Tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize winner
The International Book Fair in Guatemala, Filgua 2026, started on Tuesday with a special recognition to Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1992. Germany is the guest country of honor in this edition.
“I felt like a peacock, I felt worthy,” Menchú said through tears. “Receiving a tribute here is not only worth a Nobel Peace Prize, diplomas and keys of honor… this is a very important plus.”
The Quiché Mayan activist recalled her book “My name is Rigoberta Menchú and this is how my conscience was born” (1982), which narrates the army’s persecution of the indigenous population during the internal armed conflict (1960-1996). Menchú pointed out that this work transformed the perception of the Mayan civilization.
With more than 20 honorary doctorates, Menchú has published several books, including “El baúl deños” (2016), co-written with Dante Liano.
President Bernardo Arévalo inaugurated the fair under the motto “Let’s go for a country of more readers.” He stressed that Menchú’s life “is a book that the world reads.” Arévalo also mentioned the Popol Vuh, “the essential book of our culture” and “the grandfather book from which other books come.”
The Minister of Education, Anabella Giracca, described Menchú as “a book made of earth, forest, river, star, hug, struggle and fortitude.”
Filgua 2026 will offer more than 800 activities and will remain open from July 7 to 19. It is the second tribute that Menchú receives from the fair; The first was in 2017, when the 50th anniversary of Miguel Ángel Asturias’ Nobel Prize was also celebrated. The remains of Asturias, who died in Madrid in 1974, will be repatriated from France to Guatemala at the end of this year.
