Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Women, the General Archive of the Nation, and the Dominican Postal Institute (INPOSDOM) released a commemorative postal issue dedicated to the writer, researcher, and cultural promoter Aída Cartagena Portalatín, one of the most transcendent intellectual figures of the Dominican Republic.
The event was led by the Minister of Women, Gloria Reyes; the Director General of the Dominican Postal Institute (INPOSDOM), Erick Guzmán; the Director of Research of the General Archive of the Nation (AGN), Idelfonso Álvarez, representing its head, Roberto Cassá, and the President of the Dominican Philatelic Society, Alejandro Vignieri.
The Minister of Women, Gloria Reyes, stated that the issuance transcends a tribute to an individual trajectory, by recognizing the place of women in the construction of Dominican history, culture, and thought. She maintained that preserving the memory of Cartagena Portalatín also contributes to making visible those who, through creation and knowledge, challenged the limitations imposed on women and expanded the frontiers of the society of their time.
The Director General of INPOSDOM highlighted that postal issues transcend their function as a means of postage, as they constitute official documents and historical testimonies that preserve the memory of the people and events that have contributed to building the nation. Likewise, he pointed out that with this stamp, INPOSDOM incorporates into the national philatelic heritage the legacy of one of the most important Dominican intellectuals of the 20th century and reaffirms its commitment to using philately as an educational, cultural, and national identity-strengthening instrument.
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For her part, senior gender researcher Ylonka Nacidit-Perdomo highlighted that the issuance constitutes an initiative to preserve and disseminate the historical and documentary memory of Aída Cartagena Portalatín, one of the most transcendental female figures of Dominican identity, whose literary, intellectual, and cultural legacy continues to inspire present and future generations.
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Similarly, Olimpia Méndez Cartagena, niece of the honoree, evoked with nostalgia and pride the figure of her aunt, whom she described as a woman of firm character, faithful to her ideals and committed to the social and human reality of the country.
The issuance represents a recognition by the Dominican State of a woman who transformed national literature and opened new spaces for creation, participation, and critical thinking for women.
As a member of the movement La Poesía Sorprendida (The Surprised Poetry), she built a renewing literary voice that questioned the social and cultural conventions of her time. Among her most recognized works are “Víspera del sueño” (Eve of the Dream), “Una mujer está sola” (A Woman is Alone), “La voz desatada” (The Unleashed Voice), “La Tierra Escrita. Elegías” (The Written Earth. Elegies), and the experimental novel “Escalera para Electra” (Stairway to Electra), which was a finalist for the Seix Barral Biblioteca Breve Prize in 1969 and subsequently incorporated as a study text in international universities.
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About the commemorative issue
During the activity, researcher Ylonka Nacidit-Perdomo presented an assessment of the trajectory of Cartagena Portalatín, whom she defined as one of the most multifaceted Dominican intellectuals of the 20th century and an essential figure for understanding the evolution of literature written by women in the country.
Poet, novelist, essayist, editor, researcher, art critic, historian, university professor, museographer, anthropologist, and cultural promoter, Cartagena Portalatín developed a body of work marked by innovation, rebellion, and the defense of human freedom and dignity.
The issue consists of 10,000 copies, with a face value of RD 35.00 each, dimensions of 40 by 40 millimeters, a perforation of 13 ½, and tropicalized gummed paper, while the composition was in charge of architect Alejandro Vignieri and it was printed by Litografía Ferrua. Its circulation was authorized through Decree no. 687-23, dated December 29, 2023.
The release of the stamp incorporates the image and legacy of Aída Cartagena Portalatín into the national philatelic heritage and contributes to bringing her work closer to new generations both inside and outside the Dominican Republic.
