View From Casita Colibrí

Oaxaca is playing host to the 29th Feria del Libro: Guelaguetza Popular de los Libros y sus Lectores (Book Fair of Books and Readers), a four day event, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Oaxaca, the State Institute of Education of Oaxaca, and the National Council for Culture and the Arts. Tents and tables line the Alcala and the Alameda, where workshops are being held; books are everywhere; and children, in colorful t-shirts promoting the feria and their regions, fill el centro. According to publicity, the feria is designed to bring together 5000 children from the eight regions of Oaxaca, 700 parents, and 400 teachers to promote reading.Oaxaca is one of the poorest and most indigenous states in Mexico and according to a Sipaz report, 21.5% of the Oaxacan population is illiterate; 26.7% of Oaxacan women are illiterate, compared to 15.5% of men; 34% of children over five years old do not attend school; the average grade of education is 6th grade; and almost 20% of the population over 5 years old that speak an indigenous language do not speak Spanish.The need is great!!!  How could this librarian not love this and other efforts to promote literacy in Oaxaca.