Somaliland poet and playwright Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame - better known as Hadrawi - with the Prince Claus award.
 |
| Abwaan Maxamed Ibraahim Warsame 'Hadraawi' |
The prize is one of the highest offered by the
Netherlands monarchy.
The occasion that took place at the Ambassador Hotel in
Hargeysa, the capital of Somaliland, attracted politicians, expatriates,
artistic personalities and members of the public.
Mr Reintjes explained that a five-member panel of
independent experts from different countries representing a broad range of
disciplines select the recipients.
The Prince Claus
carries a $25,000 prize.
Ambassador Joost Reintjes who upon congratulating Poet
Hadraawi informed of his pleasure to be in the country he first visited when he
was twelve years old.
“The committee selected Mr Hadrawi for his contribution
to arts,” said the Dutch ambassador before an enthusiastic crowd.
"While the 2012 Principal Award to Argentinian Eloísa
Cartonera shall be presented in Holland, I am very happy to be here presenting
poet Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, alias Hadraawi with his Prince Claus 2012 award
on behalf of my king" said Amb Reintjes
The government of Somaliland thanked King Claus, the people
and government of the Netherlands for the recognition and subsequent award to
one of the country's top artist whose poetic acumen is reckoned with by all
Somali speakers.
"On behalf of the government and people of
Somaliland, I thank and extend our appreciations to the government and people
of the Netherlands for the recognition of the works of poet Hadraawi and
subsequent Prince Claus award" said education minister Hon Zamzam Abdi
Aden
Congratulating poet Hadraawi for his recognition by the
Prince Claus fund were many friends and colleagues among them Mr Boobe Yusuf
Duale and Poet Hasan Haji Abdilahi "Hasan Ganey", who said the
nomination is clear testimony of the impact that the poems of Hadraawi attract.
The awardee Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Hadraawi who thanked
the prince Claus fund for recognizing him and Ambassador Joost Reintjes for
conveying the award all the way from Holland said that he shares the
recognition with all Somalis.
“In a span of nearly half a century, poet Hadrawi
composed more than 200 poems and artworks plus tens of popular plays,” noted
one of the participants.
The Prince Claus Fund
The Prince Claus Fund was inaugurated in 1996, named in
honor of Prince Claus of The Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from
the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus
Awards annually since 1997 to honor individuals and organizations reflecting a
progressive and contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development.
Recipients are mainly located in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the
Caribbean.
The Prince Claus Awards
Nominations
Honorees are determined by a jury of honorary chairmen
who are experts from fields relevant to its mission of culture and development.
Criteria
The most important consideration of the jury is the
positive effect of a laureate's work on a wider cultural or social field. The
Prince Claus Fund interprets culture in a broad sense to encompass all kinds of
artistic and intellectual disciplines, science, media and education.
Outstanding quality is an essential condition for an award.
Awards
presentation
The Principal Award of € 100,000 is presented during a
ceremony at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam in December every year. The
additional awards of € 25,000 each are presented in the Dutch embassies in the
countries where the recipients live in December and January
The Prince Claus Fund's 2012 Principal Award has been
granted to Eloísa Cartonera. This Argentinian non-profit publishing house
creates handmade books of outstanding aesthetic and literary quality from waste
material.
The other 2012
Honorees’ are:
1. Sami Ben Gharbia, Tunisia (1967, Tunis) is an
innovative cyber-activist who works mainly through social media.
2. M/s Habiba Djahnine, Algeria is a respected writer and
filmmaker whose main focus is documentary cinema directed to an accurate
portrayal of Algerian realities.
3. Yasin al Haj Saleh, Syria (1961, Raqqa) is a writer,
public intellectual and voice of reasoned analysis in the midst of the current
Syrian crisis.
4. M/s Widad Kawar, Jordan
The passion and commitment of collector Widad Kawar
(1931, Tulkarem) rescued and preserved important cultural heritage that
otherwise would have been lost forever. Her superb collection consists of more
than 2,000 examples of the textile artistry of Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian,
Bedouin and other Arab cultures.
5. Teresa Margolles, Mexico
Teresa Margolles (1963, Culiacán, Sinaloa) is a radical
and challenging visual artist who examines the social causes and consequences
of death through powerful artworks.
6. Boniface Mwangi, Kenya
Boniface Mwangi (1983, Taveta) is a self-taught
photojournalist and exemplary photo-activist, determined to reduce violence and
build peace through culture.
7. Phare Ponleu Selpak, Cambodia
The active Phare Ponleu Selpak (1994, Battambang) is a
far-reaching cultural organization that empowers youth and successfully
integrates local traditions with new ideas to uplift, support and enrich
post-conflict Cambodia and the Khmer culture.
8. Ian Randle, Jamaica
The pioneering Ian Randle (1940, Hanover) transformed the
knowledge production and circulation in the Caribbean through his first local
independent publishing house.
9. Maung Thura, alias Zarganar, Burma
The charismatic performer, comedian and social activist
Maung Thura (Yangon, 1961), stage name Zarganar ('tweezers'), uses humour as a
potent weapon in the struggle against tyranny and injustice.
10. Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, alias Hadraawi, Somaliland
The profound and beautiful poems of Mohamed Ibrahim
Warsame (1943, Togdeer) enrich the centuries-old Somali poetry tradition, build
bridges and promote peace.
Source: Agencies
No comments:
Post a Comment