Humberto Musacchio- The Republic of Letters

Dr. Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas took oath as the new rector of UNAM and in his speech he generally addressed the life and problems of UNAM.

With the patio of the old School of Medicine full, Dr. Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas took oath as the new rector of UNAM (“Lomelín”, said Gina Zabludovsky, current president of the Governing Board, twice). In the presence of all the Unamite who's who, the brand new rector summarized the challenges of the institution that he now directs, which is—said Don Javier Barros Sierra—“a mirror of the best possible Mexico,” yes, but also, due to its gigantism, her responsibilities and her functions, she is subjected to relentless social pressure, to her duties as our highest transmitter and renewer of knowledge and the main cultural disseminator of Mexico, yes, the main one in all those areas, with all those obligations. In his speech, Dr. Lomelí addressed the life and problems of the UNAM in general, but in previous interviews he advanced his purposes, which are highly plausible, since the University he heads must raise the level of teaching and promote more and better results. of research, which, first of all, urgently requires the professionalization of teaching staff. In short, there are many pending issues, but the rector is a simple man, a negotiator and with the necessary vision to carry forward the house of which he is now head. We will have to wish him luck and give him great support.

• ROURA, PERLA CIUK, THE CINEMA…

In The Magnifying Glassan internet publication in which he collaborates, the great Víctor Roura picks up Jorge Almazán's complaint, who pointed out that Daniela Michel, director of the Morelia International Film Festival, prohibited (???) his colleagues from the Network of Prensa Mexicana de Cine, AC, who cover that festival will grant recognition for her career to “Perla Ciuk, critic, researcher, film journalist and producer”, to whom we owe the authorship of the very useful Dictionary of directors of Mexican cinema. To ensure that her veto was respected, Mrs. Michel ordered that accreditation be denied to several colleagues who cover that festival and who tend to think with their own heads, such as Sergio Raúl López, who declared that the award of that distinction had to be canceled, as a result of “a totally self-managed activity independent of the festival.” The prestige of the aforementioned recognition, granted over nine years, is supported by the names of those who have received it, such as Jorge Ayala Blanco, Raúl Aviña, Leonardo García Tsao, Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro and other appreciated colleagues in the union.

Next weekend, the UNAM Museum of Contemporary Art will celebrate its 15 years of life with the exhibition War and peace: a poetics of gestureby the Colombian artist Beatriz González, a concert by María Daniela and Sonido Lasser, during which the MUAC façade will be illuminated, and the performance-catwalk (so says the bulletin) If I were a building by the artist Ximena Labra in collaboration with Andrés Loewe and Rogelio Sosa. A hand-embroidered canvas by the artisans of the Flor de Margarita group, from Chenalhó, Chiapas, will be exhibited in the museum's bookstore. Admission to all activities will be free.

Today at 10:30 at the Italian Institute of Culture (Francisco Sosa 77, Coyoacán) a “coffee break” (sic) and press conference on Italian participation in the Guadalajara International Book Fair. Dacia Maraini, ambassador Luigi de Chiara, Olga Gravela, from the Italian Institute of Foreign Trade will be present; Gianni Vinciguerra, director of the aforementioned Institute, and the writer Claudia Marcucetti. @@@ Eduardo Milan, one of our older poets, will give a “journey around Octavio Paz” in which he will review his poetry and his essays, on November 22 and 29, and December 6 and 15 . Reports at culturalabota@gmail.com