Casa Asia Award 2007, which reaches its fourth edition, has been granted ex aequo to The Publishing House of People's Chinese Literature and the Spanish Jesuit Kike Figaredo. The jury has decided to award, on one hand, the great task of diffusion of Iberoamerican and Spanish authors of Spanish literature in China this publishing house is carrying out, as well as the starting of a collection of literature entirely written by women. On the other hand, the jury has also awarded the Spanish Jesuit Kike Figaredo for his work in favour of victims of anti-personnel mine explosions in Cambodia and for the great social task developed in this Asian country.
In addition, the jury has also made a special mention to Veer Bhadra Mishra, spiritual leader of the temple Sankat Mochan, and Abdul Batin Nomani, imam of the Mosque Gyanvapi, for their contribution to peace and harmony among Hindu and Muslim communities of Varanasi, as a result of the attacks of the 7th of March 2006 in the Hindu temple of Sankat Mochan attributed to an Islamic group. According to the jury, both personalities constitute an example for other religious leaders in the management of communal conflicts.
The jury of Casa Asia Award 2007, gathered this Monday 16th of July, was made up of Joan Trullén, Secretary General of Industry of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce; Roser Clavell, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Catalonian Autonomous Government (Generalitat); José Eugenio Salarich, Director General of Foreign Policy for Asia-Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Antonia Sabartés, Director of International Relations of Barcelona; Ignacio Niño, Coordinator General of Strategy and International Action of Madrid City Council, Carmen García Ormaechea, professora at University Complutense of Madrid; writers Asha Miró y Anna Maria Briongos; the writer and journalist Andrés Ortega; and Jesús Sanz, Director General of Casa Asia. Josep Vargas, Secretary General of Casa Asia, as a secretary.
Prizewinners
The Publishing House of People's Chinese Literature is one of the most important publishing houses of China. From its foundation in 1951, it has translated and published a large number of Spanish classics such as La Regenta, El Quijote, Fortunata y Jacinta, La Celestina, El Buscón or Platero y yo, among others.
The publishing house has maintained a constant rhythm of publications of works by contemporary and classic Spanish and Iberoamerican writers. In addition, every year an award is granted to the best work in Spanish, it then translates to Chinese and subsequently publishes.
Owing to the Year of Spain in China, the publishing house prepares the publication, between 2007 and 2008, of 12 new titles of contemporary literature that constitute a collection of genre literature. This collection includes works by Carmen Martín Gaite, Elvira Lindo, Rosa Regàs, Carmen Laforet, Belén Gopegui, Maruja Torres and other known Spanish and Iberoamerican writers.
The fact that the publishing fund of this publishing house does not only include classic works, upon which royalties are paid, but also literature of living authors, as well as the creation of a collection of literature written by women, has a very special meaning for the jury, and its project contributes in an indisputable way to a better mutual understanding between both societies.
On the other hand, Jesuit Kike Figaredo (the "wheelchair bishop"), born in Gijón in 1959, has worked for more that 15 years in Cambodia. In 1985 he closely met the dreadful reality of camps of refugees of Thailand where Cambodian people that ran away from their country are piled up. Since then, father Kike devoted his life to mutilated people, until he definitely settled down in Cambodia in 1991. Figaredo has started many initiatives to collect funds and help these victims: among others, he has founded in Phnom Penh, capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, "House of the Pigeon", where children mutilated by explosions are educated and where he has developed workshops so mutilated people can make wheelchairs following the model "Mekong" (three-wheel wooden wheelchair).
In 2004, the Spanish Government gave him the Great Cross of the Civil Order for Solidarity for his extraordinary social task he has been carrying out in favour of handicapped and marginalized people of the Asian country. On the 14th of June 2007 he received the Award Emilio Barbón Foundation for its example of constant search for ways of overcoming lack of solidarity and awareness with the neediest sectors of society. First, refugees and for many years, people mutilated in war.
Casa Asia Award is given to those people, institutions and bodies that with their projects or actuations contribute something exceptional to improve the knowledge, dialogue and relations between the societies of Asia, the Pacific and Spain. The award consists of a prize in cash of 6.000 € and a commemorative trophy. In previous editions, Casa Asia Award was given to professor Raimon Pannikar and to the department of Spanish of the University of Beijing and to CEIBS of Shanghai (2004), and to Pakistani Mukhtar Mai, to the journalist Rosa Maria Calaf and to David Álvarez, of the association of NGO (2005), and to the collection "Suma" of Spanish Art of the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum and to the Marugame Hirai Museum of Japan (2006). The presentation event of the award of this edition will take place at the end of 2007.
More information at Casa Real