Lanzarote commemorated this Monday at the José Saramago Library in Tías the 25th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Literature to the Portuguese writer. It was December 10, 1998, when the Portuguese author received this prestigious recognition, also coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Saramago used his platform in Stockholm that day to denounce that, half a century later, much remained to be done: "Injustices multiply in the world, inequalities worsen, ignorance grows, misery expands."
Faced with this, he posed a challenge to us, the citizens: to assume our obligations. "We were proposed a Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with that we believed we had everything, without realizing that no right can subsist without the symmetry of the duties that correspond to them. The first duty being to demand that these rights be not only recognized, but also respected and satisfied."
In coherence with the Nobel's recommendations, the José Saramago Foundation, in collaboration with UNAM and other civil society organizations, elaborated a Universal Charter of Duties and Obligations of people, which was presented at the UN in 2018.
During the event, they collectively read the 23 points that make up this charter.
Thus, they also had the intervention of the Saharawi-Spanish lawyer and activist Loueila Mint El Mamy, who the Ministry of Equality has just recognized for her work on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and who gave testimony of the rights violations against migrants that are being committed at the borders of Europe.
In addition, a colloquium took place between the attendees. The event ended with a toast in memory of José Saramago and for all those committed to the fight for Human Rights.