The 2021 Metron award posthumously to Antonio Sammartino

19.02.2022

A seven-member jury met on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 to decide on the awarding of the Culture Prize of the Croatian Center in Vienna "Metron" for 2021.
The jury unanimously decided to give this prestigious award posthumously to Antonio Sammartino, a Croatian activist from the Molise Croatian community in southern Italy. Sammartino died suddenly and unexpectedly last November, shortly after the successful completion of the Slavic Working Group (AGSM) seminar within the Federal Union of European Nations (FUEN) in early October 2021 in Montemitro/Mundimitar and Vasto in southern Italy.

With the death of Antonio Sammartino, the Molise-Croatian community in Italy lost its initiator, the soul in the most diverse Croatian, cultural, literary and socio-political issues. With loss of Antonio Sammartino, the Burgenland-Croats lost a convincing partner in many joint projects, a comrade-in-arms for minority rights and, above all, a friend who significantly strengthened the connection between the Croats in Vienna and in Burgenland and the Molise-Croats and constantly expanded and built it up .

The jury writes in its justification for the decision in favor of Antonio Sammartino:
Antonio Sammartino (60), who was mercilessly taken from his life by death, was a prominent figure within the small Croatian community in southern Italy. His great commitment and perseverance are due to the fact that he spread the knowledge of his Molise Croats far beyond the Italian borders and that they finally - with significant support from representatives of the Croatian Center in Vienna and the Croatian Cultural Association in Burgenland - recently National and ethnic minorities from all over Europe have become members of the FUEN family. Antonio Sammartino is the founder of the "Foundation Agostina Piccoli" (named after the Slavicist Agostina Piccoli who died in a serious car accident outside the village of Montemitro / Mundimitar). Together with  Gabriele Blažeta and his wife Vesna Ljubić Sammartino, they have realized many ideas, projects and programs. He did all this with the aim of preserving the Croatian language in this small Croatian community and at the same time spreading knowledge and awareness about it in Italy, but also in Croatia, Austria and other countries. He also managed to get the scientific community, especially linguists and ethnologists, to take a closer look at the Croats of Molise, which in turn helped to strengthen their position in the native Campobasso region but also throughout Italy. His constant and uncompromising commitment could be posthumously successful if, with the help of the Republic of Croatia, the Croats of Molise would gain special status in Italy and finally be recognized as a national community, not just an “ancient” language group.
As the justification for the jury's decision goes on to say: "Antonio Sammartino's connection to the Burgenland Croats was special and the joint cooperation with the Croatian Center in Vienna and with the folklore ensemble Kolo-Slavuj should certainly be emphasized. There were many joint events in Vienna, but also in KUGA in Veliki Borištof, where he presented a dictionary, a cookbook, a book about the history and immigration of Molise Croats from the old to the new homeland. Last but not least, Sammartino sponsored the development of a connection with the young Molise-Croatian music group KroaTarantata from Mundimitar. At this year's ball, which took place in February for the 75th time (albeit only virtually), these young Croatians from Molise were once again one of the highlights.”

Much would not have been possible without Antonio Sammartino and much is now in the hands of his successors to realize and teach what he envisioned during his lifetime.

The Croatian Center Vienna, in cooperation with FUEN, the Central Office for Croats outside the Republic of Croatia, but above all with activists from Mundimitar, is planning to personally present the award to his daughter Francesca Sammartino and his widow Vesna Ljubić Sammartino before the summer or in early autumn to forgive. - according to the press release from the Croatian Center in Vienna from February 17, 2022.

The AGSM would like to join in the laudatory speech to Antonio Sammartino for the posthumous "Metron" award and emphasize Antonio Sammartino's commitment to the promotion and maintenance of the Croatian minority in Molise within FUEN and AGSM. Despite representing one of the smallest, if not the smallest, minority within the FUEN family, his clear messages and tireless struggle for minority rights have been immeasurable. Thank you for everything, dear Antonio! Hvala za sve, dragi Antonio! 

Here you can read the ORF article and the statement of Petar Tyran.