KB intro HCA 2004

5 September 2004, Artscape Opera House, Cape Town

Introduction by Kimete Basha i Novosejt

Executive Director of IBBY 2004

After the beauty of the gift of music offered by talented young people who will return to entertain us before the end of this colourful evening, we move to the celebration of the words and pictures of two exceptionally talented artists who have been honoured this year with the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. I refer, of course, to our special guests, Martin Waddell and Max Velthuijs.

The 2004 Hans Christian Andersen jury was presided by Jeffrey Garrett who, when not guiding his fellow jury members from ten different countries – some of them here with us tonight – to work collaboratively toward their shared goal, is busy at the library at Northwestern University, Illinois where the winters, I hear, are as cold as those that unsettle Kikker, Frog in his winter.

The 2004 jury, like all those before them, had the difficult task of designating one author and one illustrator whose ‘complete works’ reflect ‘outstanding value’, and make a ‘lasting contribution’ to international children’s literature. They made their decision collaboratively and respectfully and we, like they did spontaneously in Basel where their decision was made, can, at last, applaud it tonight.

I would like to take a moment to mention the jurors and to thank them on behalf of IBBY for the quality of their work together, for the passion for children’s literature that they displayed throughout the intense deliberations, and for their commitment to the long, exhaustive process that led to their decision. The only honour and recognition that they can ultimately expect for their generous efforts, is knowing that theirs was a job well done: they have gratified the work of the National Sections who, at great expense and effort, made their nominations, and they have safeguarded the value of the Hans Christian Andersen award as a platform for IBBY’s critical work to promote books as bridges of understanding.

This was, as you may know, my first experience with the Hans Christian Andersen Awards jury and it will stay with me as one of the most instructive and revelatory experiences of my life with books. It was a rare honour and privilege and I have come away enriched by my encounter with Gunilla Boren’s determination, Maria Candelaria Posada’s lucidity, Angela Lebedeva’s sensitivity, Marianne Martens’ clarity, Laura Sandroni’s elegance, Lona Gericke’s vision, Zohreh Ghaeni’s poetry, Grazia Gotti’s enthusiasm, Maria Cecilia Silva-Diaz’s perspicacity, and Trussje Vrooland-Lob’s flamboyance. Thank you to all of you.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award, however, is not only dependent upon the generosity of individuals and the commitment of lovers of children’s books. It is also dependent upon the support and trust of its sponsor. For many years, the Nissan Motor Company has been a faithful and untiring supporter of the Hans Christian Andersen Award and through it, of IBBY’s efforts to promote the development and the recognition of the quality of children’s literature internationally. That the award continues to exists, that it persists in flying high among the growing number of influential prizes for children’s literature, is in large measure due to the commitment of our Japanese sponsor who, like us all, believes that we can touch the lives of children and transform them through story, whether the story is rooted, Mr. Waddell in the landscapes of County Down or in the stars.

So we must thank the Nissan Motor Company for remembering, like our jurors, the child and for celebrating the story. They know that there are many ways that humankind can invest in the future and they have proven time and time again, that they have come to believe the dreamers that are IBBY members who affirm that the child’s imagination is the starting point for everything else.

I would like to begin the proceedings now by inviting Mr. Julio Panama to the podium. Mr. Panama began his work with Nissan 19 years ago. Today, he is Managing Director of Nissan South Africa and speaks to us tonight not only as a representative of our sponsor but also, I am sure, as the father of two boys who may not know Martin Waddell’s three sons far away but who will share with them the warmth and safety of the world of stories.

Now, I have the real pleasure of inviting Jeffrey Garrett to speak but before I do, just two words about this man. Apart from living in cold climes and apparently enjoying it, Jeff Garrett is a librarian and teacher. He is a deep and thoughtful man whom I grew to know and respect during the jury deliberations. Throughout the meetings and long before, he set the standards very high: he would guide the process democratically so that all voices were heard – not just the voices of the jurors but of all the nominees; he would keep the child at the heart of the discussions, he would ask all involved to see through the veil of language, to listen with respect and to decide fairly. Jeff will also have the honour of presenting the 2004 Hans Christian Andersen Award winners.

Thank you.

Kimete Basha, Cape Town 2004