Somali poet and playwright Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame better known as Hadrawi.
Africa Review
Saturday, April 20, 2013
The Dutch ambassador to Somalia, Mr Joost Reintjes, on Wednesday
presented Somali poet and playwright Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame - better
known as Hadrawi - with the Prince Claus award.
The prize is one of the highest offered by the Netherlands monarchy.
The occasion that took place at the Ambassador
Hotel in Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared Republic of
Somaliland, attracted politicians, expatriates, artistic personalities
and members of the public.
Mr Reintjes explained that a five-member panel of
independent experts from different countries representing a broad range
of disciplines select the recipients.
The Prince Claus carries a $25,000 prize.
“The committee selected Mr Hadrawi for his contribution to arts,” said the Dutch ambassador before an enthusiastic crowd.
“In a span of nearly half a century, poet Hadrawi
composed more than 200 poems and artworks plus tens of popular plays,”
noted one of the participants.
The previous day, on Tuesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud had welcomed the new ambassador from the Netherlands.