University authorities recognize UdeC scholars awarded the 2025 Concepción Municipal Prizes

The meeting, led by Rector Carlos Saavedra Rubilar, aimed to acknowledge the contribution to knowledge and the excellent work of academics Francisco Huichaqueo and Gastón Salamanca.

A recognition meeting headed by Rector Dr. Carlos Saavedra Rubilar brought together this morning, at the Casa Enrique Molina, academics Francisco Huichaqueo Pérez and Dr. Gastón Salamanca Gutiérrez from the Faculty of Humanities and Arts of the University of Concepción, who received the 2025 Municipal Prizes in the categories of Arts and Social Sciences, respectively.

The scholars received their awards in a public ceremony, part of the celebration program for the 475th anniversary of the city of Concepción.

The meeting sought to recognize the excellence of both researchers’ work and their contributions to strengthening UdeC’s connection with the community of Concepción and the wider region.

Also attending were Vice-Rector Dr. Paulina Rincón González; Chief of Staff Violeta Montero Barriga; and the Dean of Humanities and Arts, Dr. Alejandro Bancalari Molina.

In a relaxed conversation, the academics shared the motivations behind their work and what it means for them to be recognized by the city in which they have built their careers. Municipal Prizes for territorial impact On the occasion, Rector Saavedra expressed the University’s satisfaction with the distinction granted by the municipality to two members of its academic community.

“It is a recognition of two disciplines and contributions with very deep local roots, but that also have global impact,” said the university authority.

“They are two career paths that contribute to the generation of knowledge with territorial impact from a linguistic perspective (in the case of Dr. Salamanca) and a cinematographic one (with Francisco Huichaqueo),” he added.

In the same vein, Dr. Bancalari noted that both academics are pioneers and leading figures in their fields.

“The work of Dr. Salamanca, in Mapuche and Romani languages, and that of Professor Huichaqueo, in film, stand out for their impact and productivity. The merit is fundamentally theirs. As a Faculty, we are very pleased to receive these awards,” the academic stated.

The awardees thanked the meeting with the authorities and shared reflections on the meaning they have given to their work within their disciplinary areas. Art and healing

Francisco Huichaqueo (Department of Visual Arts), who holds a Master’s degree in Documentary Filmmaking, has linked his work in film and visual arts to the preservation of the identity of the Mapuche people—of which he is a member—as well as to safeguarding their historical memory.

Huichaqueo explained that his audiovisual work has a social, reparative, and healing focus. “I use film as a mechanism for empathy, to create dialogue with the community, with society—and by this I mean Chileans and Mapuche without separations, but as inhabitants of the territory and its diversities,” he said.

His goal, he added, is to develop cultural and educational initiatives, through testimonies and narratives, that contribute to strengthening human rights, linguistic rights, and also to healing.

“Through these disciplines we can help heal, for example, wounds. That’s what I mean when I speak of art and healing,” explained the academic, who also expressed pride in representing, through his award, “the University and also the Mapuche world that I carry in my lineage.”

Uplifting minorities Dr. Salamanca (Department of Spanish) is a specialist in Speech Sciences, from which he studies the socio-phonetic variations of Spanish spoken in Chile, and he has extensive research experience in minority languages such as Mapudungun and Romani.

He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to meet with university authorities and his colleague in the Faculty, with whom he shares closely aligned perspectives regarding minority groups in society.

“It has been a privilege to be part of this meeting, where we saw that there is great harmony between our work,” he said.

According to the academic, the Municipal Award for his research reinforces the importance of reclaiming minoritized cultures and languages, such as Mapuche and Romani.

“I am proud to contribute to the visibility of these two languages and two cultures, and it is something that also brings me a great sense of responsibility, because ultimately I am talking about people. In a way, there is a kind of representation involved, which I want to carry out in the best possible way,” he commented. His plans now are to continue strengthening this work and the interaction with both groups.