Migrant workers’ prize-winning writing published

2025/01/08

An anthology of works that won the 2024 Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants was released in a ceremony Jan. 5 in Taipei City as part of the government’s efforts to promote the rights and inclusion of migrants.
 
A cooperation between the National Museum of Taiwan Literature in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City and Monomyth Co. Ltd. in Taipei, the ninth edition of the annual collection contains 17 pieces written in Filipino, Indonesian, Myanmar, Thai and Vietnamese.
 
NMTL Director Chen Ying-fang began by recognizing the societal contributions of migrant workers, immigrants and their children. Literary works in their native languages diversify Taiwan’s cultural scene, she said, adding that the annual award and the publication of its associated collection help enhance public awareness of their presence and understanding of their experiences.
 
Monomyth Director Tang Sheng-jung said he began to engage with immigrant issues in 1994 as a journalist, adding that migrants provide a perspective on Taiwan that is unknown to the locals.
 
During the event, first prize winner Chin Nyap Fong, a naturalized citizen from Indonesia, read from her work “Titik Hitam Seorang Rika” (Rika’s Black Spot).[汪莉文1]  She received a cash prize of NT$150,000 (US$4,564) as part of the award.
 
The Vietnamese piece “Sự Sống (Vitality)” by Trần Minh Hợp detailed the life and predicament of undocumented immigrants, while “Ang Pinakamalungkot na Trahedya ng Aking Buhay (The Saddest Tragedy of my Life),” written in Filipino by Marvin Joaquin Alamag of the Philippines, is a dialogue between the author and his own soul about his sexual orientation.
 
The award, organized since 2014 by the NTML, was expanded this year to include migrant workers, immigrants and their children from around the world, with more than 200 submissions received. 


Source:  Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)