Festival of Freedom offers many different options ****************************************************************************************** * Festival of Freedom offers many different options ****************************************************************************************** How to mark November 17 which saw the start of the Velvet Revolution in 1989 Few national holidays are more significant in the Czech Republic than November 17 - markin events in their history 50 years apart: the murder of Czech students by the Nazis in 1939 repression that followed, and the start of the Velvet Revolution in 1989 that brought down in Czechoslovakia. Many Czechs (including students so central to both dates) commemorate the holiday each yea in numerous events across the country as well as in Prague: from a procession at Albertov demonstrations and concerts at Národní třída (National Street) and Prague’s Wenceslas Squa Cooperation between different non-profit associations took on a new urgency or meaning aft year when the site of Albertov was essentially co-opted by politicians for rather adverse Then, a stage offered space to populist and in some cases extreme views, a stark contrast principles, humanistic values or message of inclusion and celebration that usually are the day. Many became more engaged as a result, and Festival svobody (Festival of Freedom) now bring organisers now under one umbrella and one logo: a V for victory sign or peace that is both being jangled - the way hundreds of thousands of demonstrators back in 1989 let their disc regime be known. Earlier this week, co-organiser Jan Gregar told me more about November 17 and its meaning the events: “Frankly, I believe this holiday is the most important one all year. It is perhaps the leg of communism that we are not really celebrating national holidays, you know? This specific people a connection to civic society. Because it was ordinary people who were striving for 1989. “That said, we also should not forget the events of 1939 and students during and just prio holiday is a good impulse for us to try and attract people back to very important topics l democracy. “Over the last 29 years, developments in the Czech Republic weren’t always good – there we and some mistakes were made – but after 29 years, we are still here and we have democracy can switch at any moment. The 17th is an opportunity to remember this, in order to not rep of the past. “And we aren’t just looking back, but also towards the future which is what our Concert fo represents – the future of the Czech Republic.” JV: You mentioned the importance of not forgetting the students in 1939, students like Jan shot and nine students who were executed by the Nazis on November 17, 1939. And it was stu 1989, marking the day, in what would become the spark that began the Velvet Revolution. But we are living in somewhat politically turbulent times and a few years ago there was ki of the holiday by some politicians, most notably those with an anti-migrant stance. Did th impulse to “take the holiday back”, if I can put it in those terms? “I think there was a motivation from that but it was not the primary one. For example, as got into organising the Concert for the Future by accident to be honest. “On the other hand, I remember the feeling that year, when a platform was given to extremi very bad. There was nothing coordinated on the streets of Prague for example. So when we b the Festival of Freedom, we wanted to offer people many different possibilities to celebra was important to agree and bring together different democratic initiatives and we were bro a common purpose.” Fellow organiser Michal Zima says there is no doubt in his mind that 2015 had an impact: “It is because of that day and still it reminded us that freedom is not guaranteed or free that day brought us even more together, so that we started something new.” The festival’s Concert for the Future will be one of the big events on Saturday evening, b bands and numerous celebrities who say November 17 needs to be marked but also simply cele especially, enjoyed. Actress Tereza Voříšková, well known in both domestic and foreign productions (Grapes, The is also involved in the festival, told attendees in Prague she was only six months old in the revolution, but that its significance was not lost on her - or others of her generatio “I asked my mum what we were doing on November 17, and she said I was in the stroller on t sleeping. She was sitting by the window wondering ‘Is this it?’ And it was. “But she was worried. My father was a soldier, so there was a fear about which way things was praying and it turned out the 17th was it. I was only being breast-fed at the time, [b up] I of course learned how important it is. Freedom is the most important thing for us. I imagine what it was like to live without it.” The Velvet Carnival: An Unconventional Way of Commemorating November 17 This Saturday, a wide range of commemorative events will be taking place throughout the Cz mark the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. But a far cry from traditional wreath ceremonies will be the Velvet Carnival - a masked, satirical parade, offering a distinct a celebrate the freedoms acquired following the Velvet Revolution which began on November 17 Now in its 7th year, the Velvet Carnival (organised by Iniciativa FOR_UM) aims to act both of the sense of liberty that developed in the wake the 1989 Revolution and as an opportuni comment on political and civic events that occurred in contemporary society since - in a j satirical manner. The carnival comprises of 150-450 active participants annually and this year will include initiatives. Those involved in the parade include NGOs, civic groups, artists and students social and political issues through colourful and dramatic masks, allegorical construction pamphlets. This year the participating groups, which include Greenpeace, KC Zinta 35 and Múzy Dětem, lampooning analysis of pressing issues from social housing provision to pollution to growi and populist trends. The inspiration for the Velvet Carnival comes from the traditional Basel festival of Fasna that takes place over three days and nights between February and March each year. Basler Fasnacht is an annual display of how Swiss society processes its current situation is both critical and visual. While at a much smaller scale than its Swiss counterpart, the provides a similar opportunity to artists and activists alike. This year the carnival’s main coordinator, Olga Cieslarová, points to collaboration betwee and the parade’s growing multinational nature, “A new aspect of this year is the Swiss coo German cooperation in the festival,” she said on Wednesday, whereby a group of Swiss and G students will participate in the Velvet Parade in collaboration with students from Prague workshops, “Which is interesting in the context of education and getting to know the real The Velvet Carnival has evolved and grown since its debut in 2001, and its organisers hope combined use of creativity, jest and satire will serve to reanimate the way events of the are re-examined, interpreted and understood. This year’s Velvet Carnival will begin with a ceremonial opening at Prague’s Naměstí repub the 17th of November, where a slam poetry performance by Anatol Svahilec will take place. masked procession will travel to the Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) then on to Cha Maltese Square, through Kampa Park before eventually looping back, passing over the Legion Národní třída (National Street) by around 5 pm. The parade will make its return to Náměstí republiky for the ceremonial closing where a ‘f Tribo Fuego will wrap up this year’s festivities by 6 pm. Be sure to consult the program and festival site for details. Information in English: www.sametoveposviceni.cz/english/ [ URL "http://www.sametoveposviceni.cz/english/a"] Procession route www.sametoveposviceni.cz/mapka-pruvodu/ [ URL "www.sametoveposviceni.cz/mapka-pruvodu/"]