King Felipe has affirmed his belief in the power of the Spanish language at the annual meeting of the board of the Cervantes Institute.
In his speech at the meeting on October 6th 2020, the King said that “Spanish is an undoubted cultural and economic engine, not only because of its potential as a learning language in the world, but also because of the values that it embodies and transmits, shared by Spain and by so many nations on several continents that, through a long and rich joint history, they have become what they are: open and vital societies.”
During the meeting, King Felipe and Queen Letizia learned about the Institute’s activities over the past year and heard how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their work. They were joined at the meeting by Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, as well as the country’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture, the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and the President of the Board of the Directors of the Cervantes Institute.
Their Majesties also learned about plans for the Institute’s 30th anniversary next year,and listened to a presentation on Spanish as a scientific language.
The Cervantes Institution was formed in 1991 to campaign for the “promotion and teaching of the Spanish language” and ”the dissemination of Spanish and Latin American culture,”. The reigning monarch is always the honorary president of the Institute and attends its annual meeting each year.
The Institute operates on five continents and has 86 locations in 45 countries. Among its chief goals, in addition to the promotion and teaching Spanish language and culture, are organising courses in Spanish language, updating and improve teaching methods and training, managing the world’s largest network of Spanish libraries, and making resources available in a digital library that can be accessed globally.
The Cervantes Institute is located in Madrid and Alcalá de Henares where writer Miguel de Cervantes, after whom it was named, was born. Other members of the board include Spanish literary and cultural icons.