Getting ready for World Ocean Day

As we approach World Ocean Day 2018 and local celebrations by Mundus maris and its partners in several countries, the ocean stories - in writing and moving pictures have come in. They responded to the invitation to participate in the contest for Mundus maris Awards. So we are happy to present international jury who brings an interesting mix of professional, cultural and age perspectives to the task of selecting the best submissions under this year's motto "An Ocean without Plastic".

Chantal Abord-Hugon

has worked for more than 30 years in project management and coordination and is currently the coordinator of the Global Strategy for Arts and Culture. This ambitious social project puts arts and culture at the service of the sustainable development of the Acadian community in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, and is based on collaboration with various sectors of society.

She was previously responsible for setting up and running a public engagement programme linking local and international development issues. She has worked particularly with women in coastal communities in Canada and internationally as facitlitator in organising and planning development strategies.

Chantal served already 2017 on the international jury.

 
 

Aminata Ba

is a Gender Specialist; she works in International Development. Before that, she worked more than 10 years in Senegal as a national officer. She holds an Advanced Master Degree in Microfinance and a Master Degree in Population & Development from the “Université Libre de Bruxelles”.

Aminata is passionate in how to bring more opportunities for women and girls, particularly for the most excluded.

Anna Balzerini

is a Geologist from the University of Turin, Italy, with a specialisation in Environmental and Applied Geology; working in Belgium since 1992; expertise in science communication, environment sustainability and natural resources preservation.

Anna served already on the international jury in 2017.

 

  
 

Thierno Diouf

is Programme manager at Brussels Regional Public Service with higher education as a Geographer with a specialisation in integrated water resources management and geomatics. Thierno was already a member of the international jury in 2017.

He taught several years geography and environment study and is very interested in environmental education.

 

Christine Knauff

is Director of STARTER. She says: "After many years of work in the theatre, since 2005, I've been building STARTER, Berlin Actors School for Film and Television with colleagues whom I trust professionally and personally. www.starter-schauspielschule.de

My concern is a realistic preparation of young people for the daily work of actors. At the same time, those involved should intensely search, argue and learn. The confrontation and combination of different acting techniques and approaches is very important to me.

Honest, intensive communication, the direct encounter, the acceptance, exploration and use of all means available to people as a means of expression, is of central importance to me, especially in times of digitisation."

  

Kamel Labibes, PhD

is Founder of Ayam Sailing Europe (ASE), an international association involved in youth mobility and the protection of the marine environment. In 2008, the President of the Italian Republic granted his High Patronage to one of the projects of the association.

Kamel holds a PhD in engineering and is author of four patents. He is the initiator of the "Pedagogical Sailboat" concept, a multidisciplinary tool that links research, teaching and sailing in activities aiming at the protection of the sea and in general the marine environment.
 

Doudou Ndiaye

is Principal School Teacher of exceptional class. He is a manager in service at the Middle Education College Abdoulaye Sadji (Cemas) in Rufisque, Senegal.

Doudou is President and founding member of the Training Centers for Active Education Methods (Ceméa) in Rufisque. He has a particular interest in teaching, sport and interculturality, but also for general awareness of the environment. His interest in sport has allowed him to integrate the practice of sport and the conservation of the environment through activities combining sport and nature. He is actively involved in the professionalisation of the Basic Community Organisations (BCOs).

The Ceméa represents a vast and diverse movement of educators, who work for an education where each child, adolescent, adult, is aware of the world around him or her, appropriates it, makes it evolve, modifies it in a perspective of individual, collective and social progress.

Doudou has already served in the international jury in 2016.

 

Bolaji Ojurongbe

teaches English and Literature-in-English. He has taught in many leading private schools and tutorials. He studied English Education in Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos. He is a poet, short story writer and an essayist. He loves writing about women-related issues and picturing pastoral setting in his work. He has written many yet-to-be-published works. He wishes to use his works to correct some views about women and to appeal to people to embrace nature.

To his credit are ‘My Love’ published by PenAstory, ‘Be Happy’ published by both Nantygreens and Bravearts. His short story titled 'The Dead Rose' is running in a competition.

Mariella C. Remund

Distinguished Professor at CETYS University, Mexico and Guest Professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, China. She lived and worked as Executive for an American Multinational company in Europe, USA, Argentina, Mexico and China.

Since 2008 she is co-founder, co-owner and Chief Curator of a private Art Museum in Germany dedicated to the work and life of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. In 2012 the Museum has been recognized by the Secretary of Culture in Mexico as one of the two cultural institutions that best represent Mexico in Germany.

She lives and works in Beijing since 2003.

Publications: about cultural, social and sustainable entrepreneurship, she developed the entrepreneurship model at the intersection of art, science and business. Latest publication: the cultural book: "The Dragon and the Eagle”, 2017, which shows how similar the Chinese and Mexican cultures are. The photos from the book will be shown in an art exhibition at the Mexican Embassy in Beijing in June 2018.

  

Stefanie Schwimmbeck

has been working freelance as a contemporary dancer, dance teacher and choreographer for and with children and adolescents since her studies at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne.
 
She works in Germany and abroad. In various youth dance projects of her own she tries to sensitise the participants about the handling of water and other resources.

For several years, she has been intensively involved in waste-free living and organising garbage collection campaigns on the River Rhine.

Claudia Wosnitza Mendo, PhD

is a German Scientist working since 1978 with the Peruvian Marine Institute (IMARPE). During the last years before retirement she was an advisor to the Scientific Director of IMARPE. Her main field of investigation is related to fisheries issues, introducing fish population dynamics courses in the curricula of various Peruvian universities and doing research for sustainability and fisheries management. Ultimately she also entered the field of Climate Change impact on fisheries.

Among others, she collaborated for some years (2005-2008) with INCOFISH, an international research collaboration, a Star Project sponsored by European Union, and more recently published a reconstruction of Peru's real fisheries catches.

Claudia has already served on the international jury last year.
 

Maria del Carmen Patricia Morales (PhD)

is the Mundus maris Board member supporting and coordinating the work of the international Jury for text and illustrated submissions to the Mundus maris Awards contest 2018.