La Serena, Landau 9 August 2024
Every beginning has its own magic (1). On 31 July, the jury announced the winners of the literary competition ‘The Humboldt Archipelago in 110 Words’. The competition was organised by Sphenisco and Defensa Ambiental Region Coquimbo for 3 groups of children, young people and adults and was sponsored by Rostock Zoo, Germany. At the announcement in the former home of Gabriela Mistral (2) in La Serena, there were many ‘beginnings’ and a very special, magical atmosphere unfolded.
The competition jury consisted of Elena Jiménez, representing the Ministry of Education, Héctor Cossio, editor of the newspaper El Mostrador, José Aguilera, teacher and writer, and Gabriel Canihuante, journalist and writer. Contrary to all expectations, more than 400 stories were received from children, young people and adults, the majority - around 170 - from children and young people. The participants came from 17 communities in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions, many of whom - like the winners - were not familiar with the Humboldt Archipelago.
The chair of the jury, Elena Jiménez, was ‘... delighted with the entries, they were of very good quality, very beautiful and they defended the wonderful Humboldt archipelago.’ Jury member José Aguilera emphasised that the competition had helped to rediscover the Humboldt Archipelago and its cultural heritage. Literally: ‘The creativity of the stories led to a very interesting debate to clarify which stories would win. That was very motivating.’ Writer Gabriel Canihuante described the competition as interesting, enriching and a challenge for the jury, as short stories with 110 words had to be analysed and evaluated.
The regional director of the National Service for Cultural Heritage, Enrique Gutiérrez, suggested that the competition should be repeated, as it is extremely important to make the Humboldt Archipelago even better known and valuable to society as a whole. He said that many more people would take part in future competitions.
When the winners of the 3 categories read out their stories and told what the competition meant to them, a very special, magical spirit could be felt in the press conference.
Emilia Alquinta, a Year 5 pupil from Coquimbo and winner in the ‘Children’ category, said: ‘I didn't know the archipelago and had to do some research to create something interesting. I discovered that the chungungos hide in the rocks from people. So I wanted to create something imaginative to show why the Chungungos hide in the rocks’. She took the opportunity to encourage people to write, saying ‘they can discover things they don't know’.
The winner in the ‘Youth’ category, María Quimbay, a third-year student at the Gabriela Mistral secondary school in La Serena, said of the competition: ‘I find it very interesting because it combines two things that I like: science and literature. With science we learn and explore, with literature we express ourselves.’ María Quimbay, who comes from Colombia, said of the Humboldt Archipelago: ‘The Chileans don't even realise what wealth they have. A wealth that does not belong to Chile alone, but to the whole world. That is why it is very important to protect this reserve’.
The winner, Vania Zárate from La Serena, emphasised that ‘her main interest has always been literature, I like to read a lot. But this competition was the first time I submitted a text’. The creative process was very interesting, I dedicated myself to observing images. I really enjoyed learning about this place and, above all, seeing it in person one day. I'm very happy to have won, it's a great satisfaction for me.‘
For Nancy Duman, representative of Sphenisco Chile, this day was ‘very moving, because the words of the 3 winners confirm that the competition was a very important initiative. Emilia Alquinta said that she didn't know the archipelago, and if she hadn't been motivated by the competition, she still wouldn't know it. Emilia now knows the archipelago and is learning to appreciate it. When she receives her award in October, .... she will visit the Humboldt Archipelago and learn about the great wealth of this ecosystem. We are really looking forward to it.’
The award ceremony will take place in October. All the other winners will also be announced then. Sphenisco Chile has published a list of all the winners on its website www.sphenisco.cl.
Nancy Duman & Werner Knauf
notes
(1) Hermann Hesse, German-Swiss writer and painter, 1877-1962, Nobel Prize for Literature 1946.
(2) Gabriela Mistral, 1889-1957, Chilean poet and diplomat. Poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize for Literature 1945, her house is now a national monument
translated by Claudia Fawer
