The Suriname Rabindranath Tagore Creative Arts Awards Ceremony was
held on Tuesday, November 22nd at 5:00 p.m. at the University
Guesthouse on Leysweg.
This important event celebraedthe work of more than 30 Surinamese
student- and adult-artists.
The wife of
Ambassador Harvey Naarendorp (Suriname
Ambassador to the EU based in Paris) handed out awards to over 30 creative artists
from Suriname who won school and national competitions in creative art and
writing (prose and poetry) competitions.
The
competition, which was launched in May 2011 by the Suriname Tagore Celebrations
Committee, attracted more than 135 entries from students and adults in
Suriname. Judges for the national competitions included members of the
Schrijvers Group'77, Art Vibes United, and the University of Suriname. There
were more than 75 creative writing and art entries from students attending
schools in Paramaribo, Wanica, and Commewijne.
The prestigious Tagore Art Competition was launched to mark the
150`" Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the first
non-European and person of color to win a Nobel Prize (1912). Born in 1861,
Tagore was a prolific writer, dramatist, poet, artist, philosopher, and
international humanist. Across the world, national and international
competitions are being held to uphold values in creative excellence in
celebration of Tagore.
Ten
AlphaMax students were among the 40 prize winners in the first Tagore Creative
Arts competition in Suriname.
AMA
tutor Sylvana Dankerlui guided the packed audience through an enchanting
program that celebrated Rabindranath Tagore’s influence on the world and in
this special case on Surinamese young people. Mrs Dankerlui gave a passionate and delightful account of
Tagore and how his ideas influenced others.
This
was followed by a song done by the ICC singing teacher. She sang one of
Tagore’s compositions. Her performance held the audience’s rapt and they gave her an enthusiastic round of
applause.
The
highlight of the evening was the reading presentation of the winning entries in the writing
competition. The audience was thoroughly impressed not only with the ideas and
style of writing but with the confidence and poise of all the winners as they
delivered their pieces. Many commented later on the kaleidoscope of Surinamese
faces of all races and the range of artistic expressions.
Parents
and friends commended the organizing committee for an unusually delightful evening
which placed the creative work of young Surinamese at the center of national
interest. All the winning art entries were placed along the walls of the auditorium
and in front of the audience.
