Been to Carnsore Point, Ireland, the 2001 Nuclear-Free Future Award

The 2001 Nuclear-Free Future Award Slideshow

The 2001 Nuclear-Free Future Awards went to: Aborigine activist Kevin Buzzacott from Australia (Resistance category); photographer Kenji Higuchi from Japan (Education); MP Hans-Josef Fell from Germany (Solutions) -- each of these three prizes is endowed with a money prize of 10.000 Euro. This year three honorary awards go out to David Lowry from England (Special Recognition), Solange Fernex from France (Lifetime Achievement), and, in cooperation with the CarnVaha Event organizers, veteran nuclear opponent David Nolan of Ireland.

The 2001 Nuclear-Free Future Awards were presented in Ireland at Carnsore Point, County Wexford on September 8/9 during a weekend of music, storytelling, and celebration. During the late Seventies Carnsore Point had been the focal point of the nationwide opposition to the government's plans to build there the first Irish nuclear reactor. The protest, initiated among others by folksinger Christy Moore, lasted four summers, and was heard in Dublin: the Irish government backed down from its nuclear plans. A local festival called CarnVaha (Stones of Life), lasted from Sept 1 to Sept 9, 2001, and offered workshops, lectures, readings, exhibitions, and lots of music. The Dubliners, the Hothouse Flowers, and Peter Gordon were among the numerous musicians who appeared during the week. White Kakadu, an indiginous group from Northern Australia, held a peace ceremony along the shores of Carnsore Point. The Awards Ceremony itself was embedded in the culminating open-air concert. For more information about Carnvaha, please visit www.carnvaha.com.