President Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova awards Order "8 September" to five creators

President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova presented the Order "8 September" today, September 8, 2026, at Villa Vodno in Skopje to five prominent creators: Jordan Plevnesh and Rade Siljan, and posthumously to Dzevat (Xhevat) Gega, Meto Jovanovski and Gligor Chemerski.

In her remarks, Siljanovska-Davkova underlined that although the five were active in different artistic fields — creating, researching, translating, acting and painting — their work leaves a lasting imprint that outlives a single book, play or exhibition and continues to live through those who read, watch, study and remember it.

Profiles of the honorees

Siljanovska-Davkova described Jordan Plevnesh as an important author whose literature and dramaturgy offer ways to interpret history, time and the human condition. She noted that in his work North Macedonia appears as a cultural and identity phenomenon: a mosaic of cultures and a space marked by historical and social turning points. His rich literary and dramatic output has been staged on five continents, translated into more than 50 languages and presented in over 30 countries.

"By awarding Jordan Plevnesh we recognize his exceptional creative oeuvre and contribution to Macedonian literature and dramaturgy, but also his skill in carrying the Macedonian word and making it part of the international cultural narrative," said Siljanovska-Davkova.

About Rade Siljan, the president highlighted his contributions through poetry, literary criticism, essays, anthologies and publishing, recalling his many works, awards and long engagement in the publishing world, including founding Matica Makedonska.

"We value his poetry, but also his work related to poetry, his books, and his long-standing care that the literary heritage be read, preserved and passed on to future generations," she said.

Siljanovska-Davkova also paid tribute to Dzevat (Xhevat) Gega for his scholarly contribution to the study of Albanian literature, language, history and culture and for his comparative research connecting Albanian and Macedonian literatures. Through his research, teaching and translations, Gega helped deepen understanding of the cultural links between the two literary traditions.

Regarding Meto Jovanovski, the president recalled his long and visible presence on stage and screen and his work as a teacher and director. "With his passing in 2023, Macedonian theatre and film lost a great actor, but he left roles and achievements that testify to an important chapter in Macedonian stage and film art," the president said.

Finally, she emphasized Gligor Chemerski as one of the country’s leading visual artists whose work connects past and present. Drawing inspiration from Macedonian cultural and historical heritage — from antiquity and the medieval period to fresco painting and popular memory — Chemerski contributed through painting, graphics, mosaics, frescoes and monumental works in several towns across the country.

"In his works motifs belonging to different times and cultural layers meet, but for him they are not only quotes from the past, they are part of a new artistic reading of the human being, history and the space we inhabit," she said.

Photo: press material from the event