Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

7 P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches Speech XVIII Moved and full of gratitude, I return to this renovated Campoamor Theatre, so full of precious memories for all of us, in order to present the Awards that bear my name. It is with anticipation that I come to Oviedo, and with my presence at this solemn ceremony, we celebrate the fruits of a year’s worth of effort, sensitive work and intelligence put to use in the search for the exemplary, ideas that guide and strengthen our consciences. Encouraging these goals, furthering the expansion of culture in the broadest sense of the word and developing the spirit of concord are priority tasks of our Foundation. Its work deserves the acknowledgement that I wish to express here to its Trustees, Patrons and collaborators, as well as to the Juries for their admirable and increasingly difficult task of making pronouncements regarding the recipients of the different accolades. Without them, this project would not be possible. Year after year, just as the old oaks of Asturias renew their leaves and become stronger, our Awards renew their well-earned prestige and bring us together under the canopy of universal values that strengthen our humanistic vocation. These are symbols of a world without frontiers for culture, freedom and concord. And our Laureates, who are a credit to their countries and a credit to all of us, to humanity as a whole, are committed to this way of feeling and believing. I congratulate them for it and thank them for their presence here today. Several of the Awards that we have just presented have a direct connection with Europe, with which, throughout its millenary history, Spain has fostered endless relations, and with which we are building our future today. Some of these relations are remembered this year in particular because of the celebrations surrounding the 400th anniversary of Philip II, a king as mythicized by some as he was misunderstood and denigrated by others. In the idea of combining all that is European with all that is ours and closer to home, we also commemorate here today a learned, enterprising figure who was both a reformer and a Europeanist: Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, who we especially remember this year. The intellectual inquisitiveness and the refined spirit of this native son of Gijón, the love for his land, Asturias, and for all lands, his great desire for knowledge and his sensitivity shine for evermore. His life and work ought to be the best antidote in the fight against this tendency toward pessimism that sometimes inexplicably overwhelms us. His example should also be a stimulus and a beacon for us all as long as there is an unsolved problem among us or an injustice in need of elimination. Although he was so Spanish, his vocation for the cultures of Europe was in no way foreign to his way of thinking. This reappraisal of culture in the coming together of all things Spanish with all things European is exemplified in our time by the work of Reinhard Mohn, Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities. This German entrepreneur, creator of the Bertelsmann media group and president of the Foundation of the same name, has dedicated his life to fostering the means that broaden the horizons of mankind, and he has done so in a career built upon promoting reading and a commitment to new information and cultural technologies. A prosperous career of which Spain is a privileged witness. In keeping with his deepest convictions, he keeps faith in a dialogue of critique and cooperation as cornerstones of progress, doing so out of the need to look beyond outmoded ideas and customs. Thus, for example, he asserts that in today’s world we cannot envisage companies driven primarily or exclusively by the pursuit of the greatest possible profit. From this springs a need to create “Several of the Awards that we have just presented have a direct connection with Europe, with which, throughout its millenary history, Spain has fostered endless relations.” Watch video