5
P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
Speech XXI
As the age-old woods in the valleys of this much-loved land of Asturias begin to sense —as the
poet says— “`the broad moons and the short days of the winter time”, we are holding the first
of our Award Ceremonies of the twenty-first century in this city of warm welcome and culture,
Oviedo. Much to our satisfaction, we can say that after forging a long pathway that has been so full
of genuine, life-enriching experiences, the Awards have become a shining beacon of coexistence
and culture the world over.
This year Asturias celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its Statute of Regional Autonomy,
the centenary of the deaths of two writers, Ramón de Campoamor and Leopoldo Alas,
Clarín
,
and the bicentenary of the birth of Alejandro Mon, economist
and expert in public finance. All three have bequeathed works
which time has only served to enhance. Campoamor, who lends
his name to this beautiful theatre we are in, with his touching,
transparent poetry; Clarín, intelligent and ironic, the author
of one of the works at the pinnacle of our literature, the novel
La Regenta
; and Alejandro Mon, a reformer of the Spain of his
times, a representative of the enterprising, rigorous facet of
Asturias, selflessly devoted to the land of his birth.
Yet, to our deep regret, memories of gratitude towards
these great Spaniards and the joy of this ceremony, which now has such international renown, are
overshadowed by those whose will is to usher humanity, as on so many other occasions throughout
history, towards a world of silence and fear, devoid of freedom. On the one hand, we witness the
development of science and the arts progressing at unprecedented speeds, and yet we continue to
live with the darkest of obscurities, at times as old as history itself.
We have all also felt the horror of the terrorist attacks of last September 11th in the United
States and the momentous consequences that affect us in so many ways. Rather than intimidating
us, such events should give added impetus to the search for what unites us and saves us. In other
words, universal protection and the ubiquity of human rights, respect for differences between
cultures and civilizations, and the conviction that religious feelings constitute a profound ethical
and spiritual stance that will help us to reach out towards others. This is how we will avoid the
triumph of the fundamentalist rationale, which is so unjust to human reason and to the very
religion that it purports to defend.
We have no wish for the history of man to be the history of his wars yet again; we wish it to
be guided by the will to build up a universal community in peace and freedom; a world where
terrorism, the brutality and fanaticism of which the Spanish are unfortunately only too well aware
of, does not exist. This is why we reiterate our belief that eradicating it ought to be a top priority of
the international community of free, democratic nations, since no cause, no project, no collective
aspiration can serve as justification for carrying out, encouraging or justifying terrorism in any of
its guises. In short, we desire a world that can be guided by tolerance and solidarity. One of our
Laureates, Professor Steiner, has said this in heartfelt words of great beauty: “All human beings
should learn to live as if they were guests of life. There is no society, religion, city or town that is not
worthy of improvement. Likewise, there are none worthy of not being abandoned when injustice
and savagery reign.”
However, let us turn our gaze towards the event that brings us together here today, as the
life and works of this year’s Laureates are a splendid offering to the high values that we strive to
encourage from within our Foundation; life and work dedicated to freedom, creative passion and
hope.
“We have no wish for the history of man
to be the history of his wars yet again; we
wish it to be guided by the will to build up a
universal community in peace and freedom.”
