Awards & Testimonials
The Federation has expressed its official support for the Earth Charter initiative through a letter from the King Guides and one from Falco. The Charter contains many of the principles on which the Federation was founded more than 30 years ago. To acknowledge the official partnership, Ruud Luubers, one of the founding fathers of the Earth Charter and ex-Prime Minister of Holland, and Ashok Khosla, President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have written the following in a joint document:
"Damanhur is harmony. It is serene. And it is beautiful. We were moved and enchanted by this monument to the human spirit and the marvellous tribute it makes to the cosmos and to all the wonders of life. Our journey within the secrecy of the mountain also took us within ourselves, to our inner sense and to our place in creation. Artists gave idea and form to the spiritual values, showing us the diversity of people and civilizations throughout the centuries. Local craftspersons carved shape and substance into vibrant objects and brought life to them with light and sound. And here, with the Earth Charter, we become aware that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth Community with a common destiny. Let our generation be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life."
A commission of experts, sociologists and visitors from all over the world have declared that the Federation of Damanhur is the most beautiful community in the world. On the list of awarded communities are: Torri Superiore (2nd place), Findhorn (3rd place), Auroville (5th place), Sieben Linden (6th place), Lebensgarten (7th place), and Tamera (9th place).
The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) recognizes the town of Cuceglio for promoting the Green Home program.
The FEE has recognized the town of Cuceglio for promoting the Green Home program, and it has awarded two residential nucleos of Damanhur, Aval and the Prima Stalla farm, for completely fulfilling the indicated parameters.
In 2005 the Federation of Damanhur was awarded as a model of a sustainable society.
To: The Federation of Damanhur and the Village Council of Vidracco
From: The Global Human Settlements Forum
Damanhur fully deserves this Award.
ASHOK KOHSLA
Scientist, President of the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUCN)
"I appreciate the complexity, detail and thought that goes into the creation of Damanhur. It is an example of intelligence in action. I am also very happy to see the level of interest in artistic creation, whether it's the Temples or the houses... I also received a lot of generosity here. I felt like I was with family, a communal family, which is something I've known for forty years. I love hard workers and Damanhurians celebrate hard workers. I like that there continue to be big dreams, that even though you've made big dreams here, there are more big dreams. I like that you are connected to other places in the world. I think that the revolution that I want requires many great models, not one great model, but many, to spark interest, and this is certainly one that I will add to my list of great models."
“Damanhur for me is a laboratory: a laboratory for the future, a laboratory for humanity. We have a great need for change. One thing we know about the future is that it won’t be the same as the past, so we must change ourselves to create a sustainable future, a future of peace. How do we do this? We still need to experiment, and here in Damanhur, there is experimentation – people who don’t only think about how to do things, but who tend to act, to live. Damanhur is a living laboratory that puts ideas into practice. Damanhur enacts experimentation for a shared future for all of humanity, a sustainable future with solidarity and peace. This is what we must find, and I believe that Damanhur brings an extremely important contribution.
ERVIN LASZLO
Scientist, philosopher, founder of the Club of Budapest
Since the first studies conducted on Damanhur in 1989, the area I have been most interested in is social experimentation.
Studying Damanhur, I have had the perception of that which, in the Medieval, the monasteries and abbeys represented. They benefited and revitalized the valleys in which they existed. I believe that the same thing is happening with Damanhur: in a valley that had many economic and social indications of depression, Damanhur has brought inhabitants, reactivated interest in antique trades, and offered artistic production in many areas. Damanhur today represents an element of social innovation.
Prof. LUIGI BERZANO
University of Torino, Political Science
“That which I find very interesting and attractive about Damanhur is the fusion of practical experimentation with new social forms and spirituality, inside a community context. The crucial question of our time is exactly how it is possible to test new approaches to community, ones that really function and spread. In this moment, we have a desperate need for something that really works. So, the real value of Damanhur is to give people permission to try out a new world, and to demonstrate that a new world is possible.”
Prof. PAUL RAY
Sociologist, author of “The Cultural Creatives”
“Damanhur is the best example of an ecovillage group that I have ever studied. It is a Federation with its own spiritual philosophy and strong ethical values. Damanhur has a profound spiritual element that is based on a clear and defined philosophy, and a project of cultural and personal development. Damanhur has had much success as a federation of ecovillages, thanks to the solid spiritual base and the focus on work and action, in particular, that which regards the development of commercial activities. Everyone at Damanhur has his or her own work, and the majority of people work in Damanhurian businesses.
DAVID KANALEY
Service Director for Environmental Planning, Byronshire Council (Australia) excerpted from “Ecovillages, a Sustainable Lifestyle” - 2006
“I would like that the leaders of the world come to Damanhur and objectively study how a thousand people from different countries can work together and create an environment that is worth emulating. Today, with the existence of humanity threatened by nuclear arms, fanaticism and terrorism, Damanhur is an ideal model for the survival of the world. I hope that we arrive at a moment in which this reality can be reproduced. Damanhur must be better known in the world, because the world is looking for a model like this.”
DR. KAARTHIKEYAN
Former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, India
