Croatian actor Relja Bašić named UNESCO Artist for Peace
06-10-2004 9:20 am The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, designated the Croatian actor Relja Bašić UNESCO Artist for Peace, “in recognition of his outstanding career achievements in the performing arts and his lifelong contribution to film and theatre” on 6 October 2004 at the Organization’s Headquarters. The event was followed by the opening of an exhibition on Croatian sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Mr Bašić has acted in some 3,000 theatre plays and more than 120 films and television series at home and abroad. Mr Bašić, who is also a theatre director, does not believe that “theatre can change the world”, but that “its present role is to bring people closer together.”
In becoming a UNESCO Artist for Peace, Mr Bašić is commited to promoting intercultural dialogue, particularly among young people in the Southeast of Europe: “Demographic, linguistic, cultural and religious diversity - along with art and creativity which are my particular fields – coexisting in intercultural dialogue, are firm preconditions for development, peace and cooperation based on the high principles of UNESCO. I have always firmly believed in and actively supported these principles as the necessary prerequisites for peace and peaceful coexistence. I believe that these principles must always keep a high place on the list of international political priorities, particularly in the post-transitional countries of South-Eastern Europe – whose cultural diversities should be considered one of their most precious heritages.”
Mr Bašić has acted in some 3,000 theatre plays and more than 120 films and television series at home and abroad. Mr Bašić, who is also a theatre director, does not believe that “theatre can change the world”, but that “its present role is to bring people closer together.”