Following a six-day voyage from Liberia, West Africa, Logos Hope’s 300 crew were excited to arrive in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. The crew was honoured to host the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, who came to officially open Logos Hope’s bookfair to the people in Las Palmas, where the ship last docked six years ago.

He said, “It is a pleasure to see you again in this port… This ship that brings the very important floating bookfair… I want to recognise the work that you do through your actions… And I want to thank you that you chose again to come to the Canary Islands and to bring all this crew of 65 different nationalities… It’s amazing to see you here in these difficult times that Europe is facing, and to bring equality and justice. I hope that you enjoy your stay here and thank you that you came.”

Ship director Randy Grebe (USA) has many good memories of the island as he and his wife were on the Logos Hope maiden voyage to Gran Canaria in 2010. He said, “We look forward to enjoying the beauty of your nation. But really what we are here for is to meet the beauty of your people.”

Just having left the African continent, the ship’s director shared an old African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together’. The Logos Hope crew is looking forward to supporting the community of Las Palmas through different projects. Teams will help in a refugee camp and connect with those who fled their home countries, as well as support local churches around the island. Due to the diversity of the ship’s community, the ‘Meet the World’ event will take place onboard to highlight the meaning of Easter in a multi-cultural setting.

President Torres cut the ribbon, and Logos Hope’s bookfair is now open to the public from Tuesdays – Sundays from 2pm to 10pm until April 21, 2022. Entrance is free of charge.