The prize-giving gala was held at Warsaw’s Royal Castle on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki issued a letter to the participants, saying that “without folk culture, Poland wouldn’t have a soul.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Piotr Gliński, who presented the awards, said that “folk culture is the cornerstone of every culture.”
He added: “Even the highly modern contemporary culture still has its roots in folk culture. The popularity of folk music amply demonstrates that you can mix various genres and approaches yet the basis is formed by folk culture.”
The Oskar Kolberg Awards were handed out across seven categories, including for researchers, scholars and culture animators; for visual, music and dance artists; and for organisations supporting folk culture.
This year’s awardees included folk singer Elżbieta Kasznia, ethnographer Dionizjusz Czubala, and folk writer Elżbieta Wójtowicz, as well as the Regional Centre of Kurpie Culture, based in the northeastern town of Myszyniec.
Named after the renowned Polish ethnographer, folklorist and composer, the Oskar Kolberg Award is Poland’s oldest and most important prize for contributions to traditional culture. It was established in 1974, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, nagrodakolberg.pl