A break in my blogging hiatus just to share the good news that Yoani Sánchez, the blogger behind "Generación Y", has won the Maria Moors Cabot award issued by Columbia University.
This is one of the highest recognitions in journalism's arena - not that I am very convinced of the good health of journalism in this country AT ALL, but that's a story for another post.
However, any recognition to her or to any other independent blogger and/or journalist in the island it DOES make a huge difference. Too bad The Miami Herald has only a snippet and it is linking directly to the Huffington Post. El Nuevo Herald just posted the story in Spanish and Penúltimos Días has a good summary on it.
The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas has a news blog covering the awards, and a link roll of their own coverage of Yoani's work, including an interview with her.
Last year, Yoani was included in the Times Magazine's most influential 100 people and received the award Ortega y Gasset, the top recognition to journalists in the Spanish media.
So far, the Cuban government has held her hostage and has never issued her the exit permit needed to travel abroad to receive any of the recognitions. Slaves need authorization to leave their modern XXI century plantation - and have to pay for it in dollars - remember?
It seems Yoani is like the little and cumbersome stone in the regime's shoe, thus, as she said, these recognitions are another protection to her integrity. Because, let's face it, with castro's thugs, you never know...
Go there. Read her posts.
Learn about how is it to be a Cuban, living in Cuba, after 50 years of involution.
Thanks to the work of many people all over the world, her work is being posted in several languages. It's called Generación Y.
1 comment:
That's awesone.
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