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MEDIA ENQUIRIES
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Hilde of the Jungfrau
Grindelwald, Switzerland
HUMAN AGENCY. POWER. RESPONSIBILITY. AND AI.
Human agency carries responsibility on both sides: Hilde must not surrender her will in the face of power, while those developing and financing powerful technology must not hide in the shadows and surrender responsibility for the choices they make.
At the heart of Hilde of the Jungfrau – The Eismeer Diamond, Part One is a contemporary tension: the race towards AI superintelligence is initially presented as a threat — not because the technology itself is inherently the enemy, but because of the choices, methods and ambitions of the people driving its development.
The question is not simply how powerful AI may become.
It is whether human beings continue to exercise judgement, moral agency and responsibility as that power grows.
SELF-DISCOVERY THROUGH ADVENTURE AND MYSTERY
Hilde of the Jungfrau –is a new illustrated adventure for young people, created in Grindelwald beneath the Eiger and set across the real landscape of Switzerland’s Jungfrau region. The The Eismeer Diamond, Part One is the first graphic novel in the series.
At its centre is Hilde, a fourteen-year-old girl drawn into a mystery buried deep beneath the mountains. As she searches for answers about the Eismeer Diamond, she begins a more personal journey: discovering her magical birth story, who she is, where she belongs and what she is prepared to stand for.
Opposing her is M.E.T.I.S. Inc., a powerful international technology company pursuing the Diamond as part of its race towards AI superintelligence.
For Hilde, agency means refusing to become passive in the face of forces more powerful than herself. Born a Green Milk River child, she carries and wrestles with the weight of expecation. Circumstances beyond her control gradually bring a moment of decision ever closer where she must be the one to choose, act and accept responsibility for what follows.
For those pursuing superintelligence, agency means something equally demanding: recognising that ambition, investment and technological capability do not remove human responsibility for the decisions made along the way.
The mountains have chosen. Hilde must decide.
WHY THIS STORY NOW
Young people and adults are increasingly exposed to the silence of algorithms. Like a farmer herds his sheep into the fold, what we watch, buy, believe and choose is being influenced by the impersonal hand of artificial intelligence — while governments, investors, entrepreneurs, and technology companies race towards the holy grail of super intelligence.
Hilde of the Jungfrau explores agency from both directions.
It asks what happens when we begin to surrender too much of our own judgement — and what responsibilities sit with the people developing, directing and financing technologies capable of shaping the choices of others and the future of humanity.
The series deliberately avoids a simple “technology bad, nature good” argument.
Instead, it asks:
When technology offers humanity greater power, are we also prepared to accept greater responsibility for how that power is pursued, used, and governed?
Around this contemporary tension is a classic coming-of-age story of mystery, adventure, friendship, identity, belonging and self-discovery.
A LOCAL WORLD WITH GLOBAL REACH
ts mountains, glaciers, villages, history and legends are part of the narrative itself. The environment, traditions, myths, beliefs, and people shape the story and offer a place to belong.
But the ideas are universal.
As the series develops, Hilde’s international circle of friends and pen pals expands the story beyond Switzerland, connecting her world with young people, cultures and locations elsewhere.
The ambition is a local-global story world: born in one extraordinary place, but exploring questions relevant to young people everywhere.
STORIES & INTERVIEW THEME
We welcome enquiries from journalists, editors, bloggers, producers, podcast hosts and researchers interested in the book and the wider ideas behind it.
YOUTH, AI & HUMAN AGENCY
How do we help young people retain judgement, initiative and the confidence to make choices for themselves in a world increasingly mediated by algorithms?
POWER, AMBITION & RESPONSIBILITY
What responsibilities belong to the founders, investors, executives and institutions deciding how quickly — and by what means — increasingly powerful technology should be developed?
SELF-DISCOVERY THROUGH ADVENTURE
Hilde’s journey is not simply about solving a mystery. Adventure forces her to act, confront uncertainty, make decisions and discover capabilities she did not know she possessed.
FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY
What does freedom mean without responsibility? For Hilde — and for the people building the technologies that may shape her future — freedom to act also brings responsibility for consequences.
MOUNTAINS, AWE & THE REAL WORLD
The mountains demand awareness, humility and judgement — but they also inspire awe, wonder, love and respect.
For Hilde, the natural world is not simply a backdrop for adventure. It is something we are connected to, dependent upon and responsible for.
What can the mountains teach young people about agency, belonging and responsibility — and about our place within a world larger than ourselves?
A NEW SWISS HEROINE?
Switzerland gave the world Heidi. Now a new generation meets Hilde — a young heroine shaped by the mountains, connected with the world, and facing issues of a very different age and the critical questions it is asking.
Why create a contemporary young heroine rooted in the Alps — and can a character born in Grindelwald speak to young people internationally?
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR /ILLUSTRATOR
AUTHOR
Nigel Majakari is a British author, artist and entrepreneur living beneath the North Face of the Eiger in Grindelwald, Switzerland.
His work has taken him from engaging with street-gang leaders in inner London, to working with international government leaders and the United Nations, and later to pioneering impact-investment support for women entrepreneurs and artisans in underserved communities in India and around the world.
Across those very different environments, one question kept returning: what enables people to recognise that they have agency — and to accept responsibility for how they use it?
A father of three daughters, Nigel created Hilde of the Jungfrau to explore that question through story, combining the landscape and legends of the Jungfrau with adventure, mystery, self-discovery and the challenge of choosing well in a world increasingly shaped by powerful technology.
He is available for media and TV interviews, panels, and podcast conversations.
ILLUSTRATOR
Stefano Buro is an Italian visual artist, illustrator, animator, and art director based in Verona. His work spans illustration, animation, video games, and interactive media, often exploring the relationship between storytelling, nature, and place.
His long-standing connection with Japan led him to live for five years in Tottori, where he was inspired by Mount Daisen, its landscapes, traditions, and mountain culture. These experiences continue to shape his artistic vision and his fascination with the stories hidden within landscapes and local communities.
Stefano became involved in The Eismeer Diamond through Nigel Majakari. He is available for interviews to talk about the project, his creative journey, and his enduring passion for mountains, nature, and the communities that inhabit them.
stefanoburo.com