Paris, October 30 {No.99-235} - UNESCO has awarded the International Jose Martí Prize to the painter Oswaldo Guayasamín who died recently. The Prize will be presented on November 4 by Director-General Federico Mayor at Organization Headquarters (Room XII, 6.30 p.m.) to the daughter of the artist, Verenice Guyasam*n, and Honourable Mentions will be awarded to Milagros Palma Guzmán and to Professor Georges Anglade.

The Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín, who was born in 1919 and died in March this year, is renowned for his work depicting the Indian tragedy and the sufferings of the peoples of Latin America. He died before completing his monumental project the "Chapel of Mankind".

Milagros Palma Guzmán, of Nicaraguan origin, is a woman of letters and researcher specialising in the sexual symbolism of the oral literature of Amazonian Indians and Latin-American farmers. She is committed to building a bridge between Latin America and France through the creation of a publishing company.

Haitian born Georges Anglade, who is a university professor in Quebec (Canada), divides his time between teaching and writing. He has just published a book on Haitian oral tradition, the Lodyans.

The International Jose Martí Prize was created by UNESCO's Executive Board in 1994 at Cuba's initiative to promote and reward an activity of outstanding merit contributing to the unity and integration of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to the preservation of their identities, cultural traditions and historical values. The laureate receives the sum of US$ 5,000 and a diploma. The International Jose Martí Prize is awarded every two years. The first laureate was Professor Albert Bautista in 1995. No prize was given in 1997.