Raíz del Pueblo Cultural Association to Receive the Alexis Ravelo Award

The Fuerteventura Book Fair grants this recognition with the aim of highlighting the careers of individuals and groups that work to promote culture and reading. Since 1970, the Raíz del Pueblo Association has opened the La Oliva Reading Agency to the public.

The Fair is awarding this year the Alexis Ravelo Prize to the Cultural Association Raíz del Pueblo. This is the third edition of the award, intended to showcase the work of islanders who foster culture and reading and who are closely linked to the Book Fair. The prize will be presented on the afternoon of Friday, 24 October, as part of the Fair’s program.

“With this award we recognise the collective’s work in preserving Fuerteventura’s cultural heritage,” said island president Lola García. Culture councilor Rayco León added that the association also pioneered the municipality’s first library and has promoted literature through its reading club, which has always been closely tied to the Fair. The group has recently begun publishing its own titles, enriching the bibliography about the island.

Raíz del Pueblo

• 1965 – Initial steps were taken to create libraries in the municipality of La Oliva.
• 1970 – The La Oliva Reading Agency opened to the public, housed in the former tele‑club, the historical predecessor of today’s Cultural Association Raíz del Pueblo.

During the first two decades the library operated with volunteer staff. Later, the association negotiated agreements with the town council to employ permanent staff and collaborated with other institutions to improve facilities, furniture, and services such as educational‑reinforcement rooms and a theatre space.

The library is part of the Canary Islands Library Network, serving as an essential hub for sociocultural dynamism driven by Raíz del Pueblo. Over the years the association has promoted reading and reflection, achieving milestones such as:

• Publication of the magazine Tababaire
• Hosting the Intercultural Mogollón program
• Running a vibrant reading club
• Engaging children and youth readers
• Producing its own publications that expand the island’s literary output

Alexis Ravelo Award

The award is named after Alexis Ravelo, one of Spain’s leading figures in noir fiction, who passed away in early 2023. Ravelo, author of titles such as La última tumba and Los funerales de Eladio Monroy, maintained a long‑standing relationship with the Island Bibliographic Center and the Fuerteventura Book Fair. He served as the Fair’s herald, conducted workshops, participated in the “The Writer and You” series, and presented his latest book at the Fair each year. In 1998 his work Segundas personas received a special mention from the jury of the Domingo Velázquez Award, convened by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura.

The 35th Fuerteventura Book Fair will take place from 23 to 26 October, organized by the Island Bibliographic Center (under the Culture Department of the Cabildo) with the collaboration of the Canary Islands Institute of Cultural Development of the Government of the Canary Islands.