IBBY-Yamada 2025: Cuba & Peru

IBBY Cuba & IBBY Peru
12th IBBY Yamada Workshop "For Children We Work": What, Why and for Whom IBBY?

This joint initiative between IBBY Cuba and IBBY Peru strengthened regional collaboration in children’s literature through a three-day international workshop held in Lima, Peru, followed by a dissemination session in Havana, Cuba. The event gathered approximately 100 participants, including teachers, librarians, writers, illustrators, and government officials, to deepen their understanding of IBBY’s mission, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and the role of reading mediation in Latin America. The workshop aimed to foster a network of mediators committed to promoting high-quality literature and sharing regional theoretical and artistic contributions.

The programme utilized the “Librito de Yuyo” format, a radio-style dialogue method that channels direct exchange between facilitators and attendees. Key activities included a live interview with Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Katherine Paterson (USA), dialogues with renowned illustrators Rafael López (Mexico) and Roger Mello (Brazil), and panels on the legacy of IBBY founder Jella Lepman. The event featured six coordinators from four countries and highlighted the work of Latin American Andersen laureates. Participants accessed 43 theoretical texts by regional academics and a dozen books by studied authors, enriching their pedagogical and critical tools. The second phase in Havana, led by Enrique Pérez Díaz, replicated these insights for a local audience, ensuring the knowledge reached a broader Caribbean context.

The workshop successfully unified diverse IBBY sections (Cuba, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina) and reinforced the value of regional unity in advancing children’s literature. By focusing on local experts and under-disseminated regional research, the project updated participants’ conceptual frameworks and validated Latin American voices in global literary discourse. Although project ideologue Emilia Gallego Alfonso could not attend in Lima due to health reasons, her mentorship guided the event’s success. The initiative concluded with a strong commitment to continue expanding these workshops, ensuring sustained access to critical resources and artistic excellence for future generations of readers and mediators.