Speeches of Colombiya President Petro Turned into a 10-Volume Book Series

The speeches and statements made by Colombiya President Gustavo Petro during his term in office have been compiled into a ten-volume book series titled "Words of Change" (Las palabras del Cambio). The collection in question will be distributed to approximately one thousand seven hundred public libraries across the country and made available to the public. The books, which were delivered to some libraries as of Yedi Temmuz, are planned to fully reach readers in all parts of the country by 20 Temmuz. Additionally, it will be published in the digital archive of the Colombia National Library for citizens who cannot access the physical books. President Petro described the book as a government record and a written proof against misleading information on social media.

President Petro personally took charge of promoting this collection during a Cabinet meeting broadcast on television on 16 Haziran. He stated that he did not yet know who would read it, but that this work was a historical testimony for his government's term. The President emphasized their determination against misleading news in the media and on social media, and their desire to record their thoughts and decisions in writing. He stated that this monumental ten-volume work is presented as a resource that can be utilized not only by Colombiyalılar, but also by the world public closely following all of his government's policies. President Petro also specifically mentioned that he did not obtain any personal financial gain from the sale of this work.

The printing process of the work was meticulously carried out as part of a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Ulusal Matbaa. Juan David Correa, who served as the project's editor, announced that one thousand two hundred speeches made between 2022 and the middle of 2026 were carefully selected. Stating that approximately one-third of the speeches made each year were chosen for publication, Correa noted that highly institutional or ordinary appointment ceremonies were excluded. Instead, the focus was on speeches reflecting the government's core ideological vision, such as energy transition, environmental protection, social justice, and human rights. Correa added that the collection aims to provide a clear picture of the government's fundamental policies and the values it defends.

Each book contains between fifty and seventy speeches, and it is emphasized that editorial interventions were kept to a minimum. Rather than turning the speeches into literary texts and deviating from their original meaning, the editors preferred to preserve President Petro's natural voice and style at that moment. Although repeated expressions or filler words used during the speeches were carefully removed, the overall structure of the oral narrative was preserved as it was. Correa specifically emphasized that the President's live way of thinking, his internal inconsistencies, and his reflexes are very valuable for this period. Thanks to this, it is believed that readers will have the opportunity to directly analyze the President's decision-making process and actions at that moment straight from his own words.

The coordination of this comprehensive publication project began in Ocak and was brought to life by a professional team provided by DAPRE, under the leadership of Gloria Ortega. In addition to editors, the project employed experienced coordinators, designers, typesetters, and linguists from the sector. The distribution network was expanded to include university libraries and independent think tanks, in addition to public libraries in the country. The ten-volume collection in question stands as an official work documenting the policies, socio-economic transformation goals, and accountability of President Petro's government to history. Thanks to this unique resource, the Colombiya halkı will have the opportunity to deeply examine the government's strategic moves over the last four years.