Outstanding dramatic works by William Shakespeare, unique artistic performances of popular actors and unusual theatre experiences – this is the Summer Shakespeare Festival – the oldest and largest open-air theatre festival of this type in Europe.
Peter Sis’s On Flying and Other Dreams is one of the exhibitions of the year in Prague. It places in a fresh context five books focused on freedom by the US-based author and illustrator, including The Wall – Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain, The Three Golden Keys and Robinson. The show was conceived by the team of Michaela Šilpochová, Leoš Válka, Ivana Brádková at venue DOX, and at the opening I asked Sis what he had made of their approach.
One of Czech Radio’s leading charity projects is in aid of the blind and visually impaired. Established in 2003, Světluška, or Firefly, annually collects around 15 million crowns to be distributed among people with impaired eyesight, not just to help them cope, but to enjoy life to the full. At the same time it raises public awareness of the problem giving the sighted a chance to find out what it is like to manage daily activities without this key sense.
The Czech Republic’s Věra Jourová, responsible for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality in the outgoing European Commission, is likely to return to Brussels in a new role and with a higher status. If her candidacy is approved by MEPs in the coming weeks, Jourová will become this country’s first Vice President as of November, and likely split the “rule-of-law” portfolio with the next EU Commissioner for Justice.
Jan Šibík 1989, a photography exhibition now running in Prague, brings to life some of the most dramatic moments of that momentous period. Šibík, who was then in his mid-20s, succeeded in capturing the police brutality that sparked the Velvet Revolution – as well as events that foreshadowed and followed it.
This week Prague has been hosting the 11th International Conference of Czech Schools Abroad. The regular event is organised by the Czech School Without Borders, an NGO that has been helping expand knowledge of the Czech language and culture for 15 years. This year the conference has featured an added tribute to the Velvet Revolution.
Hundreds of Czech scouts are currently in the United States taking part in the movement’s World Jamboree, which is being attended by 40,000 people from all around the globe. I spoke to Czech Radio’s reporter Jakub Lucký, who is on the ground in West Virginia, and asked him to tell me more about the Czech presence at this year’s international gathering:
Meda Mládková is one of those increasingly few people who have experienced the entirety of the past Czech century. She has also managed to leave her imprint on the period, becoming one of the country’s most important art connoisseurs. Ahead of her 100th birthday later this year, Kampa Museum is holding a number of events, including a play premiering on Monday.
The new Slovak president, Zuzana Čaputová, visited Prague on Thursday, in her first foreign visit. The liberal politician stressed the importance of Visegrad Four cooperation as well as expressing understanding for those who are currently taking part in protests in the Czech Republic.
The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, prides itself on bringing Czech and Slovak expats more in touch with their roots, as well as inspiring all people to connect with Czech and Slovak history and culture. The museum’s President and CEO Cecilia Rokusek visited Radio Prague’s studio to talk about its mission, current projects and outlooks for the future. I first asked her to say a few words about the museum’s history.
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