Why Hay Festival Cartagena faces an author boycott over Nobel winner María Corina Machado
Three writers pulled out of the Hay Festival in Colombia after it invited Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, igniting a debate over whether literary platforms can remain neutral.
A prestigious literary festival has become the latest arena for Latin America’s intense political divisions after three authors withdrew in protest over the inclusion of controversial Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado.
The authors, two from Colombia and one from the Dominican Republic, object to the Hay Festival Cartagena’s invitation to María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader celebrated in the West but reviled by many on the Latin American left for her support of hardline US policies, US President Donald Trump, and her alliances with far-right regional leaders.
Why the boycott
The boycott is a fundamental rejection of what the authors see as a threat to regional sovereignty:
Support for US pressure and military action: The writers cited Machado’s explicit endorsementof Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, and her past comments being open to potential US military intervention. For them, this aligns her with a long, painful history of US interventionism in Latin America.
Far-right alliances: Machado has cultivated close ties with figures such as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro. This week, she celebrated the election of Chile’s president-elect, José Antonio Kast, an admirer of the former dictator Augusto Pinochet.
The platform as endorsement: The authors reject the festival’s argument that a platform enables neutral dialogue. They contend that inviting Machado, in the current context, validates her stance and provides an ideological weapon. “Imperialist intervention is not something to debate, but something to reject outright,” wrote acclaimed Colombian novelist Laura Restrepo (The Guardian).
The Hay Festival, which originated in Wales and hosts major events worldwide, said it respects the authors’ decisions but believes in the “free exchange of ideas.” It clarified that an invitation does not equal endorsement.
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María Corina Machado is a symbol of resistance for Venezuela’s opposition. Barred from running for office by Maduro’s government, she was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado arrived in Oslo after more than a year in hiding in Venezuela (Source: Photo by AP)
Her injury-inducing escape from Venezuela to receive the prize captured global headlines. She views strong external pressure as the only viable strategy to dislodge Maduro, whom she and many Western nations label a dictator.
Two visions of Latin America
This controversy lays bare a persistent rift in the region. One view sees figures such as Machado as necessary, pro-democracy allies in the fight against authoritarian socialism, willing to use all diplomatic and economic tools available.
The opposing view sees such alliances as a betrayal of Latin American self-determination, enabling a return to an era of foreign domination and right-wing authoritarianism.
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The episode has raised a question increasingly confronting cultural institutions worldwide, on whether neutrality is possible when platforms themselves carry symbolic weight.
For the writers who withdrew, the issue was not debate itself, but what they saw as the normalisation of calls for force through a prestigious literary forum
Aishwarya Khosla is a key editorial figure at The Indian Express, where she spearheads and manages the Books & Literature and Puzzles & Games sections, driving content strategy and execution. Aishwarya's specialty lies in book reviews, literary criticism and cultural commentary. She also pens long-form feature articles where she focuses on the complex interplay of culture, identity, and politics.
She is a proud recipient of The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections. This fellowship required intensive study and research into political campaigns, policy analysis, political strategy, and communications, directly informing the analytical depth of her cultural commentary.
As the dedicated author of The Indian Express newsletters, Meanwhile, Back Home and Books 'n' Bits, Aishwarya provides consistent, curated, and trusted insights directly to the readership. She also hosts the podcast series Casually Obsessed. Her established role and her commitment to examining complex societal themes through a nuanced lens ensure her content is a reliable source of high-quality literary and cultural journalism.
Her extensive background across eight years also includes previous roles at Hindustan Times, where she provided dedicated coverage of politics, books, theatre, broader culture, and the Punjabi diaspora.
Write to her at aishwaryakhosla.ak@gmail.com or aishwarya.khosla@indianexpress.com. You can follow her on Instagram:
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Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado arrived in Oslo after more than a year in hiding in Venezuela (Source: Photo by AP)
