Jaime de Aguirre, Minister of Culture of Chile, on July 22, 2023 in Coquimbo (Chile). Juan Guajardo (Ministry of Culture)
Jaime de Aguirre (71, Concepción), Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage in the Chilean government, has had a difficult four months in a ministry responsible for coordinating activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1973 coup since last March, when President Gabriel Boric made a cabinet change to mark the one-year anniversary of his presidency. In early July, the president’s adviser on these matters, the writer Patricio Fernández, left office after a group of parliamentarians from the ruling party, particularly the Communist Party, left office, and around 160 human rights groups accused him of playing down the coup and called for his resignation.
De Aguirre, who is associated with the centre-left movement, is the author of the anthem “No”, a key element of the campaign used by the opposition to defeat the Pinochet dictatorship in the 1988 referendum. The businessman and producer arrived in March to put out the fires the culture ministry was facing, but since then the blaze hasn’t stopped: from the Chilean delegation’s complaints about the poor organization and promotion of the Santiago section at the Buenos Aires Book Fair, to the cows earlier at the Book Council headquarters, to a five-week nationwide strike by ministry employees.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the Ministry of Culture’s refusal to admit Chile as Guest of Honor at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair. The episode ended with President Gabriel Boric publicly urging De Aguirre to try to reverse the decision. Minister De Aguirre discusses their decision and the actions they have taken in a telephone interview from Coquimbo, 460 kilometers north of Santiago, where he is attending a series of activities to commemorate the coup.
Questions. Is the conversation polarized around the 50th anniversary of the coup?
Answer. The country is generally quite polarized, but these are conversations that cannot be avoided. You have to put them on the table, evoke memories, talk about democracy and look to the future with a certain perspective. In that sense, I feel very calm.
Q For human rights lawyer PC MP Carmen Hertz, “the commemoration cannot just be an artistic or cultural event”
R This was a mix of cultural commemorative events run by the government and state, but there were also a large number of very important events organized by civil society, human rights groups, political parties, etc.
Q One of the criticisms of human rights victims’ groups was the lack of involvement amid the controversy with Patricio Fernández.
R First of all, there are many groups. Second, we probably incrementally improved our relationships and coordination to accomplish this. I am very grateful to Patricio Fernandez for his contribution. And of course he had the awesomeness of stepping aside when he saw the talks got a bit involved and things like this happen.
Q What tensions did Fernández’s departure reveal with regard to the left’s views on the coup?
R In such tasks, not everyone involved has to look exactly the same. We are talking about people commemorating a very painful, very powerful event in which, in addition to the memory, we have also built this concept of defending democracy and looking to the future. These topics obviously provide topics of conversation.
Q A section of the left accused Fernández of being a denier.
R He’s not a denier.
Q This week they launched “Árboles por la Memoria”, a planting of native trees in various public and private spaces and places of remembrance in the 16 regions of Chile, as a remembrance and tribute to the victims of the dictatorship.
R We were in the municipality of San Joaquín of the capital, in front of the Cuatro Álamos detention center, one of the best known, which was very important and in front of which trees were officially planted in memory. For us, it has a very important symbology that is increasingly understood: it is about countering all the slumps of death we suffered during the dictatorship and replacing them with the hope of life that trees give us, both in their relationship with the earth and in their longevity, which, just like democracy, requires care. We will plant more than 2000 plants in all regions.
Q At what stage is Chile’s attempt to be Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Messe again in 2025?
R It’s a big, extraordinarily big commitment. And not just in money. They say we didn’t go to Frankfurt for the money, but that’s not true. The associated administrative effort is very high. Apart from the whole money issue, there wasn’t much preparation, so we decided to postpone it. President Boric didn’t seem too keen on this issue, and with good reason, because he is a man who is deeply connected to the culture and therefore has every right – and probably every duty – to take a stand on the issue.
Q And you?
R I have a responsibility that I take on personally: we are working on not being hosts in 2025, but in 2026, 2027 or 2028, i.e. later. But we are in contact with the trade fair and in very cordial discussions.
Q President Boric publicly called for an attempt to reverse his decision [”Esta decisión no pasó por mí ni me fue comunicada oportunamente. Yo le manifesté al ministro De Aguirre mi discrepancia, porque considero que gastar en cultura es una tremenda inversión, no es un gasto”, dijo].
R We talked about it, but it wasn’t possible. We’re on top, it’s not easy. But the response to the show is that we can probably do it in 2027 and we are working to make it as soon as possible. That being said, it’s important to point out that Chile isn’t going to disappear from the Frankfurt fair. Chile will participate as it has participated many times, taking over its production and participating in the deals made. That keeps us very calm.
Q Had the formal invitation already been issued when you arrived at the Ministry in March?
R It has not been completed. It’s not like we turned down an invitation with a gold card. No it’s not like that. It is an application as a guest of honor, which entails a large number of other tasks. He’s running to be named the guest of honor and receive special treatment, but the responsibility is daunting. We do not decline an invitation, but do not go through the application process, which is different.
Q Will this invitation to apply only be sent to one country?
R I don’t think so. And it is not the first time that a country has decided not to take part. Canada and France did it, so we’re not facing a catastrophe because we didn’t want it. But hey, I’m replying to the coordinates of the President of the Republic, which I think is very accurate. He asked me to try to be there by 2025 but that wasn’t possible. But we will be in the year 2027, 2026.
Q Why didn’t you check with the President to be the guest of honor?
R Because I thought we were within the purview of the Department of Culture, Arts and Heritage.
Q And wasn’t it?
R OK yes. In fact, we’ve given up, we’re not going, and the President didn’t think it was a good idea. We talked about it, we tried to undo it, but it wasn’t possible.
Q Was money the main reason for the rejection?
R I didn’t think about what was the reason before and what is after, but most of all it is important to know that it is too short a time. Frankfurt requires setting up an office, translating a large number of books, it’s not about going there or not.
Q Was it a mistake not to have Chile as guest of honor in 2025? [ya en 2026 no estará este Gobierno]
R It’s arguable, it’s arguable…but I don’t think it’s a bug, let alone a conscious bug. I asked her [a los organizadores de la feria] I postponed it and that’s how it happened. It’s also not good to be mediocre as a guest. It seems to me that preparing applications over four or five years says something.
Q There have been a number of strikes in the industry over the last year. Several have risen, but the National Folk Ballet (Bafona) remains. This week they filed a protection complaint against their ministry, denouncing that they were being threatened over strikes.
R Unfortunately this is wrong. Second, the appeal they made to the Court of Appeal was ruled inadmissible, but we are trying to rebuild the relationship as soon as possible. Bafona is a very essential contribution, so we are working to overcome this long situation.
Q Four of the Book Council’s six headquarters have been makeshift for months. What’s going on there?
R We are speaking to the Undersecretariat of State to expedite these concerns. It’s not easy to fill these spots, but we’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Q What slowed her down so much?
R Finding skilled workers is not easy.
Q Is there a shortage of skilled workers in certain areas of the cultural world?
R I don’t know if they’re missing, it’s a very harsh word. We’re trying to do the best we can, and the Undersecretary is addressing that issue. It’s not a situation we’re looking for, nor that we don’t want to experience it. There is nothing suspicious behind it. We want to make it easy, but do it right.
Q What stage is the heritage project at? [moderniza la institucionalidad y actualiza las categorías de protección]?
R We are in the process of preparing all the evidence for a bill that is already in the second trial in the Senate.
Q When do you think the law can be expected?
R We are working to have it in the first quarter of next year.