The Foreign Ministry has presented its annual Gratias Agit Awards to Czechs and foreigners for promoting the good name of Czechia abroad. This year, 12 personalities and one organisation received the awards. I attended the ceremony at Czernin Palace in Prague.
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka presented the awards on Thursday in the Great Hall of the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters.
Geraldine Anna Manolas (left)|Photo: Ondřej Deml, ČTK
Among the laureates was Geraldine Manolas, chair of the Memorial Association of Free Czechoslovak Veterans and granddaughter of Czechoslovak wartime officer Bohuslav Šulc.
She says her grandparents inspired her work preserving the veterans’ legacy.
“Both my grandfather and my grandmother had a massive influence on me, and I just think that in today's world, their stories are more relevant than they've ever been. Our young students in the Czech and Slovak schools in the UK, in particular, need to hear them.”
Another recipient was Bratislava-born David Sivor, who left for Israel as a teenager after the war. He spoke about his experiences during the Nazi occupation.
David Sivor (left)|Photo: Ondřej Deml, ČTK
“I was sheltered by three different non-Jewish, Christian families, and that saved my life. My mother was taken away to Terezín, and my grandmother was there too.
After the war, when the State of Israel was established, I was among 200 young people who left for Israel. I was just over 14 at the time.”
Tomáš Doležal, son of RAF pilot Oldřich Doležal, was also honoured. Born in Prague in 1949, he fled to Britain with his parents a year later. Like Manolas, he has worked to preserve the memory of Czechoslovak wartime resistance.
Doležal was among several laureates living abroad who could not attend the ceremony. The others included Czech-born scientist and bestselling author Václav Smil, known for explaining complex scientific topics to a wider audience, and Tomáš Cihlář, an antiviral researcher who helped develop a long-acting drug to prevent HIV.
Daniel Vávra (left)|Photo: Ondřej Deml, ČTK
Among those honoured who live in Czechia were Daniel Vávra, co-creator of the video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and pianist Ivo Kahánek, director of the Prague Conservatory.
“I think we are a very special country. We are small, but Czech composers from different periods are one of the best things we can promote abroad, from Jan Dismas Zelenka and Bedřich Smetana to Antonín Dvořák, of course, and Leoš Janáček.
I think it's very important to remember that music is a language without borders. It's the most international language you can imagine, and it's a great honour for me to have the opportunity to perform this music all over the world.”
Petr Macinka|Photo: © MZV ČR / MFA CZ
The only organisation honoured was the Krause Gallery near Zurich, which has supported artists in exile since its founding in 1973.
For Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, presenting the awards for the first time was an opportunity to hear the stories of people who have helped promote Czechia abroad.
“Well, I think this is a very positive part of my work as foreign minister, especially compared with some of the other things I have to deal with. It’s about reading stories sent by our embassies about people who have done something great for the Czech Republic. I’m looking forward to working on next year’s awards, which will mark the 30th anniversary of the Gratias Agit Awards.”
The Foreign Ministry has presented the Gratias Agit Awards since 1997. Previous recipients include former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, film director Miloš Forman and playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.