Miami, Florida, Dec. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cuban journalist Carla Gloria Colomé was awarded first place in the Cátedra Vargas Llosa—Atlas Network Young Journalism Prize I. The announcement was made by the novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize in Literature 2010, during a gala event that marked the 2021 edition of Atlas Network’s annual Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner, this past Tuesday, December 14th in Miami, Florida.
The selection committee was comprised of Cuban writer and journalist Carlos Alberto Montaner, who acted as chair, and integrated by the Colombian journalist Marcela Prieto, Mexican journalist Sergio Sarmiento, Roberto Salinas-León (Director of the Center for Latin America at Atlas Network), and Raúl Tola (Director of the Cátedra Vargas Llosa). The decision was unanimous to award first place for Ms Colomé’s editorial report entitled “11 de de julio en San Antonio de los Baños.”
This article was published on the 22nd of July 2021 in a digital news site called El Estornudo. It reports the genesis of the historic protests in Cuba on the 11th of July of this year. Although the protests extended to 62 different places, they originated in San Antonio de los Baños, a town just a few kilometers away from Havana. Neighbors and several community members launched a page in Facebook called La Villa del Humor (the Village of Humor), which at first meant to merely extend communications and stories about the community. However, after the emergence of the giant African snail plague, it quickly transformed into a vehicle of criticism and protest against the Cuban regime, which in turn promoted and articulated the different public demonstrations in the island.
In order to understand the details of how La Villa del Humor worked, Carla Colomé was able to engage interviews with the site’s administrators—including Danilo Roque, a pseudonym for the general coordinator and main leader of this social and political phenomenon. The end result is a fascinating story that depicts the surprising mechanisms whereby the cries for liberty and liberty itself was able to open a path forward.
In addition to the prize awarded to Carla Gloria Colomé, the jury also made a special mention of the following entries:
- “Cuatro días en las cárceles cubanas,” by Camila Acosta (Cuba).
- “Explotación infantil: la niña rarámuri que perdió su edad recolectando chiles,” by Aitor Sáenz (Spain).
- “El exilio cubano a bordo de un camión,” by Carlos Manuel Álvarez (Cuba).
The $10,000 prize aims to recognize editorial excellence, information rigor, and a consistent defense of the principles of liberty in the practice of journalism. The first edition of this prize received over 120 entries, from Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Africa.
To schedule an interview, please contact Luka Ladan at luka.ladan@zenicapr.com.
Attachments
- Mario Vargas Llosa announces Carla Gloria Colomé as the winner of the first Cátedra Vargas Llosa—Atlas Network Young Journalism Prize
- Mario Vargas Llosa speaks at Atlas Network's Freedom Dinner on Dec. 14, 2021 in Miami, Florida
