A major literary festival in Colombia has been plunged into a political controversy, becoming the latest stage for Latin America's deep ideological divides. Three prominent authors have withdrawn from the Hay Festival Cartagena in protest against the event's decision to invite Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, María Corina Machado.
The Core of the Controversy: Why Authors Are Walking Out
The boycott involves two Colombian writers and one from the Dominican Republic. Their protest is a fundamental rejection of the platform being given to Machado, a figure who is celebrated in Western capitals but viewed with deep suspicion and hostility by much of the Latin American left.
The authors object to Machado's political stance, which they see as a direct threat to regional sovereignty. Their specific grievances centre on two key areas:
First, her support for aggressive US policies. The writers have pointed to Machado's explicit endorsement of former US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. They have also highlighted her past openness to potential US military intervention as a tool for regime change. For these authors, this aligns Machado with a long and painful history of US interventionism in Latin America.
Second, her alliances with far-right leaders. Machado has cultivated close ties with figures such as Argentina's Javier Milei and Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro. Recently, she also celebrated the election of Chile's president-elect, José Antonio Kast, who has expressed admiration for the former dictator Augusto Pinochet. To the boycotting authors, these associations are alarming.
Neutral Platform or Ideological Endorsement?
The heart of the debate lies in the purpose of a literary festival. The organisers of the Hay Festival, which began in Wales and now hosts global events, have stated they respect the authors' decisions but firmly believe in the "free exchange of ideas." They clarified that an invitation does not constitute an endorsement of the invitee's views.
The protesting authors categorically reject this argument. They contend that in the current highly charged political context of Latin America, providing Machado with a prestigious platform like the Hay Festival inherently validates her stance and offers her an ideological weapon. Acclaimed Colombian novelist Laura Restrepo articulated this position clearly, stating, "Imperialist intervention is not something to debate, but something to reject outright."
This incident raises a pressing question for cultural institutions worldwide: is true neutrality possible when the platform itself carries significant symbolic weight?
The Other Side: Machado as a Nobel-Winning Symbol of Resistance
María Corina Machado's profile presents a starkly different narrative. Barred from running for office by Maduro's government, she was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her relentless work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela and her struggle for a peaceful transition from what she and many Western nations call a dictatorship.
Her dramatic, injury-inducing escape from Venezuela to travel to Oslo to receive the prize captured global attention. For her supporters, Machado represents the courageous face of the Venezuelan opposition. She views strong external diplomatic and economic pressure as the only viable strategy to dislodge Maduro's government.
This controversy ultimately lays bare the two competing visions for Latin America's future. One perspective sees figures like Machado as essential, pro-democracy allies in a fight against authoritarian socialism, justified in using all available external tools. The opposing view interprets such alliances as a betrayal of Latin American self-determination, paving the way for a return to an era of foreign domination and right-wing authoritarianism.
The Hay Festival Cartagena boycott has thus transformed a literary gathering into a microcosm of this enduring regional rift, forcing a conversation about the limits of dialogue and the political responsibilities of cultural spaces.
