M. Hadrawi among 11 artists hounured for dedication to literary quality and culture

(Prince Claus Fund)- 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.

Ten other artists, thinkers, filmmakers and organisations from countries that include Syria, Burma and Somaliland/Somalia are also being honoured for their dedication to culture and development. On 12 December, HRH Prince Constantijn will present the Principal Award at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.

Mahamed Ibrahim Warsame, alias Hadrawi, Somaliland/Somalia was honoured for his  profound and beautiful poems which enrichs the centuries-old Somali poetry tradition, builds bridges and promotes peace.
Eloísa Cartonera
Eloísa Cartonera (established in 2003, Buenos Aires) is a graphic arts and publishing co-operative of handmade books made of recycled materials. The materials are collected by cartoneros, or ‘cardboard people’, unemployed who tried to survive after Argentina’s political and economic collapse in 2001.
Drawn to Eloísa’s social solidarity, both established and emerging Latin American writers, donate short stories, novels, and other forms of literature. The collective, small-scale method produces books that are much cheaper than conventional paperbacks. It provides income and cultural benefit to many at all levels of Argentinean society: readers, rubbish collectors, authors and artists.
Eloísa Cartonera transformed ‘the book’ from an unattainable object into a widely accessible source of pleasure, knowledge and self development. The relevance and impact of the cartonera model even transcends borders. More than 60 independent cartonera publishers are currently operating in countries across Latin America and one has started in Mozambique. Also, now that the current economic crisis has hit Argentina again, their message is even more urgent.