Tacna’s Festival de Autores de Frontera launches with full houses and binational dialogue

The Festival de Autores de Frontera opened on 6 August 2026 at the Casa Museo Basadre in Tacna, Peru, drawing large crowds that filled the venue and required a key session to be moved to a larger hall. The inaugural day featured a series of binational panels linking Peru and Chile. One panel examined Afro‑descendant heritage in the Sama and Azapa valleys, with Cristian Báez of the Chilean NGO Afrochilena Lumbanga and Leticia Medina of the Afro‑Peruvian organization Inclusión Étnica Tacna presenting research on shared history and cultural ties. Another discussion focused on the future of cross‑border trade, with speakers Guillermo Martorell Sobero, José Carlos Durand Bellido and Juan Víctor Martínez Villalobos urging greater investment and infrastructure to boost commerce and tourism.

Literary sessions included writers Jeremías Gamboa and Juan Cristóbal Peña, who contrasted the literary narratives of Peru and Chile, noting Chile’s focus on the military dictatorship era and Peru’s emphasis on the recent terrorism period. The festival also featured a talk by former Culture Minister Jorge Nieto titled “Perú es clave.” The program will continue through 8 August with book presentations, poetry recitals, talks on the War of the Pacific and other cultural activities involving authors and historians from both countries.