Sheila Cremaschi, the Argentine who has been directing the Hay Festival for 20 years.

Sheila Cremaschi 's catchphrase is an Italian proverb: "Audacity brings fortune." Friendly, powerful, and creative, the Argentine celebrates 20 years at the helm of every edition of the Hay Festival , one of the most important festivals of ideas, thought, and literature in Spain, which will take place from September 11 to 14, 2025. With an eye on the future of Europe, she also has an interesting American presence in terms of topics and guests.

Honored by two kings and a president for her dedication to culture, she is a Member of the Order of the British Empire, a distinction bestowed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. King Felipe VI awarded her the Cross of Isabella the Catholic. President Sergio Mattarella named her a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy. Last year, 2024, Forbes magazine included her on the list of 75 Latin Women to Follow , and since this year she has served on the jury for the Princess of Asturias Awards for Literature.

Sheila Cremaschi has also directed all five editions of the Hay Festival of Andalusia . Since 2007, she has served as Vice President of the Hay Festival Foundation's Advisory Board.

Since its inception in a small Welsh town in 1987, the Hay Festival has grown to include various forms in over 30 cities around the world , offering a unique combination of activities that promote intelligent dialogue, cultural exchange, and a diverse community of ideas.

The Hay Festival Segovia 2025, celebrating its 20th anniversary, brings together a program of 60 events with the participation of more than 100 personalities from 16 countries . Figures such as former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta ; former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg ; political analyst David Rieff ; economist Minouche Shafik are joined by, among others, Rob Riemen from the Netherlands, one of the world's foremost living philosophers; British historian Paul Preston ; artists Secundino Hernández and Hubertus von Hohenlohe ; collectors Lorenzo de' Medici from Italy and Princess Alia Al-Senussi from Libya; writers such as Javier Cercas, María Dueñas and Dolores Redondo from Spain; Juan Gabriel Vásquez from Colombia; and Leonardo Padura from Cuba, who will close the festival.

The program is now available on the Hay Festival website.

A graduate in History from an Argentine university and a master's degree in Cultural Management and Policies, Sheila Cremaschi, creator of the legendary Café Mozart in Buenos Aires in the 1980s and 1990s, works for Clarín while working in Madrid.

Hay Festival Segovia is 20 years old. Do you still wonder what culture is for?

–Yes. I think the role of culture in turbulent times may be to build bridges, to be a driving force of transformation and social inspiration. A soft power versus superpowers. Culture is another form of politics that creates spaces for encounter and allows us to understand the other. With culture, there is always hope.

–You're definitely ahead of your time. Following you, I can't help but think that every year you propose themes that later acquire greater significance. Doesn't that scare you?

–The photograph of the present already contains the future. You just have to look from a place of calm to see the path forward.

–What will characterize this new edition of the Hay Festival Segovia?

–In 2025, we will delve deeper into our reflection on Europe and the defense of the democratic values ​​we share. We will emphasize the role of culture in a context of uncertainty, populism, and a future that seems too complex to plan calmly. Culture can provide us with the necessary resilience.

–Why the Hay Festival in Spain? Have you ever thought about bringing it to Argentina?

–Yes, at least four times. It could never have been.

–What do you think is the reason for the success of this festival, which started in a small place in the United Kingdom and spread to the world?

–It's not a magic potion, but it's made in wonderful places, off the beaten track, where there's good conversation and freedom of expression. And it's also a celebration, in the deepest sense of the word.

–You've said, "Festivals must be democratic platforms where different voices, from different ideologies, from different countries, can be heard," and "Creativity is lost by being politically correct." Aren't you afraid of cancellation?

–In Spain, it's important to help break down barriers that allow for critical thinking. Dialogue between those who think differently. Being able to acknowledge the positive aspects of the "other."

–You still insist that: “Culture has to go out and find young people.”

–Absolutely. I try to find out what they read, what authors interest them, what excites them.

–Why do you place special importance on public-private collaboration?

–I think it's the perfect combination, if the proportions are right and if the components of this equation are ethical.

–“In this era of artificial intelligence, we have to strengthen the humanist aspect,” is also your quote. Do you think we can do it?

–The impact of AI is causing a profound transformation. We must create spaces for debate to uphold the principles of humanism, which are also inherent to the human condition.

–What has been the craziest anecdote of these 20 years?

We had invited Martin Amis, a British novelist considered one of the most brilliant of his generation, who had lived in Punta del Este with his Uruguayan wife, Isabel Fonseca, to the Hay Festival in Segovia in 2009. All the national newspapers requested interviews with him, but his agent told me he wouldn't give any interviews to anyone. The proximity, one of the secrets of Hay's success, led him to sit in Segovia's Plaza Mayor, at the La Concepción bar, where he was recognized and ended up being interviewed by 23 local, regional, national, and international newspapers.