11 exemplary women were honored last night at the Acropolis Palace in Nice. The evening was punctuated with surprises.
For 19 years, this ceremony of the Women in Gold Trophies has been held. For 17 years, it took place in Courchevel, and the previous year in Paris for a special edition. With the move to Nice this year, a new trophy, the Francophonie Woman, was created.
The Awardees
Adriana Karembeu was designated Woman of Heart for her role as godmother of the French Red Cross for over 10 years. The public did not miss the chance to wish her a happy birthday. Tatiana Trouvé, a plastic artist, was named Woman of Art. Meanwhile, Catherine Barba, a web pioneer with her companies Cashstore and Malinea, was recognized with the Woman of Enterprise trophy. Claudine André, who fights for the rescue of bonobos, was crowned Woman of the Environment. Camille Muffat, a swimming champion, was awarded once again with this Women of Achievement trophy. Adèle Safi Kagarabi, who fights for women’s rights, received the Francophonie Award. Larissa Balakireva, a biotechnology researcher, was honored for her work with the Woman of Innovation trophy. Patricia Loison, a journalist for France 3, was named Woman of Media. Charlotte Le Bon, a former Canal+ weather presenter and actress, is the Revelation of the Year. Julie Ferrier, a comedian and actress, is Showwoman 2011. Judith Milgrom, creator of Maje, is the Woman of Style this year. As for Karine Lemarchand, a TV presenter, she received the Internet Users’ Choice Award from aufeminin.com.
An Evening Full of Emotions
The Rock’n Girls opened the show by reinterpreting rock titles with violins, a cello, and a viola. While Mimie Mathy made a grand entrance on stage and commented on the evening with her friend Michèle Bernier.
Singer Irma performed her latest song with guitar and vocals. Camelia Jordana gave a performance simply accompanied by piano. And Louis Bertignac closed the evening amidst applause from the audience.
The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, took the opportunity to propose to Adèle Safi Kagarabi to be the godmother of the Francophonie Games, which will take place in Nice in 2013.
She accepted with tears in her eyes after delivering a speech that moved the entire audience. She shared her fight and more about women who are mistreated around the world and who are not free.
Dare
The key word to remember is “dare”. A term advocated by the founder of the Women in Gold, Jean-Louis Sevez. And which the award winners used several times during the evening. “Dare, you have nothing to lose,” declared Catherine Barba. “Dare to do what pleases you,” added Larissa Balakireva.
