By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
The eighth annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded Thursday evening in Los Angeles to Dr. Denis Mukwege, a world-renowned gynecological surgeon and human rights activist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The one million dollar prize is a global award that recognizes individuals for risking their life, health, or freedom to save others. It was founded in 2015 by philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan, educator Vartan Gregorian, and entrepreneur Noubar Afeyan, and its selection committee includes Nobel laureates and world leaders.
This year’s ceremony was particularly poignant as co-founder Ruben Vardanyan is being illegally held prisoner by Azerbaijan along with other Armenian POWs. His wife Veronika Zonabend delivered a statement which included a message from Vardanyan, which said in part: “Thanks to Aurora I met people who taught me the most important lesson: remaining true to human values and your own principles irrespective of the situation. My decision to move to Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh – was motivated by the Aurora heroes: I made a choice to be with the people who needed help and wanted to help in any way I could… I am confident that together we can do a lot to make the world a better and a kinder place for everyone.’’
Co-founder Noubar Afeyan began his speech calling on the Armenian government to do more to secure the release of the political prisoners and POWs. “There is no peace without justice,” he said, directing his comments to Armenia’s president, Vahakn Khachatryan, and Armenia’s ambassador to the US, Lilit Makunts, who were present. Afeyan said, “I feel very lonely” alluding to the absence of Vardanyan, and the death of co-founder Vartan Gregorian in 2021.
Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna, the company behind the Moderna Covid vaccine, spoke about the multiplier value of ‘gratitude in action,’ saying, “I think of it like a stem cell which has the ability to make more cells like itself, and can also become another cell. Gratitude in action is like that – acting motivated by gratitude renews your own humanity, while it helps others.”
Founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide in recognition of the humanitarians who aided them, Aurora’s motto is to demonstrate “Gratitude in Action”. It shows gratitude for that aid by offering similar assistance to the humanitarians of today in order to catalyze future change. Besides Dr. Mukwege, this year’s finalists who were also honored at Thursday’s ceremony were Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a human rights advocate who has been fearlessly defending the most vulnerable communities in Bahrain and the Middle East, and Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent Iranian human rights defender.
This year’s Aurora laureate, Dr. Mukwege, is the president of DRC-based Panzi Hospital and Foundation, which he founded in 1999 to address the systemic issue of maternal healthcare and maternal mortality. The country has been torn by conflict for three decades, with many women and girls suffering from suffering from sexual violence and critical healthcare needs. The hospital has become one of the world’s preeminent treatment centers for survivors of sexual violence in conflict, having cared for more than 80,000 of them since its inception.
Upon receiving the award, Dr. Mukwege said: “At this moment, I reflect on the power of Gratitude in Action exemplified by so many of the women I’ve treated. These women stand up again after being subjected to extreme violence, and not only reclaim their own strength, but also extend a helping hand to others in need. I recall one patient whose case deeply affected our staff. After she was treated, she trained to become a nurse. She said she was doing it because she wanted to aid others like her.” The majority of the Aurora prize money will go to grassroot humanitarians and organizations of Mukwege’s choosing to continue the cycle of empowering others.
Similar messages of hope and inspiration were offered by others, including Chef Jose Andres. by video. Chef Andres and his World Central Kitchen were in Armenia feeding and helping the 120,000 Armenians who were exiled from Karabakh / Artsakh by the Azerbaijani government in September 2023.
Dr. Eric Esrailian of UCLA, Aurora Board Member and event co-chair, and the driving force behind the creation of the UCLA Promise Institute for Human Rights, which co-sponsored the 8th year ceremony and programs, also addressed the audience.
Near the program’s conclusion, Grammy-nominated artist AloeBlacc premiered his song “SHINE” honoring the Aurora Humanitarians.
Washington Post columnist and novelist David Ignatius was master of ceremonies, together with Dalia Atallah, a graduate of the United World College Dilijan, which was cofounded by Vardanyan and Zonabend.
