Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén presented the state Pro Cultura Minoritatum Hungariae award to eleven people and two groups representing Hungary’s 13 national minorities in the Bulgarian cultural centre on Monday.
Established in 2005, the award is given annually to a person or an organisation in recognition of their outstanding achievement in promoting minority culture and identity.
The award this year went to Sándor Bedics (Slovene), Mihály Cserháti (Romanian), Levente Galda (Slovak), Polish-born pianist Izabella Darska, Dezso Kardos (Swabian), Alekszandra Kormányos (Ukranian), Arpadne Kovacs (Roma), Ivan Micov Jordanov (Bulgarian), Stefanidu Janula (Greek), László Szám (Armenian) and Sándor Szmolar(Ruthenian).
The two organisations receiving the award include Orkestar Poklade group promoting Balkan-Serbian folk music and the Korjeni Women’s Choir for Croatia.
Presenting the award, Semjén said that
“the mission of Hungarian national minorities is to be faithful to their own, sole, unrepeatable heritage; to preserve and pass it on, because this is a value only they can give to their mother nation, Hungarians and universal humanity”.
