The recent disagreement between the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero, and the director of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), Santiago Muñoz Machado, had its echo in Panama, today converted into an epicenter of an institutional question that transcends borders.
Garcia Montero accused Muñoz Machado of trying to impose Panama “alone” as the seat of the next International Congress of the Spanish Language (CILE), scheduled for 2028, without consulting Cervantes.
The director of the Panamanian Academy of Languages, Jorge Eduardo Ritter, denied that Panama’s designation was a unilateral initiative by the director of the RAE. In an interview with the Panamanian newspaper The pressRitter stressed that the decision “cannot be considered as if it were a personal decision of Mr. Muñoz Machado”, because – he said – It was unanimously adopted by the language academies during the congress held this year in Arequipa, Peru (last October).
According to Ritter, the vote was clear and had the support of the 23 academies that make up the Association of Spanish Language Academies (ASALE). “What we would like most is that there are no objections from Panama from the Cervantes Institute for no other reason than it feels like it was an imposition,” he said.
Ritter also detailed how the vote took place. He explained that the decision was taken in October, during the first private meeting between directors, held within the framework of the International Congress of Languages in Arequipa. In this space, he said, “It was unanimously approved that Panama would host the eleventh congress in 2028.” The former chancellor also clarified that at the time of the vote, there was no other candidate to host CILE.
This, in his opinion, further dismantles the idea of a so-called claim. Ritter said he was convinced that the current differences between Cervantes and the RAE “can be overcome or will be overcome,” emphasizing that the Panamanian Academy and the government itself They want the event to take place in harmony and without setbacks.
Regarding the dates of the congress, Ritter explained that they are traditionally held towards the end of the last quarter of the year, between September and October, although the precise date for 2028 must still be defined within the framework of consultations between governments and academies.
He recalled that this calendar was consistent in previous editions and that Panama was ready to adapt to this framework. The director stressed the strategic importance of hosting an event of this magnitude. “Panama has already achieved one with extraordinary success,” he said. in memory of a previous edition of CILE organized in the country. He stressed that this type of conference makes Panama visible “as a cultural center”, because it brings together intellectuals, writers, linguists and academics in meetings open to the public.
Ritter sent a message to the Spanish institutions involved in the conflict. He said Panama aspired to the congress takes place “in harmony with the Cervantes Institute” and insisted that ASALE had already decided to formally support the Panamanian proposal.
In Spain, the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero, said that the institution he leads “he discovered, because other academies spoke to him about it, that the director of the RAE decided for himself that it would be Panama”, and stressed that the decision “belongs to Cervantes to offer a venue to the language academies” for the International Congress of the Spanish Language.
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