It seems they managed without me. For some years now the witch has been, if not present at the ceremony itself, at least been in the country for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award ceremony at Skansen in Stockholm. It took place yesterday, and if this post seems a tad late in the day for me, it’s because it’s not been all that easy to find pictures and things. Next year they really will have to ask me there, all expenses paid.
Sorry, time to get serious. Because this picture here
shows what the Tamer Institute does these days. After the recent war with Israel, no books are allowed into Palestine at all. So they photocopy what they have. And these grateful people reckon the prize money will keep them going for ten years. It makes you think, doesn’t it?
So from the picture above to the picture below, with representatives from Palestine with Crown princess Victoria at Skansen on yet another lovely summer evening.
I’ll just go and wipe the tears of pride now.
Can authors go to Palestine? Or am I being hopelessly naive? Why don’t we, your readers, o mighty Bookwitch, get together and send ourselves over there, and go do some events in the camps?
Or if that isn’t possible, how about we set up an email correspondence with the Tamer institute and send them some virtual books and work in progress drawings and assorted things of interest to children? Downloadable content is what I’m talking about.
Or has this already been done?
I should have known you’d have good ideas, Debi. I don’t know the answer, but have contacted ALMA to see if anyone knows or knows someone who does.
Downloadable books sound perfect.
I remember another Palestinian in Gothenburg, who was on a panel on libraries with, among others, Jacqueline Wilson. The rich Europeans worried about details, whereas this woman simply pointed out that Palestine didn’t have the luxury to do so, as they had virtually no libraries to begin with.
Perspective.