Glamorous Ceremony of the 22nd Karic Brothers Awards
For the 22nd time at the National Theater in Belgrade, the prestigious Karic Brothers Award was presented to famous people whose actions, innovations and personal efforts strongly influenced mankind. The ceremony began with the quote “We can forgive but we must not forget”written on a large LED screen next to a discreet portrait of the late Patriarch Pavle, and the performance of the “Nocturne” Choir and the Borislav Pašćan Youth Philharmonic Orchestra who performed Serbian National Anthem “God of Justice”. A minute silence has been honoured in memory of the Academician Vladimir Veličković and Nobel Prize winner Zhores Alferov, two remarkable men who left us in 2019, who were honored with the Karić Brothers Award in 2002 and 2007. This year the awards were presented by Dragomir J. Karić and Loreana Nedeljković, and a welcoma speech gave Milanka Karić, founder and honorary president of the Karić Foundation, while Danica Karić, president of the Karić Foundation was with other members of the Karić family in the audience.The establishment of the Karić Brothers Award was a highly responsible and honorable act for our family. Our reward is a living endowment we leave as a testament to our descendants to guard and pass it on to their sons and daughters. From day one, we carefully selected our laureates, we had a gift to recognize the best of the best. It is no accident that we were the first to award the great Peter Handke in 2000, who only recently became a Nobel laureate. Then Novak Djoković at the very beginning of his career in 2007, and today he is the world first racquet. We were honored to have another Nobel Prize winner, Zhores Alferov, as a member of the Karic Brothers Award laureate family. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev also have greatly honored us. Today, our award brings together over 150 brilliant minds. Together we strive to do everything in our power to make this planet a much better and more decent place to live – said Milanka Karić. She said that six new laureates are truly remarkable personalities of remarkable biographies and life stories. They are cosmopolitans, humanists, incredibly charismatic, fighters for truth and justice, ambassadors of peace, cooperation and friendship among nations, modern heroes and knights of honor. They know no boundaries. The world is their oyster. Every man, whether a king or a beggar, is equally valuabletothem. Their most powerful weapons are love, art, knowledge, justice, truth and humanity. Our dear laureates, my family and I infinitely grateful to have you with us tonight. Let me convey to you the words of the founder of this award and our foundation, my Bogolyub, who sends his greeting with words: You are the golden letters of a different Serbian history, beacons on the map of Europe and the world. The Karic Family and the Karic Foundation congratulate you and welcome you to our large family. Cheers! – Milanka Karić said. The names of past laureates, including Valentina Matviyenko, Patriarch Pavle, Patriarch Irinej, Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia, Nikita Mihalkov, Marina Abramović, Danilo Bata Stojković, Ljubivoje Tadić, Velimir Bata Živojinović, Rade Šerbedžija, Dragan Bjelogrlić, Olja Ivanjicki, Siniša Kovačević, Ljubivoje Ršumović, Jovan Ćirilov, Ašhen Ataljanc, Bora Dugić, Vlatko Stefanovski, Emir Kusturica, Dragan Džajić and Dragan Stojković Piksi, testify to the importance of the Karic Brothers Award. In the category of journalism and literature, the Karić Brothers Award this year laureate is Marilina Veca, journalist and writer from Rome. She has been diligent and persistent in revealing the real truth about the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija for decades. The Serbian Orthodox singers performed the track “Red Flower” after which the program hosts, Slavko Beleslin and Bojana Lilić, announced clav Dvoř, a Czech film and TV director and political analyst who shot documentary Stolen Kosovo about the fate of Serbs in Kosmet, and told the truth that many have been hiding and others have been lopsidedly informed with a distorted picture of reality. Dvoř is also the initiator of a petition for the Czech Republic to reconsider the recognition of the so-called Kosovo Independence. For the courage shown, benefection towards the Serbian people and for strengthening the Serb-French friendship, the Karic Brothers Award was presented to Jacques Hogard, colonel and former commander of French special forces in Kosovo and Metohija. Željko Obradović was presented the award for outstanding results in Yugoslavian, Serbian, European and world basketball and for raising and preserving Serbias reputation in the world, by Dragomir J. Karić in Turkey, on Serbian territory at the Consulate of Serbia in Istanbul, in the presence of Consul Ivana Pejović. – I am sorry that I wasnt able to come to Belgrade to the fantastic awards ceremony. I am glad to be in the company of such important people the award winners who left a big mark behind. Once again, I would like to thank everyone who participated in any victory that I achieved as a coach.Thanks again to the Karić Foundation, you have moved me, this is a truly wonderful acknowledgment – Obradović said. The celebrated Greek musician Antonis Remos, who nurtures extremely close relationships with the Serbian people, is the recipient of the Karic Brothers Award in the category of culture and art. After his thank you speech Remos performed two songs, one by Željko Joksimović and other well-known Mi Mou Thimonis Matia Mourdquo;. In the category of scientific and research work this year the award went to one of the worlds most famous archeologists and the most respected Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, who gave a lecture a day earlier in the fully packed Kombank Hall, a gift to the citizens of Belgrade and Serbia from the Karić Foundation and the Embassy of Egypt. At the end of the Award Ceremony, Milanka Karić presented a special award for peace, cooperation and friendship among peoples to all the 2019 laureates of the Karic Brothers Award. After the ceremony at the National Theater a gala reception was held for all the laureates and friends of the Karić Foundationat Villa Jelena.
