Bocas Lit Fest founder receives Chilean award

FOUNDER of the Bocas Lit Fest and Newsday columnist Marina Salandy-Brown has been presented with the Strait of Magellan award in recognition of her work in promoting the art and the art of writing in TT and throughout the English-speaking Caribbean.

The award was presented by Ambassador of Chile Juan Aníbal Barría on November 30, at the Bocas Lit Fest headquarters, Alcazar Street, Port of Spain.

The Strait of Magellan award is designed like a small compass and its inspiration dates back 500 years, to when, on November 1, 1520, Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan crossed the southernmost area of the planet on the coasts of Chile, reaching the first circumnavigation or expedition around the world, an area which he called Strait of All Saints. His objective was clear – to find new horizons and explore unsuspected territories, said a media release

The ambassador said like Magellan, Salandy-Brown is a woman who, thanks to her discipline, work and innovation, has managed to build an educational space that crosses the frontiers of knowledge and contributes to the dissemination of the rich Caribbean culture. Since her youth, he said, she has followed her north and has been able to travel and learn about different cultures of the world, enriching her Caribbean roots and spreading the history and contributions of TT to global society.

The Fundación Imagen de Chile wanted to highlight the example of Magellan through sequentially in Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) in the Magallanes (Magellan) region. Local authorities there decided to plant a tree that will bear the name of whoever has received this distinction. This tribute to Salandy-Brown was published in the Chilean regional newspaper La Prensa Austral.