PH Ambassador Spotlights Dr. Jose Rizal’s Tagalog Translation of Hans Christen Andersen’s Five Fairy Tales at the National Library of Australia 

Photos: Upper and lower left: The book “Five Fairytales” translated in Tagalog by Dr. Jose Rizal. Right: Ambassador Ma Hellen De La Vega reading the tale “Ang Pangit na Sisiu ng Pato” (The Ugly Duckling) translated by Dr. Rizal. (Photos courtesy of KRI Ladies Canberra Chapter)

CANBERRA 23 May 2024 – In celebration of Philippine Heritage Month, Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen De La Vega joined the Kababaihang Rizalista Inc. Canberra Chapter (KRI) in a reading session at the National Library of Australia of “Five Fairy Tales of Andersen” as translated by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal on 18 May 2024.

The National Library of Australia (NLA) owns a copy of “Five Fairy Tales of Andersen”, a book of five fairytales by Danish literary master Mr. Hans Christian Andersen in the Tagalog language courtesy of Rizal, a known linguist and a celebrated writer and artist. Rizal travelled extensively as a young scholar and his travels influenced his political beliefs and aspirations. 

Mr. Daniel Gleeson, Director of Community Engagement of NLA, guided the group to the Asian section of the library where the book is located. The Ambassador and the KRI took turns in reading the translations of Rizal of their favorite fairytales.

The theme of this year’s National Heritage Month is “Championing Heritage: Capacity Building to Transform Communities”. The celebration honors the labors of Filipino cultural workers and advocates who strive to connect with various indigenous people (IP) communities and help them boost their ingenuity and creativity to the mainstream media.

KRI Ladies took turns in reading the Tagalog translation of the fairytales “Ang Puno ng Pino” (The Fir Tree), “Si Gahinlalaki” (Thumbelina), “Ang Pangit sa Sisiu ng Pato” (The Ugly Duckling), “Ang Sugu” (The Angel) and “Ang Batang Babaing Mai Dalang Sakafuego” (The Little Match Girl). (Canberra PE photos)

From left to right: Ms. Liesl Centenera, Ms. Shirley Lopez, Ms. Marlene Tucker, Mr. Daniel Gleeson, Ambassador Ma. Hellen De La Vega, Ms. Eileen Eugenio, Ms. Emy Liwag, Ms. Loreen Bastan, Ms. Lydia Nichols, Ms. Hazel Aguilar, and Ms. Joann Alvendia at the National Library of Australia. (Canberra PE photos)

For more information, visit https://www.philembassy.org.au or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustralia/.