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In connection with the Chilean contribution to the worldwide celebrations of the 2005 bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen Iván Zamorano was Tuesday appointed Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador at a press conference at Ciudad Deportiva (Sports City) in Santiago, Chile. The appointment was attended by the entire Chilean press.

The Chilean Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary events were presented at the press conference, which was presided over by the First Lady of Chile, Mrs Luisa Durán de Lagos. The press conference was hosted by the Royal Danish Embassy in Chile in association with the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation.

At the press conference, the First Lady of Chile, Mrs Luisa Durán de Lagos, was presented with the official Hans Christian Andersen pin and an honorary Hans Christian Andersen diploma. Mrs. Luisa Durán de Lagos was appointed Honorary Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador at a ceremony held at Hofteateret in Copenhagen on 26 January 2004. Unfortunately, Mrs Luisa Durán de Lagos was unable to attend the ceremony but was yesterday present in person to receive the ambassadorial insignia from Danish Ambassador to Chile Anita Hugau.

Earlier this year, author Isabel Allende was also appointed Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador. Soccer player Iván Zamorano will therefore join the ranks of an illustrious Ambassadorial corps. In his words: "Who hasn"t read The Ugly Duckling and found wisdom in it - a wisdom that may be given new meaning over time; one that may help you counter difficulties and bring the best out of you."

The Chilean Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors are set to promote the wider awareness and appreciation of Hans Christian Andersen in Chile and the world. Furthermore, the Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadors will represent the HCA-abc Foundation, which is a humanitarian foundation established in the name of Hans Christian Andersen set to address illiteracy worldwide.

Apart from his professional career as a soccer player, Iván Zamorano has also shown great commitment to promoting the rights of children through his work for UNICEF and through his own foundation, Fundación Iván Zamorano, which seeks to improve conditions for children from social deprived areas. This is why Iván Zamorano sees his appointment as Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador as "one of life"s gifts which grants you the privilege of spending time with one of our greatest treasures - children."

The Danish Ambassador to Chile, Anita Hugau, hosted the press conference, which also featured musical entertainment and readings of works by Hans Christian Andersen and Pablo Neruda presented by actor Luis Vera.

FACTS

Presentation of the 2005
Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary in Chile
Date: Tuesday 26 October 2004
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Ciudad Deportiva
Avenida Padre Hurtado Sur 2650
Las Condes, Santiago, Chile

Facts about the Andersen bicentenary projects in Chile

The Royal Danish Embassy in Santiago will be pivotal in the organising of a number of activities in Chile in relation to the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen. The activities will be coordinated with ministerial offices, NGOs, and private institutions. The activities mentioned below are slated for 2005. The embassy aims to reach as wide a spectre of the Chilean public as possible and to embrace diverse activities, ranging from official events at ministerial level to local activities in socially depraved areas. 

Book project:
In association with the Cultural Department of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a publication will be issued that unites the works of the Chilean Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda and those of Hans Christian Andersen in a book entitled The Book of Questions Andersen-Neruda. A Danish Hans Christian Andersen scholar has sought questions in The Book of Questions by Neruda and found answers to Neruda's existential questions in the works of Hans Christian Andersen. The book will be illustrated by Danish and Chilean artists and will be published in both Danish and Spanish. The publication is scheduled for early April 2005 and has been sponsored by the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation.

Hans Christian Andersen at Chile's largest book fair.
Several of the activities scheduled during Chile's largest book fair in November 2005 have been organised in collaboration with the book fair itself. In partnership with other Nordic countries, a Nordic stand will be established featuring Hans Christian Andersen as the common theme with Spanish-language editions of Andersen's work. The book fair will also feature an international Hans Christian Andersen exhibition. The director of the NGO project The Children's Book Library Project in Chile will hold a talk on Danish children's literature from the days of Hans Christian Andersen to the present.

Press campaign for Hans Christian Andersen:
The Royal Danish Embassy plans a six-page supplement to one of Chile's largest newspapers featuring articles on Hans Christian Andersen, the Andersen bicentenary, and Denmark in general. All government offices and private as well as public companies subscribe to the newspaper, which has a substantial circulation. The supplement will be issued in April 2005 and will later be used for other activities.

Education:
In collaboration with the Chilean Ministry of Education, a nationwide illustration and essay competition will be hosted at municipal schools on the subject of the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen. The project is organised by the Chilean Ministry of Education. The competition will draw on educational resources made available on the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation website. Furthermore, the magazine issued by the Chilean Ministry of Education to all teachers will feature three interviews with public figures, among them an interview with the First Lady of Chile and Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador Mrs Luisa Durán on the subject of the influence of Andersen in her upbringing.

Children's Theatre performance of Andersen fairytales:
The Nordic NGO project The Children's Book Library Project, based in the port town of Valparaiso, in association with a local school in a socially deprived area will stage a performance of Andersen's fairytale It's Quite True with children as performing actors. The library will also organise readings of Andersen's fairytales for children in the neighbourhood on a regular basis.

International Hans Christian Andersen exhibition in Chile:
An international touring exhibition will be featured, which has been organised by the Odense City Museums in collaboration with the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation. The exhibition relates the life of Hans Christian Andersen through photographs and documentation and is scheduled to visit Chile between September and December 2005. It will be featured at the National Library and at the book fair in November 2005. Additional exhibition venues are to be scheduled in association with the Chilean National Agency for Libraries and Museums.

Performance of Symphonic Fairytales:
The Chilean Youth Orchestra, which the First Lady of Chile and Hans Christian Andersen Ambassador Mrs Luisa Durán de Lagos is patron of, will perform one of the Symphonic Fairytales. The world premiere of the symphony is set to take place as part of the opening of the Andersen bicentenary in Chile in early April. The orchestra will then perform the symphony at different venues nationwide.

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