Events: January 2023
December 2022
February 2023
Punk and Hardcore!
January 5, 2023, 19:00
“Everything’s bad, back to the trees!” sang Modrý tanky in the late 1980s. They were one of the groups that led the punk rock revolution in Czechoslovakia between 1979 and 1989. Where and how did the movement begin? Who was involved? What were the punks all about? What did they sing about? What were their concerns? And what were their connections with disproportionately studied phenomena such as underground and alternative? These questions and more will be discussed by some of those who were there: Pavla Jonssonová from the band Dybbuk, Petr Bergmann, an activist and “rabid punk”, and Štěpán Stejskal, who documented the scene with his camera. More
Debate with Deník N: Presidential Finale
January 10, 2023, 19:00
The culmination of campaigning for the presidency, as seen by leading journalists. An analysis of the situation three days before the elections. Who has the greatest chance of success?
Restart – A Book About the Split of Czechoslovakia
January 16, 2023, 19:00
It is exactly 30 years since Czechoslovakia ceased to exist. The words most frequently used to describe that event are break-up, dissolution, separation, split. But might not it be better to see that historical moment as giving rise to two confident and successful states? That is, as a restart? With two nations that don’t despise one another, are not at one another’s throats and don’t squabble over attention but, on the contrary, respect one another and are cordial. Well-known names of various professions, experiences and age – Petr Fiala, Mikuláš Dzurinda, Michael Kocáb, Věra Jourová, Šimon Pánek, Pavel Kosatík, Tereza Nvotová, Pavel Rychetský and Karel Oliva – will ponder not only the breakup of Czechoslovakia but also what Czechs and Slovaks are going through at a time that demonstrates the importance of alliances and friendly relations. More
The Power of Reason in a Crazy Time
January 18, 2023, 19:00
Why do people choose to ignore the truth? How to have worthwhile internet discussions? Can one understand the behaviour of those who see things differently? And what can each of us do to make the earth a better place to live? More
The Crimean Peninsula: From Crossroads of Culture to Russian Colony
January 19, 2023, 19:00
The peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea has always been a bustling crossroads between Europe and Asia, its aura stemming from its history of ethnic and religious coexistence. Crimea never belonged to any one ethnic group and this made it dependent on nearby empires, which gradually narrowed down to two rivals – the Ottoman Empire and Russia. A key era for the peninsula was the Crimean Khanate, which came to an end with annexation by Catherine the Great in 1783. How does Putin’s intervention in 2014 compare with that move? What happened to the Crimean Tatars? And why do Russians believe that Crimea was and is Russian? More
Petříček, Fischer, Matějčková: You Are All Going to Die
January 23, 2023, 19:00
Presentation of a book of interviews More
Echo from the Library
January 24, 2023, 19:00
Debate series with editors from the weekly Týdeník Echo and their guests in cooperation with the Václav Havel Library. Discussion chaired by Dalibor Balšínek. For details and the names of guests visit www.Václavhavel.cz prior to the event.
Havel, Europe and the World
January 25, 2023, 19:00
The role of the Václav Havel Library in the Czech Republic’s public diplomacy More
The Free Academy: Kateřina Šedá
January 26, 2023, 19:00
Art. Community. Participation. More
Help from the North: The Czech Dissent and Friends from Norway and Scandinavia
January 31, 2023, 19:00
What was behind the strong wave of Swedish, Norwegian and Danish aid to the Czech dissent in the wake of the publication of Charter 77? Who launched it, how was it organized and how did it help democracy to return in the country? Conversely, how and who should we help today? Alongside Czechs who were there, this unique debate will feature Norwegian diplomat Øyvind Nordsletten, journalist Alf Skjeseth, Urban Westling from Sweden’s August 21 Committee, Morten Nielssen of the Danish organisation Dialog med Charta 77 and Frode Bakken from Norway’s Stottefondet for Charta 77. Adam Drda will chair the discussion. More