Today, 21 September, is the International Peace Day. The United Nations General Assembly established this important day in 1981 to commemorate the ideals of peace for all peoples and nations of the world. This day is dedicated as well to the proclamation of non-violence and ceasefire.
From Libros de las Malas Compañías we want to celebrate this important and indispensable day to improve our world. Because of that in our publishing house we want to give voice to those who are being unjustly oppressed in their countries; those who have been invaded, and who are being denied basic human rights.
Because it is precisely for that for which International Peace Day is; to avoid conflicts arise between countries. We believe that, through education, in the future, we can make from the world a better place, although there is still a long way before us. For nowadays still many millions of people suffer the consequences of war and armed conflicts.
From Libros de las Malas Compañías we collaborate with the Spanish Comission to Aid the Refugee (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado, CEAR) to develop their projects. We send them the 20% of the final price of each copy of “Hermanos de Siria” we sell out. This is an illustrated album which is the irrefutable evidence of what war is in real life and everything which implies. Apart from it we collaborate in the book “El viaje de Prince”, where a refugee narrates his journey when he had to run away from his home after being assaulted. In this book we can also see the consequences of the wars which ravage the planet.
We publish books about these silenced people, promoting the preservation of their identity as individuals and as nations, because, after all, it is culture, literature and oral tradition that unites people. Folklore has also a great deal to do with a nation's identity. For this reason, and because we do not want this fundamental part of a culture to be lost, we have our collections “Cuentos antiguos” and “Cuentos antiguos ilustrados”.
This year, and in a moment especially necessary, we publish “El gigante del guisante y otros cuentos de Ucrania” with the aim to promote the culture of this beautiful country that it is suffering so much in the last months and years.
Because tales help to achieve peace, as they speak of how the little one is victorious, of why justice triumphs and damage is repaired. Oral tradition unites and does not separate because we all share tales beyond borders, because tales also tell us about each other, and what better way to get to know each other than through them.
Because in the end peace means respect, acceptance, freedom to live your customs, without being afraid others will hurt you, and, above all, mutual knowledge, without prejudice.
We are taking advantage of this day to launch the pre-sale of “El gigante del guisante y otros cuentos de Ucrania”, which we hope you will receive with the same enthusiasm with which we have published it.
If you want to know more about the books we have told you about, you can find them here:
