The Newspaper That "Breeds" Readers: Illiteracy is a major obstacle to the countries of Latin America on the path to overall cultural and economic progress and forms a barrier to the development of the newspaper industry.

© Estate of Paul Almásy / Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation.

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Artist/Maker Paul Almásy (French-Swiss, born Hungary, 1906 – 2003)

Date1961

MediumVintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 9 3/16 × 11 5/8 in. (23.4 × 29.5 cm) Sheet: 9 3/16 × 11 5/8 in. (23.3 × 29.5 cm)

Credit LineGift of Thomas J. Wilson and Jill M. Garling, P2016

Object number2025.30.23

Not on view

DescriptionThe Newspaper That "Breeds" Readers: Illiteracy is a major obstacle to the countries of Latin America on the path to overall cultural and economic progress and forms a barrier to the development of the newspaper industry. A demand for general education is perceived as an urgent necessity in all countries. Governments are using funds wherever available to fight against illiteracy. Private companies as well as international organizations are also providing aid to the governments and local communities of Latin America. In Colombia, the number of adults who can neither read nor write is estimated at around 40%. The percentage of illiterate people here, as in all other countries, is very high, especially among the rural population. Despite their mass illiteracy, the large masses show an increasing hunger for education. Lectures and documentaries are highly valued and anyone able to save a few pesos buys a radio. Interest in reading of all kinds, especially for newspapers, is also widespread, but in many areas of the country there is still no opportunity to learn to read. In Colombia, a country with more than 12 million inhabitants, 36 daily newspapers are published, but all together only have a total of 797,000 copies in circulation. These newspapers, which appear in Bogota and in eleven major provincial towns, can hardly attract subscribers and readers in the smaller towns and in the country because people simply cannot read. The requirement of "alphabetization"-- in Latin America "alphabetization" is the name of the campaign that serves the purpose of teaching adults to read and write-- is in the interest of the press, so recently some publishers have come up with the idea of their own lessons! Here we are in the village of Bosa, located not far from the capital Bogota. The car from "El Espectador", the second largest daily newspaper in Colombia, is there with two editors and a teacher to help lead an evening course for illiterate people. An old barn serves as the classroom. The rush is big and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper (for the evening edition) Alvaro Monroy Caicedo makes a list of newly enrolled students.

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Additional Details

Markings Verso, middle, (stamp): "ALMASY"

Inscribed Verso, bottom left, (pencil): "PAL-1093.3"
Verso, bottom right (pencil): "2025.30.23"
Verso, middle bottom right (pencil): "Colonbie (unclear, probably Colombia)"
Verso, bottom, middle (pencil): 1