At least three prominent authors have withdrawn from next month's Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, staging a protest against the event's decision to invite the controversial Venezuelan opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado.
Political Stance Sparks Literary Boycott
The boycott centres on Machado's vocal political alliances and comments. The writers cite her support for former US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and her remarks appearing to favour potential US military intervention in the country. This has rendered her a deeply divisive figure across Latin America, far from a consensus builder.
The acclaimed Colombian novelist Laura Restrepo announced her withdrawal in a letter, labelling Machado "an active supporter of US military intervention in Latin America." Restrepo, author of Delirium, argued that no platform should be given to someone who "promotes positions and activities that subject our peoples and undermine the sovereignty of our countries."
A Controversial Figure's Recent Actions
Machado's political affiliations have drawn sharp criticism. She maintains close ties with far-right leaders in the region, including Argentina's Javier Milei and Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro. Just this week, she was among international right-wing figures celebrating the election of Chile's ultra-conservative president-elect, José Antonio Kast, a known admirer of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Her recent comments have fuelled the controversy. In an interview with CBS, Machado stated she "absolutely supports President Trump's strategy" on Venezuela and that the cost for Maduro to stay in power must be increased "by force." Furthermore, she dedicated her Nobel prize to Donald Trump, a move highlighted by protesting author Giuseppe Caputo.
Caputo, another Colombian writer, linked his protest to the deadly US airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean, which have killed over 90 people. "I think that, given the grave moment of escalating imperial violence, it is better to withdraw from a festival held on the shores of the bombarded Caribbean Sea," he wrote on social media, criticising the invitation to someone who dedicated a peace prize to the "fascist responsible for these crimes."
Festival's Stance and Machado's Perilous Journey
The third protester, Dominican writer and activist Mikaelah Drullard, called the invitation an ideological weapon that validates Machado's justifications for "US intervention, invasion and militarisation of the Caribbean."
In response, the Hay festival, which originated in Wales, issued a statement respecting the authors' decisions but defended its commitment to open dialogue. The festival clarified it does not endorse the views of participants, stating that the free exchange of ideas and freedom of expression are paramount.
Machado's own story is dramatic. She suffered a fractured vertebra during a perilous, film-like escape from Venezuela, where she was in hiding, to Oslo to receive the Nobel. Her 5,500-mile clandestine journey involved evading checkpoints, a treacherous 12-hour boat rescue in the Caribbean by a US special forces veteran team, and a final private jet flight. She missed the official ceremony but participated in related events.
Her remote participation in the Hay Festival Cartagena, in conversation with Venezuelan journalist Moisés Naím, remains scheduled for 30 January. It is unclear how or when she will return to Venezuela. Machado's team has declined to comment on the writers' protest.
