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The 2002 awards committee focused on languages and transcultural forms of expression. Languages were not only interpreted as being spoken or written forms of communication. They were also metaphorically understood as including a broad range of vocabularies, e.g. rap, salsa or combat sports. These vocabularies are often rapidly adopted by different cultures, becoming communal forms of expression; universal languages that build bridges between different identities.
It is against this background that the world famous Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour performed at the awards ceremony. Youssou N’Dour is also one of this year’s laureates and was presented with a Prince Claus Award during the ceremony. He performed with young musicians whom he coaches. They rapped in Wolof, the living language of the streets of Dakar.
The Prince Claus Awards recognise exceptional achievements in the field of culture and development. They are awarded to artists, intellectuals and organisations engaged in culture; award recipients are principally based in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Excellence is a conditio sine qua non for an award. A decisive factor is ‘surplus value’, that is, the positive effects of a laureate’s work in a wider cultural or social field, both in its local context and in its international, exemplary function.
Interculturality (the bridging of cultures) occupies a prominent position on the Fund’s agenda. The Awards Committee attached great value to intercultural exchange in its assessment of candidates for the awards. Particular attention was paid to the concrete content of the laureates’ activities, and to their relevance and power of expression in a global context.
Intercultural dialogue demands tolerance and debate about values and norms. This can be as important on a local level as it is on an international and intercontinental level. Hence, this year an organisation operating on a local level in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta is being honoured for its work in stimulating innovation and openness within Islam.
The themes of previous years have continued to be relevant. Laureates this year include an ‘Urban Hero’ in China and ‘Creators of Spaces of Freedom’ in Israel and Syria.
The Prins Claus Fonds aims to provide culture an amnesty in places where it is threatened by social or political restraints. Against this backdrop in other years the Fund has recognised laureates who live outside their country of origin and at a distance from the culture and society that informs their work. This year the list consists entirely of people who work in their own countries.
The Committee has continued its interest in ‘zones of silence’; once again candidates who break the silence of these ‘zones’ were actively sought. A laureate in Central America is being recognised for affording this fragmented and isolated region an identity and a profile. The Fund also actively looked to expand its network in Turkey, Central Asia and the lusophone world. Consequently, this year one award is going to a winner in Brazil.
The Prins Claus Fonds maintains a broad view of culture which is able to accommodate all kinds of artistic and intellectual disciplines, science, media and education. It is also interested in the (inter)cultural dimensions of fields which do not obviously belong to the domain of ‘culture’, such as technology or sport. The Awards Committee has this year focused on the status of languages. Languages are not only understood in terms of spoken or written means of communication and expression. They are also understood metaphorically as vocabularies – such as salsa, rap or combat sports – which frequently transfer at great speed from one culture to another. In this way they become shared forms of expression; universal languages that bridge different identities.
The Principal Award 2002 of 100,000 euros is given to the Moroccan writer and scientist Mohammed Chafik
The 2002 Prince Claus laureates are cultural pioneers and guides. May these awards help them and the world.
In 2002 the composition of the Prince Claus Awards Committee changed: five new members replaced four of the original committee members from 1998-1999 and 2000-2001. Members of this committee also sit on the International Advisory Board of the Prins Claus Fonds and are asked to serve for a period of two years with the possibility of extending this by another two years. The Committee met in The Hague on 3 and 4 June, and 27 and 28 July. It presented its recommendations for this year’s laureates to the Board of the Fund, which endorsed the list at its meeting on 23 August.
Once again the Fund approached experts from around the world to select laureates for the 2002 Awards. Both old and new acquaintances working in fields relevant to the broad terrain of ‘culture and development’ were asked to put forward possible candidates, and/or to comment on or endorse candidates proposed by others. The Committee considered thirty-three nominations and selected ten. Their judgements were based on the primary criteria of quality and significance within a broader context, while also taking a number of supplementary points into consideration, such as awards received in previous years.
The 2002 Prince Claus Awards Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Sadik Al-Azm, Aracy Amaral, Goenawan Mohamad, Pedro Pimenta, Claudia Roden and Bruno Stagno.
