X Dresden Peace Prize 2019

Phan Thị Kim Phúc  and The Duke of Kent. Photography by Oliver Killig

Monday, 11 February 2019, Dresden, Free State of Saxony: Phan Thị Kim Phúc better known globally as the “Napalm girl” received the Dresden Peace Prize from the hands of His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, The Prince Edward of the United Kingdom of Great Britan and Northern Ireland. 

US Photojournalist James Nachtwey, likely the most recognisable war photographer of our time, paid tribute to prizewinner Kim Phúc with an impressive encomium. He himself is a Dresden Prize laureate from 2012. Nick Ut’s photograph of the “Napalm Girl” in 1972 was indeed motivated him to become a photographer, because it showed him that photographs can make huge differences.

Nachtwey highlighted Kim Phúc contributions to the comprehension of peace rather well during his speech: ´If her life had become a living symbol of war, she made the decision to transform it into a living symbol of peace. She chose to let go of hatred – to understand that even though there can never be justice, she would find forgiveness in her heart and redeem tragedy with love.´

HRH The Duke of Kent was awarded the Dresden Prize in 2015 for his “contribution to British-German reconciliation”. This time around, he presented the award sculpture to Kim Phúc. In his allocution, he mentioned: Today, we are reminded of shocking image of war, the photograph of Phan Thị Kim Phúc. Her pain, her courage, forgiveness and compassion are a living symbol for us all.

The Dresden Peace Prize has been awarded annually since 2010 in the Semperoper. When the idea to initiate an international peace prize with the name ´Dresden-Preis´ (Dresden Peace Prize) was conceived, it was clear what it should represent: i) to learn from the city’s fate, ii) to intervene before everything is held for disposal, as it was done in the art city Dresden

Since 2010, the Dresden Peace Prize has been awarded annually in the Semperoper. Previous laureates are Nobel Peace Prize laureateMichail Gorbachev, pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, war photographer James Nachtwey, former Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov, former child soldier and present-time peace activist and musician Emmanuel Jal, HRH The Duke of Kent, as well as the forefather of all whistle-blowers Daniel Ellsberg, Domenico Lucano and Dr. Tommie Smith.

For further information: 
Dresden Peace Prize: http://dresdner-friedenspreis.de/?lang=en

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Images by ´Friends of Dresden Deutschland e.V.´