Topic Archive Society
The black experience in the Czech Republic
In the past 20 years, the number of foreigners living in the Czech Republic
has increased dramatically as a consequence of the opening of the Iron
Curtain. Still, the country is far from being as diverse as most other
European nations, for example France or Germany, and the vast majority of
the Czech population remains Caucasian. During communism, the few black
people who lived here stuck out like a sore thumb. Nowadays, their number
has of course increased, but the size of the black community is still quite
small. More
The story of a successful Fine Arts studio
It was almost two years ago that then-fresh graduate Nina Mainerová set
out with a colleague to open a professional architectural studio. But soon
after their launch, the bills piled up and they were forced to modify their
plans. First, they began offering preparatory classes for students applying
to university; then they extended their workshops to include drawing and
painting. More
Czech charity helps save unwanted racing greyhounds from Ireland
A few hours of browsing the web changed Lucie Poučova’s life forever.
After accidentally coming upon a site reporting on the fate of unwanted
racing greyhounds in Ireland she decided to get involved and now runs an
animal welfare organization dedicated to re-homing unwanted greyhounds from
Ireland and Spain with families in the Czech Republic. More
Government renames airport after Havel, but botches translation
After three months of waiting and some sideline debates, the government has
agreed to rename Prague’s international airport after the late president
Václav Havel. While the Havel family and the tens of thousands who asked
for the change are pleased there has finally been some progress, a new
problem has arisen with the English translation of the airport’s name.
Christian Falvey has this report. More
Concert, screening at Prague’s Lucerna to mark day against racism
March 21st is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination and to mark the occasion organisers from Opona, a non-profit
NGO, have helped put together an exhibition, screening and concert to take
place on Wednesday afternoon and evening at Prague’s Lucerna. Several
notable Czech artists, including Ester Kočičková Xindl X, and the Tap
Tap are taking part. More
Party game challenges players to change lousy lifestyles
You’ve just had a tough day at work, your family is making more and more
demands, you’re smoking and drinking too much and if you’re not careful
you could wind up dead. Sound dire? Well certainly – but only in real
life. Here, we’re talking about your character in a new Czech game; one
where players compete to change their lifestyles or else. More
Prague’s Výtopna restaurant a hit with families, tourists & train fans
Many will remember the joy of getting toy trains as children and watching
them zoom down the electric track. Now, somewhat unusually, that innocent
excitement can now be relived at a popular Czech restaurant. Located in
Brno, Prague and elsewhere, Výtopna is a venue like no other where toy
engines – not waiters – deliver drinks to your table. For a country not
big on theme-restaurants it has become surprisingly popular: a big hit
especially for families with young kids. More
Facebook opens up new ways of communication to senior citizens
For the majority of younger people today, life without social media is
unimaginable. Posting pictures and videos, sharing the latest news and
keeping on top of events –many aspects of daily life take place on sites
like Facebook or Twitter. But do senior citizens use this new technology,
and if so, for what? We went along to a social media course at Prague’s
Elpida center for the elderly. More
Petr Lom – an academic who left his job to pursue his dream of working as a documentary film maker
Independent documentary director and producer Petr Lom was born in
Czechoslovakia but spent most of his life abroad – in Canada and the U.S.
His latest film, “Back to the Square” was selected as the opening film
at this year’s edition of the One World International Film Festival,
where he is also on the jury. Before becoming a film maker, Petr Lom was
actually an academic – until one day he quit his job and never looked
back. I asked him about his films, which focus on countries such as Iran
and Egypt, his connection to One World and his big career change. More
“Radioactivists” – a documentary at the One World festival explores Japanese protests in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster
As part of this year’s edition of the One World International Human
Rights Film Festival, which is currently on in Prague, the German-produced
independent documentary Radioactivists – Protest in Japan provides a rare
and up-close look at Japanese protests in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear
disaster. It is being shown in the Youth Quake category, which features
films that portray young people’s struggle for change in countries around
the world. I asked co-director Clarissa Seidel, who made the film together
with her good friend Julia Leser, about Japanese protest culture and
whether she was at all interested in the country prior to the film project. More
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