(UCAN): A legendary Japanese animator, a veteran Vietnamese doctor, an Indonesian eco-warrior, a Thai doctors’ group advocating rural healthcare, and a Bhutanese documenting his nation’s intangible culture, have won the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Award.
The board of trustees of the Manila-based awards named the winners on August 31, the foundation said on its website.
Among the awardees, Hayao Miyazaki, legendary 83-year-old animator and co-founder of the famed Studio Ghibli, was honoured for his “lifelong commitment to the use of art, specifically animation.”
Miyazaki has used animation to “illuminate the human condition,” the foundation pointed out while lauding “his devotion to children as the torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own.”
Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985, which produced many animated feature films that have gained worldwide popularity and acceptance. The Boy and the Heron [2023] received the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, making it the second Oscar win for Miyazaki after Spirited Away [2001].
Miyazaki has used animation to ‘illuminate the human condition,’ the foundation pointed out while lauding “his devotion to children as the torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own
The foundation noted that Miyazaki tackled “complicated issues, using his art to make them comprehensible to children, whether it be about protecting the environment, advocating for peace, or championing the rights and roles of women in society.”
Praising his handling of issues deemed controversial in traditional Japanese society like a “good teacher,” the foundation pointed out that Miyazaki “educates by entertaining.”
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, who became a doctor during the Vietnamese War dedicated her life to uncovering the truth about Agent Orange, used by the US military during the conflict.
Nguyen has been seeking justice for victims and aiding the afflicted through her research and work with the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.
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She has also taken up the cause of Agent Orange victims with the American Public Health Association, among other forums, and has supported legal action to seek compensation from chemical companies.
The foundation pointed out that Nguyen’s work “serves as a dire warning for the world to avoid war at all costs as its tragic repercussions can reach far into the future.”
Thailand’s Rural Doctors Movement, consisting of the Rural Doctor Society [RDS] and the Rural Doctor Foundation [RDF], emerged as a unified force of Thai doctors
The foundation also lauded her as “not only a woman and physician of extraordinary dedication and talent, but also the spirit of public service and the message of hope she continues to propagate among her people.”
Farwiza Farhan founded the Forest Nature and Environment of Aceh Foundation [HAkA] dedicated to protecting, preserving, and restoring the Leuser Ecosystem located in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
The forest covers more than 2.6 million hectares and has been ravaged by deforestation, infrastructure, commercialization, and weak law enforcement.
Through HAkA, Farhan gave women paralegal and citizen-journalism training and organised women-led ranger groups that patrol forest areas to monitor poaching and illegal logging.
Through training, education, and involvement of locals, Farhan managed to bring a sea change in people’s attitudes towards illegal logging and deforestation.
Karma Phuntsho from Bhutan played a key role in preserving Bhutan’s cultural traditions.
Phuntsho founded the Loden Foundation in 1999 which has documented 3,348 hours of intangible culture, digitised 4.55 million pages of texts, captured 150,000 images of art and artifacts, and supported 61 cultural projects.
Loden also prioritises social value and ethical business practices to promote a caring economy.
Thailand’s Rural Doctors Movement, consisting of the Rural Doctor Society [RDS] and the Rural Doctor Foundation [RDF], emerged as a unified force of Thai doctors.
They advocate for healthcare in rural areas. The RDS operates informally, while the RDF is a formal NGO of doctors in public hospitals.
