Rafael Lantigua: “Reading opens the gate to the imagination”

Rafael Lantigua: “Reading opens the gate to the imagination”
Santo Domingo, October 6, 2014

Ten ways in which a young person can develop a passion for reading was the keynote address that the former Minister of Culture, José Rafael Lantigua, delivered last Wednesday at the La Trinitaria auditorium of the Children and Youth Library of the Dominican Republic (BIJRD for its acronym in Spanish), in order to instill the love for books among children and adults.

The event was chaired by the Director of the BIJRD, writer Dulce Elvira de los Santos, who, on behalf of the Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, offered a warm welcome to all the guests that accompanied the essayist and literary critic, as well as to teachers, students and members of the cultural institution.

To the delight of the guests, Lantigua presented the 10 rights of the readers, including the right to read, to read what you want or wish, and to read where you want to do it; the right not to speak, to read aloud and to read again.

The distinguished poet and essayist spoke about how to attract young people to help them develop a love of reading, leaving behind those fears of books, so we can create potential readers in our country.

The journalist also said that reading should be developed as a permanent habit, to compare with other countries where there is a strong and solid reading industry, which will result in the cultural enrichment of the individual and hence the development of the country.

He appreciated the importance of technology, because the use of the Internet and the new technological tools allow us to carry a mini library with us. However, he argued that the relationship between the reader and the printed book is a unique and intimate one in literature.

“Technology, as a vehicle for knowledge, is essential, but physical books have a smell, a scent, a unique flavor that allow us to open the gates of the imagination and be able to travel”, he said.

During his speech, the essayist cited several famous authors, including writer and literature Professor Daniel Pennac, who, in order to stimulate an interest for reading among his students and eight year old daughter, wrote a book titled “Como una novela” (Like a novel), to challenge their aversion toward books.

He disclosed that this author was his biggest inspiration for extracting the 10 rights of a potential reader in his text “Buscando tiempo para leer” (Finding time to read).

“The idea is to adapt these arguments to the need to promote the love for reading, as a voluntary pleasure, for reading whenever we want, wherever we want and what we want, as Pennac said”, he explained.

At the end of his speech, he answered several questions and called for the Ministry of Education to work jointly with the Ministry of Culture to promote the love for reading in schools.

He thanked the Director of the BIJRD, Dulce Elvira de los Santos, for the invitation and highlighted the work of teaching and learning being done by the BIJRD with children and youth.