Meeting the Book King of Colombia

 

Last time, we heard about the director of London's Museum of Modern Art, who uses the word "BIG" frequently and thinks on an overwhelmingly large time and spatial scale. This time, from my book " The Adventure Called Work: Meeting the World's Extraordinary Talents " (published by Chuo Koron Shinsha), we hear about the story of Colombia's book king, who set his mission to change the daily lives of the people living in that country.

When I served on the jury at Cannes, the section I was responsible for had a Colombian as its jury president. Since we were staying at the same hotel, we saw each other every day at breakfast.
One day while eating together, I brought up the topic: "I love architecture, and I think the library built last year in Medellín, Colombia—a drug-infested area—is amazing. It might be my favorite building recently."
That library was built with the purpose of creating a place where people, forced into drug cultivation and trafficking due to low literacy rates and poor educational environments, could gather happily. It's a simple, black library that blends beautifully with the landscape. The idea of a library as a solution to the problem of drug contamination is incredibly imaginative.

When I told him this, he was surprised that someone from a distant island nation knew about our country's library, then continued: "That was my project."
He negotiated with the government to secure the land and obtain permission for the project, but the government wouldn't do anything more. So he raised donations from private citizens and contributed a large sum himself to build it. He also devised the method for collecting books. It's an excellent approach.

When someone passes away, their money is discussed and divided among family and relatives, but they don't know what to do with the books left behind, so they're simply disposed of. This leads to the loss of the nation's culture. So he created a scheme where books left behind after someone's death are acquired by the library.
This place became less a library and more a site for preserving and accumulating culture, where people gathered, learned to read with enjoyment, and unknowingly acquired knowledge.

Above all, the creation of opportunities and places to meet people without the medium of drugs is commendable and represents a well-functioning solution to the problem. Persistently negotiating with the government and fundamentally changing the system of knowledge distribution must have required unimaginable toughness, and accomplishing this deserves great praise.

That year at Cannes, the judging criterion he championed as president was "courage."
In this society, defining "bravery" as the direction creativity should aim for is itself an act requiring tremendous courage. It sounds old-fashioned, and in a world where creativity—generally seen as cool and stylish—is often celebrated, it risks going completely against the grain.
Yet, it was a word that flowed naturally from his own life's work.

It wasn't about current trends; it was a statement born from his life's work, declaring "this is what it means to be the chairperson." That's precisely why it felt so refreshing.
We judges were deeply impressed by his words and, without much fuss or debate, charged ahead relentlessly using that standard. When a chairperson fails to set a clear direction, it can unfortunately happen that judges act independently, proceeding with disparate criteria. Each of them is among the fiercest in their respective countries. They aren't easily tamed. Yet, that particular judging process was surprisingly smooth. His human power and the direction it manifested in made it so.

The weight of dedicating one's entire life to a cause carries real weight.
When seeking to increase your influence while doing your job, you need to involve powerful partners. And whether you can do that becomes a major measure of your skill.

Of course, there are various approaches. Ultimately, though, it comes down not to technique, but to the weight of the words a person speaks. To carry that weight, you must bear burdens. Only those who have carried the lives and aspirations of many people can possess it.
To bear. I believe we are being tested by the meaning this simple, age-old word still holds today.

Next time, we'll discuss an actor active across Asia. Stay tuned.