Canada and the D.R. Celebrate 65 Years of Harmonious Relations by Jointly Hosting Dominican Book Fair in Montreal

Montreal, Canada, October 16, 2019 – The First Dominican Book Fair: Literature, History and Film opened last week at Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada. The opening ceremony was headed by the Dominican Ministry of Culture, Architect Eduardo Selman and the Dominican Ambassador in that nation, Pedro Vergés.

The two-day event concluded on Thursday, October 17, 2019 and was held to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Dominican Republic. The event was hosted by Ambassador Pedro Vergés.

The Fair was also co-sponsored by Concordia University as part of the Hispanic Heritage Week in Quebec. This year, the Fair was dedicated to the Dominican Republic.

Minister of Culture Eduardo Selman on the Fair

Minister Selman pronounced the opening remarks of the event. He traveled from Santo Domingo to formally open the Fair.

The Dominican official thanked Concordia University for the support received to make the event possible, especially to its President Graham Car, “…for giving us the opportunity to carry out a special event that highlights Dominican literature.”

He also thanked the Fair organizers for choosing the Dominican Republic as the invited nation for the university’s Spanish Heritage Month, and highlighted the 65 years Canada and the country have enjoyed a harmonious diplomatic relationship.

Minister Eduardo Selman also congratulated Ambassador Pedro Vergés for the Embassy’s initiative to participate in the Fair, as well as the support provided by the Ministries of Culture, Tourism and the Permanent Commission on Historic Events.

The Minister of Culture also explained the goal of the event: to highlight Dominican literature and history. “This effort will be replicated throughout many cities across the world, where there is a strong presence of hard-working Dominicans.

He encouraged the Dominican diaspora in Canada to support the event at Concordia University, as a way of spreading Dominican culture and values abroad.

Ambassador Pedro Vergés also delivered remarks during the opening event and explained that the Dominican stand featured 700 books by dozens of Dominican authors. He also explained that various lectures on Dominican literature and history would be included in the program, led by Canadian and Dominican experts.

Other events included in the program was a donation of Dominican books to the university, the showing of Dominican films, a meet-and-greet with Dominican students in Montreal and the presentation of a Dominican folkloric dance group.