ILGCN: September 2023

Stockholm - A Spanish/English-language rainbow event took place on September 15 at the Cervantes Institute in the Swedish capital, with award ceremonies to Spainish artists, music and song from Argentine, film and poetry -- hosted by Tupilak (Nordic rainbow culture workers) and the ILGCN (international rainbow culture network.)

Award diplomas presented via Zoom went to gay artists, Javier Tremis Sempere of Spain -- receiving the double diploma the "Orfeo Imago" (named after the ancient Greek musician proud of his male lovers) for outstanding LGBT art work and also inclunding fine art portraying the elderly -- the "Elli's Rainbow" (named after the Viking goddess of age).

The motivation was:--- for outstanding art work often centered around the naked human male figure in erotic and sensual form – both the young and muscular and the elderly faces filled with power, wisdom and determination.

…. and for confirming that art work today and over the centuries has been a powerful weapon against homophobia, intolerance, invisibility as a crucial part of the struggle for LGBT rights and identity.

The other award diploma going to Manolo Yanes of Spain -- also a double diploma both the "Orfeo Imago" for outstanding rainbow art work and the "Clio and her Silver Cup" (named after the ancient Greek muse of historical poetry and the 2,000-year old Greco-Romano silver drinking cup portraying copulating male couples).

The motivation was: for outstanding art work often centered around the naked human male figure in erotic and sensual form. And for confirming that art work today and over the centuries has been a powerful weapon against homophobia, intolerance, invisibility as a crucial part of the struggle for LGBT rights and identity.

…. and for lifting up from the often obscure history of the ancient Greek lovers and heroes and their male lovers, illustrating that despite the obligations of the anciet world to have wives and children, the real passion for these heroes, legends and gods was for their male lovers.

United Nations film, music, poetry

The event also included music and song from the Argentine duo, Carpusa Tango -- Marysol del Pablo and Julietta Brissi , also earlier receiver of the Tupilak/ ILGCN "Orfeo Musica" award and ILGCN Secretariats for Latin American with the Cubans. Also, the poetry in Spanish by Tupilak's "house poet" Tomas Åberg, and a film from the United Nations LGBT series of films "Free and Equal" with a world-wide portraying LGBT activiists in "Why We Fight" -- with a reminder than only a few years ago, the United Nations and all its committees refused to support LGBT rights since they were not mentioned in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Concluding words from the Cervantes didretor, Juan Carlos Vidal Garcia expressed a strong fiendship for Tupilak and the ILGCN and a desire to see future co-operation and joint events.

Bill Schiller of Tupilak and the ILGCN is suggesting that a future event at Cervantes could be a tribute to the prisoners

of the gay concentration camp Tefía -- set up by Franco on the island of Fuerteventura, 10 years after Auschwitz was liberated with the words "never again!".

more information: bill@tupilak.org