Mr Speaker,
honourable guests,
ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening, to you all! I bring my father’s greetings and I thank you in the name of my family for the recognition that you give him. I will read some words that Francisco Toledo would like to share with you. I will start by reading it in Zapotec, our mother tongue.
Receiving an award is, to a large extent, a question of chance and does not necessarily entail the idea of merit. Our project limits itself to raise a voice in defence of different cultures, their natural environment and their historical roots, in such a way that they can live together and mutually enrich each other.
In an excluding world, globalized and chaotic, we can be neither indifferent nor optimistic. This recognition concedes moral authority to our voice which confronts, hopelessly, that world.
Finding a way out in these bleak times is not easy.
I feel pleased to share this award with Irene Fernandez from Malaysia, Roy Sesana from Botswana and Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke from Canada whose achievements seem to me more visible.
We add our voice to them and to those who struggle for the recognition and protection for their rights and cultures, because to the extent that we respect our differences, we shall build a life with more justice.
Thank you