Qatar: Qatar National Library, in collaboration with the Embassy of Colombia in Qatar, hosted a Book Chat session titled "The Sounds of Macondo - Musical Interpretations of One Hundred Years of Solitude," featuring Colombian artist Oriana da Marte. The event explored the connection between music and storytelling through the lens of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterpiece, *One Hundred Years of Solitude*.

According to Qatar News Agency, the event underscored the Library's ongoing commitment to fostering international cultural dialogue and celebrating diverse global heritage. The gathering offered literary enthusiasts and music lovers a fresh artistic perspective on one of Latin America's most influential literary works. Drawing inspiration from her award-winning album, *Un Viaje a Macondo*, da Marte brought new life to the novel's themes of memory, imagination, and the broader Latin American experience.

By combining literary discussions with live musical performances, Da Marte transported the audience into the world of Macondo, the iconic fictional town at the heart of Marquez's magical realism. Haya Abdulla Al Sheeb, Senior Librarian for Adult Programming at Qatar National Library, noted that merging the captivating literature of Gabriel Garcia M¡rquez with Oriana da Marte's compositions offered the community dynamic ways to connect with global literary heritage and celebrate Colombia's rich artistic traditions.

Camilo Vizcaya, First Secretary and Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Colombia in Qatar, emphasized that culture was helping Colombia and Qatar deepen their friendship. He remarked that although the two countries were geographically distant, they shared close ties based on affection, mutual respect, and a shared appreciation for heritage, creativity, and cultural exchange. He added that events such as the Book Chat session helped strengthen those ties and provided an opportunity to discover, through art, the many values shared by the two peoples.