The Cuban Minister of the Culture, Abel Prieto, has inaugurated the Worldwide Travel of XXIV Nosside International Poetry Prize 2008 during the event that has taken place at the Book Fair of Havana for the tenth time. He started with appreciating the courage and the perseverance of the founder President of the Prize, Pasquale Amato.

The Minister has asserted: “Organizing a Contest for unpublished works opened to all the languages of the world, including those at the risk of disappearing - the indigenous and minority ones - is a great act of courage in this more and more commercialized world, where the business dealings surpass everything. I have appreciated a lot the opportunities that Nosside offers to the poetic voices of indigenous peoples as that of Morela who writes in Kari’ña language of Amazonian Venezuela. Thanks to the Nosside for defending a great cultural heritage and for its friendship with Cuba. My most sincere congratulations”.   

   The President of the Prize, Pasquale Amato, stated that the Book Fair had represented the door for the Project’s expansion in America from 1999.  He also awarded Plaques of recognition to the Minister Abel Prieto, to the Cuban Book Institute and Book Chamber as well as to Edel Morales.

“There wouldn’t be a better way to begin the great travel of Nosside 2008 from  Reggio Calabria (Southern Italy) to the world – stated Amato - a travel that will traverse different European and American cities, such as Ciudad de México, Rome, New York, Moscow, Sao Paulo and Brasilia”  .  

Representing the Prize and making statements together with president Amato there have been the Secretary for Latin America , Mariela Johnson Salfrán and the Nosside Ambassador,  Luis Carlos Suarez; Statements have been also made by the Cultural Attaché of the Italian Embassy in Cuba - Giuseppina Rastelli; by the local Councillor of the city of Reggio Calabria - Amedeo Canale; by the President of the Cuban Book Institute Iroel Sánchez and the Vice-president Edel Morales in representation of the Organizing Committee of the Book Fair.

Some winning poetesses of the Nosside 2007 have also taken part at the event. They were: Morela del Valle Poyo Maneyro from Venezuela, one of the winners of the last edition that presented a poetry in Amazonian kari’ña language; Diorkys Osa Peralo from Cuba, a special mentioned poetess, as well as  other six Cuban  participants that received mentions and accolades in the 2007 edition of Nosside.           

The prof. Amato has presented the XXIV Edition of the Nosside Prize, illustrating the confirmations and the novelties of the new edition. He has confirmed the essential lines of the Project: 1 - the preference for unpublished works; 2 – the system of selection -  guarantor of the total impartiality of the International Jury; 3 – two strategic identities of the Prize:  the opening to all the languages of the world, with five official languages of the prize (Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French) and to all the forms of expression (Written, Video and Musical poetries); 4 – the Project’s Website  www.nosside.com ; 5 – Institutional and private sector partners .

The novelties: 1 - “Nosside 2008 travel from Reggio Calabria to the world” started in Havana. In practice, Nosside “is meeting” poets, peoples, languages and cultures throughout Europe and America. The overall winners of past editions of the Prize, called Nosside Ambassadors, are engaged in the prize presentations that are taking place on different destinations of Nosside travel; 2 - “Nosside International Lifetime Achievement Prizes” - awarded to personalities of great success that through their artistic career have exalted the strategic identities of the Project; 3 – “Nosside 2008” Anthology - multilingual and multimedia (book+DVD) for the first time.

The Entries are accepted from February 5 to the June 30. One can participate presenting three written poetries with no restrictions as to subject matter, and/or one video poetry and/or one musical poetry (song). The Jury will appoint Five Winners, Six Special mentions and 10 or more Mentions. The Overall Winner, appointed by the Chairmanship of the Prize among  5 Winners, will be awarded 2000 €uros, the Nosside Plaque by Boccioni worked out by Gerardo Sacco as well as the  publication of the poetries in the Anthology. Each of 4 Winners will be given 1000 €uros and each of 6 Special Mentions 500 €uro, the Nosside Plaque and the publication of 1 poetry in the Nosside Anthology.

The winners of the XXIV Edition of the Contest will be the protagonists of the second phase of the project, called “With Nosside from the World to Reggio Calabria”. Poets from different parts of Italy and the world will come to Reggio Calabria in order to participate at the Prizegiving Event that will take place in the Palazzo Campanella on November 28. The event will be followed by a Study Seminar in the University of Messina, November 29 as well as by a Recital of the winning poets in Rome, December 1.