The City Council of Puerto de la Cruz, through its mayor Leopoldo Afonso, highlighted the importance of Periplo in humanizing news about migration, exile, and war. Afonso stated that "the stories shared at Periplo bring us closer to the people behind the news on migration, exile, and war. Hearing their experiences helps us understand what it means to leave home, lose childhood places, or face a life that changes unexpectedly. Literature offers a space for that listening and for a shared reflection on human dignity and respect for others."
Desirée Díaz added that literature allows difficult experiences to be told without reducing them to mere figures or headlines. The works of Loreto Gutiérrez Prats, José Ignacio Carnero, and Margaryta Yakovenko, while distinct, share a deep focus on people and their memory, inviting reflection on the consequences of migration, exile, and war in daily life.
The main program featured journalist Loreto Gutiérrez Prats, who presented Olas como montañas (supported by the Government of the Canary Islands). The book narrates the story of Gibbi Jallow, a young Gambian who arrived in El Hierro at 14 and suffered a serious accident in Fuerteventura. Gutiérrez Prats described the work as "hard, but also a life lesson," emphasizing Jallow's resilience and the complexity of the Atlantic migratory route, concluding that "an outstretched hand can change things, and in these times of intolerance, there are many more hands than we imagine."
José Ignacio Carnero explained the origin of his book Los fabuladores (Random House), which recounts the hijacking of an ocean liner in the Caribbean in 1961 by twenty-four Spanish and Portuguese exiles. Accompanied by Saray Encinoso, Carnero stated that "the difference between a hero and a madman is having succeeded in his aims," highlighting the theme of exile and the impossible balance between utopia and reality.
The day concluded with Margaryta Yakovenko, who spoke with Nicolás Castellano about her work Ocupación (Seix Barral), an investigation into the war in Ukraine. Yakovenko described the pain of losing childhood places like Tokmak, Mariúpol, and Los Alcázares, which are part of her "personal geography."
Previously, at the Carpa Sotavento, writer Alejandro de Ara presented Cinco horrores de verano with Eduardo García, a novella that reflects on kindness in the face of horror and the transition to adulthood.
Today's program at Periplo includes the presentation of Las Galletas by Óscar Liam Torres Rogan, which recovers Canarian collective memory; Tara Tari. Mis alas, mi libertad by Capucine Trochet, about her sailing experience and search for freedom; and the conversation "Fronteras de la identidad" with Ramtin Zigorat and Ebbaba Hameida, discussing persecution, exile, and human rights.
Additionally, at the Carpa Sotavento, Rosalba Rodríguez de la Sierra and Sergio Millares will present Ahora pregunto, antes no. La historia de una familia canaria, reconstructing family memory marked by repression and exile after the Civil War.
The International Festival of Travel and Adventure Literature, Periplo, is organized by the Culture Department of the Puerto de la Cruz City Council and Comando Periplo, with co-organization by External Action of the Cabildo of Tenerife for the Meridianos section. It is sponsored by the Cabildo of Tenerife and supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Lectura infinita program, the Government of the Canary Islands, Casa África, the Tomás de Iriarte Municipal Public Library, the Costa Martiánez Tourist Complex, Macaronesian Hotels & Resorts, Terraza Mirador, Fuente Alta, and Atlantic El Tope Hotel.
