On April 22, award ceremony to winners and nominees of the Oles Buzina International Literature and Media Award was held. 8 winners in 8 nominations and 12 diploma winners were determined, among them well-known social activists as Iosif Kobzon, Pavel Gubarev and journalists from Ukraine, Russia, USA, France and Germany.
Oles Buzina International Literature and Media Award was founded in memory of a Ukrainian writer, historian, journalist killed on 16 April, 2015 in Kiev. The award’s organizing committee consists of well-known social activists: writers Zakhar Prilepin and Aleksandr Prokhanov, journalists Maksim Shevchenko, Vitaliy Tretyakov, Mikhail Leontyev, co-chairman of the Zinovyev club of Russia Today Olga Zinovyeva.
Oles Buzina’s mother was the first to speak at the ceremony; she thanked the organisers that her son’s name is continuing living. Valentina Pavlovna was pleased that there were many Ukrainians among the winners. The memory about Oles is alive in his country, too. His mother told that on his death day, not less than 50 persons came to his grave despite heavy showers. “I saw true people there and this gives me the power to live”, she said. According to Valentina Buzina, she could never imagine that living in his homeland could be dangerous for her son. “I always believed in Ukraine, I thought they could attack, beat up, but not kill”. Today, not only relatives support her, but also unfamiliar people do – someone from Saint Petersburg told in a letter, that memorial services for Oles are regularly made at the St. Isaac’s Cathedral. “I bow low before all the Russians for the memory and support”, said Valentina Ivanovna.
US citizen Charles Bausman, founder and chief editor of the Russia Insider online-media, won in the nomination “Journalism and Political Analytics”. In fact, Charles did not plan to become a political journalist, although his father was the head of the Moscow News Bureau of Associated Press, told observer of the “Komsomolskaya Pravda” newspaper Boris Pankin, presenting his colleague. Starting from early 1990s, Charles Bausman has lived in Moscow and was involved in investment activity then. According to Pankin, he always knew that the foreign media wrote many lies about Russia, but thought it would not not affect him. The turning point was during the combat activity in Donbass, when children began to die on a mass scale there, and the West preferred not to notice that.
Today, Russia Insider online-media has millions of readers. For example in November – at the height of Syria events – 7 million people read its publications. Now, there are nearly 2 million readers monthly. All this confirms that many people in foreign countries do not want to thoughtlessly accept the information provided by the world media. “Please, believe – foreign people are no enemies, the enemies are those, who lie”, told Charles Bausman. According to him, Oles Buzina was one of those, who could die for the truth. There are still many people like him, because “courage is contagious”, claims Charles Bausman.
Today, the Russian point of view is incredibly important, the American journalist is sure. “Russia is holding the side of the truth, although it hasn't always been like that, and this is the hope for millions of people around the world, who are ready to take the truth. Russia should speak louder. The time of diplomatic politeness is over – the Oles Buzina’s sacrifice and thousands of other people who died in Ukraine demand this”, said Bausman.
Two winners at the same time were in the nomination “Civic Stance”; both of them are cultural luminaries. Singer Iosif Kobzon, providing humanitarian aid to Donbass, got the award. The second winner is the lead singer of the Bolshoi Theatre Andrei Merkuryev, who had got a prize for directing the “Scream” ballet, based on the novel “Going to Calvary” by Aleksey Zinovyev at the Odessa Opera and Ballet State Theatre. Its opening night was only 13 days after the tragedy at the Trade Union Building, where dozens of people were burned alive. According to Andrey, it was scary to even go outside at some point, but no artists refused to participate in the performance. “Everyone has his own mission, I want to show the truth through choreography”, said Andrei.
Foreign journalists became the winners of Oles Buzina’s Award: French Paul Moreira for film “Ukraine: the Masks of Revolution” and journalist from Germany Mark Barthalamy for film “Ukrainian Agony. Hidden War”. They could not be present at the ceremony. One more winner in the television nomination thanked the organisers on their behalf – Sergei Veselovskiy, author and anchorman of “In Fact” programme, who had done more than 4 thousand live programs about the situation in Donbass. Sergey said he believes, that someday Oles Buzina will return to his country as the winner. One more winner Pavel Gubarev, a prominent participant of the Pro-Russian Unrest in Ukraine and the author of “Torch of Novorossia” wished that the next ceremony would be held in Kiev.
Meanwhile, blogger Ivan Slavinskiy, creator of buzina.org web-site is continuing the activities of Oles Buzina. “This is the most precious prize, but I wish I didn’t receive it”, confessed Ivan.
Famous blogger Anatoliy Shariy also became the award winner. His colleague – one more winner and an Ukrainian journalist Irina Lashkevich told an interesting fact: Anatoliy bought 150 books by Oles Buzina at his own expense and gave them to those, who cannot by them themselves. Thus, Oles Buzina is still providing the truth to those, who care for the country’s fate.
The award’s organisers also told that a monument to the Ukrainian writer is going to be erected in Moscow. Sculptor Andrei Kovalchuk, who also made a memorial bust presented to the winners, gave his consent to create the monument. According to Olga Zinovyeva, it will stand near Kiev Railway Station. The money for the monument is being collected from voluntary donations from all the caring citizens. “It will be the monument of our sympathy”, said Olga Zinovyeva.
All of the current winners will be the judges at the next award, which is going to become annual.
