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Current AffairsInstitute director Pavel Žáček: petition against me “like voice from the past”
The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes is under pressure this
week after a petition was circulated calling for the dismissal of the
Institute’s director, Pavel Žáček. Such petitions are not uncommon in
the Czech Republic and this one – circulated by former dissident
Stanislav Penc – might have gone more or less unnoticed had it not been
signed by ex-president Václav Havel.
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ArtsNew National Museum exhibition showcases fascinating audio and video material from communist era
Za Svobodu! – called Be Free! in English – is the title of an
exhibition the Czech National Museum opened on Tuesday’s anniversary of
the start of the Velvet Revolution. It is located in the institution’s
new building, the former home of Czechoslovakia’s Federal Assembly, and
is co-curated by Lucie Swierczeková.
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Current AffairsMarch that sparked Velvet Revolution re-created in Prague
The people of the Czech Republic have been marking the 20th anniversary of
the start of the Velvet Revolution, which led to the collapse of the
country’s Communist government after over four decades of repression. The
main event on Tuesday was the re-enactment in Prague of the student
demonstration that sparked those changes in 1989.
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Current AffairsCo-founder of MOST initiative recalls initial meeting between Communist prime minister and dissident leaders
Several months ahead of the Velvet Revolution Michal Horáček, a
well-known lyricist, and rock performer Michael Kocáb founded the
initiative Most (Bridge), aimed at creating a platform to allow the
then-Communist regime to communicate with the dissidents it so often
jailed. At first, the effort was viewed as naïve, but within several
months the situation changed dramatically. After police violently cracked
down on students on November 17, the initiative grew in importance, and
eventually did succeed in bringing Communist leaders and dissidents to the
same table. More
Current AffairsNew photography exhibition documents final years of communism
Rundown buildings, empty shop-windows and ever-present grayness –
that’s the focus of a new photography exhibition called ‘Tady bylo
Husákovo’ – ‘This Once Was Husák’s Country’, which is now on
display at Prague’s Louvre Gallery. The collection of photographs by
Lubomír Kotek documents the atmosphere of Prague streets in the years
preceding the Velvet Revolution. More
Czechs TodayPrayer for Marta singer Kubišová recalls dramatic comeback during 1989's Velvet Revolution
Modlitba pro Martu, A Prayer for Marta, is a song that for many people will
be forever associated with Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution of 1989.
Performed by the 1960s Czech pop star Marta Kubišová, it had
previously come to symbolise resistance to the 1968 Soviet-led invasion. More
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