The Strength of Minorities

We all constitute an immense minority in one or another way. Either through promoting, writing or illustrating books for children and young people and publishing them in a language or culture distinct from the majority codes; or reading books in the backdrop of an economically unstable climate or with physical and mental disabilities, which hinder access to cultural equality. Children forced to act as adults in societies which disregard the fundamental rights of childhood. Those forced to emigrate and start anew in a foreign language or culture. Stateless persons. Or those experiencing, speaking, loving and reading as part of a minority group. Here you are our congress' general theme and topic.The situation of minorities is a worry of IBBY from many year ago. That's explain the existence of the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Disabled Young People, Oslo, and it has recently created the Centro Internacional da diversidade cultural (International Centre on Cultural Diversity), in Santiago de Compostela.