The Hon. Professor Rex Nettleford
Vice Chancellor,
University of the West Indies
Mona Campus
Kingston 7

Dear Professor Nettleford

Monday, July 12th 2004 marks the centenary of the birth of Poet and Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, the late Pablo neruda, one of the most important exponents of
literature in the Americas.

In paying due homage and tribute to this outstanding Chilean, and by extension to
all men and women involved in the arts and literature, the President of Chile, His
Excellency Ricardo Lagos Escobar, has established the Commemorative Medal of the

Centenary of the Birth of Pablo Neruda for this occasion. The medal will be bestowed upon a limited and selective number of outstanding international personalities who have a achieved international recognition in their respective fields. One nominee was chosen for the Caribbean region.

On behalf of my Government and His excellency the President of the Republic of Chile, I am highly honoured to announce that you have been awarded the Medal of the Centenary of Pablo Neruda as an outstanding academic of Jamaica and the Caribbean community.

In order to carry out this objective, please allow me to propose a formal ceremony on July 12th at 11:30 am at the residence of the Embassy of Chile at which time the medal will be officially presented and poems from the Poet Neruda will be read in both speech regarding your views on Neruda’s life and work.

In anticipation of your gracious acceptance, I await your cordial response.

Alfonso Silva
Ambassador of Chile