Alternative Nobel laureates from Africa, Ukraine and Venezuela honored Alternative Nobel laureates from Africa, Ukraine and Venezuela honored

Activists and organizations from Somalia, Venezuela, Uganda and Ukraine have received the Right Livelihood Award. The prize, popularly known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, was presented to this year’s laureates at a festive ceremony in Stockholm on Wednesday evening.

All honorees personally received the awards in the Swedish capital. This year they are the Somali human rights activists Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman, the Ukrainian Olexandra Matwijtschuk and the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), the Venezuelan collective Cecosesola and the Ugandan Africa Institute for Energy Governance (Afiego). For the first time, the prize also goes to Ukraine – people and organizations from more than 70 other countries have previously received it.

This year’s laureates were announced at the end of September shortly before the actual Nobel Prize winners. Although they come from completely different parts of the world, what the Right Livelihood Foundation says they have in common is that they are committed to replacing broken social systems with functioning ones. They all show ways for necessary social transformation processes.

The Right Livelihood Award, awarded since 1980, honors courageous personalities and organizations committed to human rights, the environment and peace. The prize is a critical distance from the actual Nobel Prizes, which will be awarded in Stockholm and Oslo in just over a week and a half. The Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) will once again be honored: this year, alongside human rights activists from Belarus and Russia, it is also one of the Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Speaking at the ceremony, CCL Chairman Matviychuk reported that she and other human rights activists in Ukraine were working under conditions where the law was not applicable given Russia’s war of aggression. She does not wish this experience on anyone. “However, these challenges force us to reveal the best in ourselves, fight for freedom, take responsibility, be courageous, make the right decisions, save others and find creative solutions,” she said.

The Right Livelihood Foundation typically honors lesser-known personalities and organizations internationally to give them more exposure. Among the most famous winners are the Swedish children’s author Astrid Lindgren, the American whistleblower Edward Snowden and the Stockholm climate activist Greta Thunberg. During the ceremony, the latter reported on the climate lawsuit that more than 600 young people recently brought against the Swedish government. “Countries like Sweden are disproportionately responsible for the climate crisis. That is why they must act, take responsibility and lead the way,” demanded the 19-year-old 2019 prize winner. (saw/sda/dpa)