Montevideo, (EFE).- The Spanish singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat affirmed this Monday that “the word solidarity has been devalued lately” and encouraged “to fight for justice and freedom that we must fight every day”, as part of his visit to Uruguay for his last tour, “The vice of singing 1965-2022”.
Serrat, who made these statements on the occasion of his recognition by the International Prize for the Fight for Human Rights and Solidarity, awarded by the Mario Benedetti Foundation, assured that “to fight for the rights of man is to fight for oneself” and that “if we do not maintain an attitude of defense, we will lose justice.
Likewise, the Spanish singer stressed that he felt “proud” to receive an award that bears the name of a friend with whom he shared “the vagaries of life” in the past and a recording project ” very successful”, and regretted the recent losses both by Benedetti himself and by Eduardo Galeano, among others.
“I have a lot of reasons to love Uruguay, I lost a lot more friends than I would like here”
Joan Manuel Serrat
That he asked that although these last concerts arouse an emotional charge and some “very strong memories”, the public put them aside for a moment to enjoy them.
Regarding his farewell tour, Serrat said he felt “excited” because as the cycle got shorter the emotions came “with more intensity”, and he said his withdrawal “came to a good moment” although he pointed out that he still had a physique “likes to continue on stage”.
This Tuesday Serrat will give his last concert in Uruguay, which will take place at the Centenario Stadium, and on Wednesday he will receive the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of the Republic (Udelar), a ceremony to be held at the Auditorium and which will also be streamed live on YouTube.
Along with Serrat, the Munduruku tribe of Brazil was also awarded the prize, which resists the invasions of loggers who cut down the trees in their territory.
The Mario Benedetti Foundation Prize was first awarded in 2013 to American activist of Lakota origin Leonard Peltier.
Lawyer Mariana Mota, Professor Belela Herrera, Professor Miguel Soler, Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff, Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal, journalist Guillermo Chifflet, Chilean poet and activist Raúl Zurita and the Movimiento de Victims of Crimes of the State of Colombia.