The Guadeloupe Regional Authority congratulates Rita Indiana, winner of the "Grand Prix Littéraire Région Guadeloupe"
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POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe -- Dominican Republic author Rita Indiana
Hernández was awarded the
Grand Prix Littéraire Région Guadeloupe on
Saturday, April 8, 2017, at the fifth Caribbean Writers Congress hosted by the
Guadeloupe Regional Authority for her novel “
La Mucama de Omicunlé”,
published by Périférica.
Rita Indiana was born in Santo Domingo in 1977. A writer but also
singer-songwriter, she started writing when she was quite young before
developing a passion for music and reinventing the merengue. Her songs lyrics as
well as her novels focus primarily on Caribbean social and ethical issues.
La Mucama de Omicunlé (
Omicunle’s Room Maid) cautions the
reader about the undeniable and inevitable destruction of our world and portrays
a clear picture of what will happen if we do not stop the process of
dehumanization and violence.
While this latest novel retains the Dominican rhythm that characterizes
Indiana, especially through geography, history and linguistic codes, it is also
deeply Caribbean and Latin American.
The
Grand Prix Littéraire Région Guadeloupe is intended to honour
and reward a literary work published in the previous three years in French,
English or Spanish. It is awarded by the members of an international jury
comprising major literary figures and writers from the Caribbean.
For the fifth edition of the Caribbean Writers Congress, four nominees
competed for the Award:
• Olive Sénior, “
The Pain Tree”, (Jamaica), published by Cormorant
Books
• Anthony Phelps, “
Je Veille Incorrigible Féticheur” (Haiti),
published by Bruno Doucey
• Roland Brival, “
Nègre de Personne”
(Martinique), published by Gallimard; and
• Rita Indiana, “
La Mucama de
Omicunlé” (Dominican Republic), published by Périférica
The international jury members were: Andrès Bansart (Venezuela); Earl
Lovelace, president of the Caribbean Writers Association (Trinidad and Tobago);
Camila Valdés (Cuba); Patricia Donatien (Martinique); Lyonel Trouillot (French
language area); Prof. Funso Aiyejina (English language area); and Ariel Camejo
(Spanish language area).
The Caribbean Writers Congress aims to contribute to the cultural development
of Guadeloupe and Caribbean citizens as a whole.
This year’s Grand Prix Littéraire Région Guadeloupe, initiated by the
Association of Writers of the Caribbean, honored the Dominican Republic and a
new generation of writers.