President Mas and Desmond Tutu
· The president of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, awarded Archbishop Desmond Tutu the XXVI International Prize of Catalonia
· Artur Mas appreciates “the defense of just and noble causes around the world” carried out by the South African Nobel Peace Prize winner
· Desmond Tutu makes it clear that he is in favor of the Catalans’ right to decide and advocates for consensus and agreement
Archbishop Desmond Tutu defended the fact that “when the critical mass of the citizens acts with common purpose to achieve a righteous objective, they become an irresistible force”. Tutu was awarded the XXVI International Prize of Catalonia, which he accepted in person during the ceremony celebrated in the Palace of the Generalitat.
The president of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, pointed out in his speech that “agreement and consensus are preferable that unilateral decisions”, and he insisted that “with the challenges that we have it’s good to keep that in mind, and I think we do”. And he added that “negotiations always have to be undertaken with a broad perspective and everyone must work toward a common good, because that concept is preferable to other kinds of solutions”.
The head of the Catalan Executive described Catalonia as a country that has been able to preserve its own culture and language through the years and therefore, has “a cultural identity and not one based on other factors”; a country, he went on to say, that is “used to welcoming people with diverse origins, that is very mixed, and that is more in tune with a common objective than it is worried about its diverse roots”, and a country, he added, that “has a dynamic civil society, that is powerful and organized, which is a sign of its own identity, with a very rich social fabric, that at difficult moments, works at full capacity”.
“This is the country that demands the right to decide its own future and to be able to vote on November 9th,” said Artur Mas, and he insisted “that we want to do so with an absolutely peaceful spirit, because that is the common denominator of most of Catalonia’s social movements”.
The president of the Catalan Government pointed out that among the reasons for awarding the International Prize of Catalonia to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the fact that “he has always defended just and noble causes all over the world”, and that he has done so, he said, “with both words and actions”. “Desmond Tutu is in that category of people that prefers to do good rather than to look good; he has chosen to stand with people who suffer injustice”, said the president.
Artur Mas signaled that this prize is awarded “with the objective of appreciating and recognizing those people who help humanity advance”, but, he added, “also so that we as a people can learn to be better from these important personalities that have received this prize”.
Defense of the Catalans’ right to decide
Before the president’s speech, Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke a few words of appreciation, and said that he accepted the prize on behalf of this magnificent group of"socially conscious people, of activists for the common good of human beings and our world”, among which he mentioned “those who are engaged in saving girls from being trapped in abusive marriages in sub-Saharan Africa”, “those in the medical support field who care for the refugees in Syria”, or “those extraordinary women who dry the eyes of children orphaned by AIDS in my own country, South Africa”.
Tutu added that he also accepted the prize in the name of “those who support the right of the Catalan people, and citizens of other territories, to peacefully determine their destiny”, and he said that when the critical mass of citizens of any region or nation act with common purpose to achieve a righteous objective “those who would seek to stop them may succeed for a while, at great cost, but will inevitably discover that resistance is futile”. (The winner’s speech is attached.)
Before the award ceremony, President Mas and Desmond Tutu met for a half hour in the Palau de la Generalitat. Aso present at the ceremony were the President of the Parlament, Núria de Gispert; the Cardinal/Archbishop of Barcelona, Lluís Martínez-Sistach, and the president delegate of the Prize, Xavier Rubert de Ventós. Other members of the Executive present were the vice-president Joana Ortega; and the Ministers of the Interior, Ramon Espadaler, and Education, Irene Rigau.
Minutes of the Jury
The Jury for the Prize decided last month to award the XXVI International Prize of Catalonia to Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu “for his vigorous and constant struggle for social justice and work to better the condition of the oppressed, with exceptional ability, courage and integrity”.
The members of the jury also took into account the fact that since apartheid was abolished in South Africa, he has been one of the active protagonists in the defense of human rights around the world and that the has gotten involved in campaigns against AIDS, tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, and homophobia. Considered the moral conscience of South Africa as well as an icon of hope beyond the Church there, Tutu is considered a statesman of the old world with a vital role today in the reconciliation between peoples.
The International Prize of Catalonia, created by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 1989 is awarded annually to those people who have made important contributions with their creative work to develop cultural, scientific, or human values all over the world. The XXVI Prize was open between July 2 to December 31, 2013 (Resolution PRE/1409/2013, published in the DOGC núm. 6408) and considered 162 entries from 51 countries, nominated by 187 institutions from 43 countries and by the members of the jury themselves.
Arxius adjunts
Desmond Tutu's speech
Departament/s
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