The Ohrid Academy of Humanism for thirty years has been promoting values of humanism worldwide, which in a contemporary context, in fact, is a resumption of the work of St. Clement of Ohrid and the Ohrid Literary School he had founded, President Stevo Pendarovski said in a video address at an online international conference.
The 15th World Prize of Humanism was awarded at the online event, organized by the Ohrid Academy of Humanism, which also marks its 30th anniversary.
Established in 2007, the World Prize of Humanism is awarded each year to renowned public figures who also also recognized for their humanitarian work. This year’s recipient is Bosnian academic and philosopher Abdulah Šarčević.
Academic Šarčević, President Pendarovski revealed, had started his career at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje in the mid-1950s. “I hope that after receiving this prestigious recognition, the professor’s personal and professional contacts with the Republic of North Macedonia would be further intensified,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic, according to the President, has only further increased alienation leaving people more vulnerable and alone. “In times like these, humanity, solidarity and mutual respect is necessary like never before. Let us combat COVID-19 and return to our normal everyday lives all the while reaffirming spirituality and culture. In a nutshell, let as bring back humanism to humanity,” Pendarovski stressed.
An in-person awards ceremony was cancelled this year due to the pandemic. It was supposed to include an address by Macedonian academic Georgi Stardelov, who passed away earlier this year. He was the recipient of the recognition in 2020.
In addition to academic Šarčević, other recipients of the World Prize of Humanism include Daisaku Ikeda (Japan), Manoel De Oliveira (Portugal), Aleksandar Slozenicyn (Russia), Ravi Shankar (India), Peter Brook, (France), Vida Ognjenovic (Serbia), Herta Müller (Germany), Svetlin Roussev (Bulgaria), John Ralston Saul (Canada), Darko Gašparović, (Croatia), Jiri Svoboda (Czech Republic), Jean-Patrick Connerade (UK), and Romano Prodi (Italy).
