READING is set to host a new exhibition celebrating the people of one of its twin towns later this month.
The Holybrook Gallery will see a collection of portraits of people from San Francisco Libre, Reading’s twin town in Nicaragua, South America.
Portraits of San Francisco Libre brings together a collection of photographs taken by Russell Maddicks while travelling with his son, Francisco, on their recent trip to the town.
The images document the people that they met along the way and some of the projects that are supported by Reading’s San Francisco Libre Association (RSFLA).
Mr Maddicks is a travel writer and journalist who has written about Latin America for more than two decades.
He previously said of San Francisco Libre: “It’s a very rural village; a very interesting and exciting place full of friendly people– I think it’s so important that the people of Reading learn a little more about San Francisco Libre.”
San Francisco Libre is a small, rural town with a population of around 13,000 people, and Nica is the name given to the Nicaraguan variant of Spanish.
It is surrounded by a number of smaller villages, and sits in the shadow of the Momotombo Volcano near Lake Managua, around 80km from Nicaragua’s capital, Managua.
Reading has been twinned with San Francisco Libre since 1994 with a view to creating a cultural and educational exchange between the two communities.
The Reading San Francisco Libre Assosciation has been dedicated to promoting links and exchanges between the two towns for more than two decades, and set up the David Grimes Trust to support environmental projects in the town.
The relationship also saw a walk in Reading town centre named San Francisco Libre Walk, close to the Hexagon.
Mr Maddicks said: “It’s amazing that Reading has this international connection with a town so far away and that Reading is making an enormous difference to the lives of many people there.
“The people of San Francisco Libre are proud of their link to Reading and we hope that this exhibition will give the people of Reading an insight into the lives of the inhabitants of our twin town in Nicaragua.”
Portraits of San Francisco Libre, Reading’s twin town in Nicaragua is free to visit at The Holybrook Gallery, Reading Central Library.
It’s open from 10am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, starting Tuesday, October 17.
