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For more than 40 years, Julienne Lusenge has worked tirelessly to help victims of sexual violence in times of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her courage and efforts to expose the perpetrators and bring them to justice were finally rewarded at a special ceremony on the Armenians’ small island of San Lazzaro in the Venetian Lagoon on Saturday night where she was declared the winner of the Aurora Prize. ‘one million dollars.
She broke down in tears but said she was very happy and couldn’t believe that she would finally be able to do much more for the many Congolese women who have been subjected to horrific abuse.
“This award is very important for all Congolese, Congolese women and Congolese girls because now we will have enough money to support them,” Lusenge said after receiving the award.
The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity annually recognizes the extraordinary humanitarian work of individuals globally and the impact of their actions. Noubar Afeyam, one of the three co-founders of the Aurora Prize, described it as “a gift from the Armenian community to the world”.
With Vartan Gregorian and Ruben Vardanyan, in 2015 he instituted the Armenian Genocide Centenary Prize to honor the memory of the victims, for 8 years, the number of years during which one and a half million Armenians were systematically killed. on the orders of the Turkish Ottoman government.
Their idea was to recognize the unsung heroes of modern times, as well as those who helped save the Armenians who survived. “Today we are trying to find people who save the lives of others, just like people who saved the lives of our ancestors,” Noubar said.
Four other Aurora humanitarians were selected as finalists: Grégoire Ahongbonon, who helps people with mental illness in West Africa, Ruby Alba Castaño, a Colombian activist who protects the rights of peasants, Ashwaq Moharram, a Yemeni doctor. who provides life-saving support to hungry people and Paul Farmer, an American medical anthropologist and physician.
Each year, to honor these outstanding personalities, their names are inscribed in the Chronicles of Aurora, a manuscript created using ancient Armenian techniques, which was brought to the Venetian island and exhibited to the guests of the ceremony.
The award was named in memory of Aurora Mardiganian, who was forced to witness the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide. It was the first time that the Aurora Prize ceremony had taken place in Europe. A special prayer of solidarity from the Armenian monks kicked off the events at the monastery on the island of San Lazzaro. World-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli gave an unforgettable performance to all participants, including two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Iranian Shirin Ebadi and Liberia Leyman Gbowee, as well as former Irish President Mary Robinson.
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