Espinal, and volume 8, a compilation of treaties regarding sanitation and psicotropic substances, will be presented by Lawyer, Marino Vinicio Castillo, along with Richard Martínez.

Moreover, on Thursday, May 1st in the Sala de Cultura at the National Theatre, the agenda will continue with the presentation of the book, El mito roto: Sistema politico y Movimiento Popular en la República Dominicana 1961-1990, (The Broken Myth: The Political System and Popular Movement in the Dominican Republic 1961-1990), written by Laura Faxas, Sociologist and Dominican Ambassador before the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The book premier will commence at 8:00 pm. The publication is the result of a joint initiative between GFDD, FUNGLODE, Siglo XXI Editores and the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLASCO – Latin American School of Social Sciences).

Activities in honor of the International Book Fair began Tuesday, April 22nd with the release of the 2007 GFDD/FUNGLODE award recipient works. The following prizes were awarded: The Juan Bosch Award in the category of Short Story, the Rafael Herrera Award in the category of Journalism, and the Pedro Mir Award in the category of Poetry. During this event, the start of the period for the submission of entries for the 2008 GFDD/FUNGLODE Awards was announced. The last day for submissions is October 1st. This year’s edition will also feature a new category, the Federico García Godoy Novel Award.

Other Activities Taking Place at FUNGLODE

On Monday, April 28th at 7:00 pm in the FUNGLODE Auditorium, the conference, “Prevention Systems for Natural Disasters Due to Flooding,” will take place. The event is being organized in collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos (National Institute for Hidraulic Resources) and will feature guest speakers, Philip Bedient, Consultant and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, and Jude Benavide, academic from Oklahoma University and expert in the development of computerized flood prediction models.

Previously at FUNGLODE, on Wednesday, April 23rd, Dr. Pere Masip, Research Coordinator and M.A. Advisor to the Communications Department at the Universidad Ramón Llull in Cataluña, Spain, gave the conference, “Research on Communication in Cataluña.” The discussion served as the preamble to the workshop, “Research on Communication,” directed towards journalists and professors of communications, which took place April 24-26th.