Ostana Prize 2026 – Saturday 27

The 18th edition of the “Ostana Prize – Writings in Mother Tongue” continues with Saturday the 27th’s program, which begins in the morning with important events featuring the award winners from around the world.

Saturday 27th

The morning was dedicated to the Historical Linguistic Minorities in Italy Prize, awarded to Vincenzo Bruno (Arbëreshe language), and to the Young Prize, awarded to Sripati Tudu (Santali language)

The first presentation, “At the Roots of the Arbëreshe Word – Theatre and Memory of a Community,” was led by Domenico Morelli, who brought greetings on behalf of the prize winner Vincenzo Bruno, who unfortunately had to cancel his attendance despite having prepared a substantial address. His tutor Morelli promptly stepped in for him, passionately recounting the story of the resistance of Arbëreshe culture and language in Calabria, and the way in which Vincenzo Bruno preserves and nurtures this memory through his work as a teacher, writer, playwright, and cultural organizer.

Next, Teresa Geninatti Chiolero introduced the meeting “Decolonizing Knowledge – A Santali Child Should No Longer Have to Choose Between Ancestral Knowledge and the Future.” The Young Prize Sripati Tudu, visibly moved, spoke with precision and passion about the beauty of this ancient language.

Our languages may sound different to an untrained ear, and our alphabets may look different to the eye. But the heartbeat behind our words is identical. Both Santali and Occitan have survived the immense pressures of history, empires, and globalization because our ancestors refused to let their souls be silenced. We both know what it means to keep one’s language alive through family courtyards, oral poetry, and daily faithfulness, even when the mainstream world pushes us to the margins.

Gianfranco Contri describes himself as “infatuated with the North.” Like many sailors, adventurers, and solitary souls, he searched for his own Ultima Thule and found it here, in the Faroe Islands. He loved these “islands of sheep” — which is what the name means — so much that he stayed for ten years, learned the language, and wrote the first Italian–Faroese dictionary.

(From MigrEr)

“Faroese Fairy Tales – From the Age of the Sagas to Modern Tradition” then introduced the Translation Prize Luca Taglianetti, who for the first time brought to Italy translations of the Norwegian legends of P. Chr. Asbjørnsen (2020) and Andreas Faye (2014), keeping the original spirit of the texts intact and preserving their rhythm, imagery, and natural flow.

Following this, the International Prize André Robèr generously shared his story with us in a talk titled “Li la désot la mèr pou rofé la tèr – He Left His Homeland to Reinvent the World.” A poet, visual artist, and publisher from Réunion Island, committed to promoting the Creole language and culture, Robèr is a truly multifaceted artist who has worked on many different levels. A libertarian activist, he has devoted his artistic and editorial work to defending minority languages, cultural plurality, and oppressed peoples. Through his work, he has brought international visibility to the poetry of Réunion, fostering dialogue between cultures and freedom of expression.

Music Prize Juan Mari Beltrán Argiñena arrived by car together with Fernando and Julio from the Basque Country, bringing with them a great many different instruments to guide us through a journey into the ancient sounds of their land. Txalaparta, Tronpa, Alboka… down to hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes. There’s no Basque instrument that escapes from Juan Mari’s knowledge . He plays with passion and preserves them in his documentation center, Soinuenea, Herri Musikaren Txokoa, located in Oiartzun. When asked what he thinks about traditional Basque music, he answers that what he loves is “inventing, experimenting, finding something new. Living, together with music.”

Sunday 28 ➡️