At least three prominent authors have withdrawn from next month's Hay festival in Cartagena, Colombia, in a pointed protest against the event's invitation to the controversial Venezuelan opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado. The boycott highlights the deep political divisions Machado's stance on US intervention has provoked across Latin America.
Authors Cite Support for US Pressure Campaign
The central reason for the authors' withdrawal is Machado's vocal backing of former US President Donald Trump's aggressive four-month pressure campaign against Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro. The writers also object to her past comments appearing to favour potential American military action in the Caribbean nation.
In a letter explaining her decision, the acclaimed Colombian novelist Laura Restrepo labelled Machado "an active supporter of US military intervention in Latin America." Restrepo argued that no platform should be given to someone whose activities "subject our peoples and undermine the sovereignty of our countries."
Fellow Colombian author Giuseppe Caputo pointed to recent deadly US airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean, which have killed over 90 people, as a grim context for the festival's location. He noted on social media that Machado had dedicated her Nobel prize to Trump, whom he called "the fascist responsible for these crimes."
Machado's Controversial Alliances and Statements
The boycott underscores how Machado, who has close ties with far-right leaders like Argentina's Javier Milei and Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, remains a polarising figure. Her alignment with the regional hard right was further illustrated on Monday when she celebrated the election of Chile's next president, the ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast, an admirer of the former dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Machado recently told CBS that she "absolutely supports President Trump's strategy" on Venezuela and that the cost for Maduro to stay in power must be increased "by force." Her dramatic escape from Venezuela to Oslo to receive the Nobel prize involved a clandestine 5,500-mile journey, a rescue at sea, and a private jet flight, during which she suffered a vertebra fracture, causing her to miss the official ceremony.
Festival Defends Dialogue as Third Writer Joins Boycott
The Dominican writer and activist Mikaelah Drullard also pulled out, stating the invitation served as "an ideological weapon" to promote Machado's justifications for US intervention and militarisation. Machado's remote participation in a conversation with journalist Moisés Naím is still scheduled for 30 January, though it is unclear how or when she will return to Venezuela.
In response, the Hay festival, which began in Wales, issued a statement respecting the authors' decisions but defending its commitment to open dialogue. "It is important to clarify that the Hay festival does not align itself with or endorse the opinions, positions or statements of those who take part in its activities," the organisers said, emphasising the importance of the free exchange of ideas.
Machado's team has stated she will not comment on the writers' protest, leaving the literary world deeply divided over the limits of platforming and political expression at cultural events.
