Oko! Magazine Edition 6

MAGAZINE

N°6

Rejoice

Nov/Dec 2019

From the Editor It’s our last edition of 2019, and what a year we’ve had here at Oko! From our very first edition, “Take Off”, to the final installment of the year, “Rejoice”, there have been plenty of ups and downs – but we’re pleased to say that the magazine is going from strength to strength. Throughout the first year of our journey, we have had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people, without whom the magazine might not have been possible. Along the way, we have gained a greater understanding of our readers and have also learned many valuable lessons that will help to make Oko! become bigger and even better in the future.

As the holiday season draws closer, we feel that now is a great time to give thanks to all those who have been involved with Oko! Firstly, we’d like to thank all our readers for their support during Oko!’s first year in circulation.

We appreciate it, and hope to repay your loyalty with more original and increasingly innovative content in the coming editions.

Next, we would like to acknowledge the Oko! team, from the writers and photographers to the designers and the editing team. Your talents and dedication toward Oko!’s vision have been invaluable and we can’t wait to get creative with you all in 2020. Lastly, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to our partners, all of whom have played a crucial role in the success of the magazine during 2019. Thank you for believing in us and for your continued support.

We’re delighted to announce that we have big things planned for next year, including new categories which will be revealed in the January/February issue, and we’re very excited to be working on some incredible articles for the first few editions of 2020.

In this edition of Oko!, we turn our attention to the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, while also taking a glimpse into North America’s ties with the Czech Republic and the community’s influence on the nation.

With the holiday season upon us, we also take a look at some of the lesser-known Christmas traditions outside the capital, and share tips on the best wines and winter warmers this festive season.

Our tech section covers the controversial world of 5G and gives us some insight into what we can expect from the digital world in 2020, while our regular “In the Spotlight” feature delves into the trendy, café-filled neighbourhood of Karlín.

We’ve also got some great articles on skiing and snowboarding, herbal remedies to beat the flu, fashion to combat the wrath of winter, and much more!

On behalf of the whole Oko! team, we would like to wish all our readers a very happy holiday season!

Until next time, Leigh Woods P.S. We’d like to give a special mention to Oko! mascots Chopper, Biscuit, and Totoro – the three pooches responsible for Oko!’s stars aligning.

COMMUNITY The Lion in the Land of the Free Czech Holidays Struggle Against Americanisation Carp, Lentils, and the Baby Jesus

COMMUNITY 4 6 8

HISTORY The Velvet Revolution: 30th Anniversary Emigrant Stories Barbara Benish

=0ORY 12 19 20

ARTS & DESIGN Zana Ni Angles, Diamonds, and Crystals Winter Fashion Photo Reportage Julie Orlova

ARTS & DESIGN 24 26 30 32

MUSIC Revolution Built on a Rock Base Creativity in Education

MUSIC 38 42

FOOD & DRINK Eska Restaurant Tomáš Valkovič Wines for the Holiday Season La Cave D’Adrien Yemeni Coffee

OD & DRINK 44 46 50 52 54

SPOTLIGHT Karlín in the Spotlight

SPOTLIGHT 56

SPECIAL 30 Years of Freedom

SPECIAL 60

TECHNOLOGY Technology Trends in 2020 5G Our Next Pandora’s Box?

TECHNOLOGY 64 66

SPORTS Where to Hit the Slopes This Season

SPORTS 68

HEALTH Combat the Flu with the Power of Nat-achoo!

HEALTH 70

ENTERTAINMENT Catching Snowflakes - Fiction

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The Lion in the Land of the Free

A History of Czech Communities in the United States of America

By Martin Nekola Ph.D. People in Bohemia, a land in the very heart of Europe, deprived of high mountains and the sea, were always attracted by exotic, far-flung lands. At the end of the 15th century, news of the discovery of the New World spread through Central Europe, and the first Czech written tract about America was already published by 1506. Some eight decades later, the chronicles mentioned Joachim Gans, a metallurgist from Prague who landed in the territory of today’s North Carolina and Virginia in the company of an expedition of British colonists. We can’t forget Augustin Heřman, adventurer, diplomat and cartographer, who left Bohemia in the dark times of religious oppression after the Battle of White Mountain and settled in New Amsterdam in 1633. He found success as a businessman through land speculation and became famous for making the first detailed map of Virginia and Maryland. In the rich amount of historical material from the next two centuries, we can find a long series of Czech-sounding surnames, mostly brave individuals who went through the miserable and gruelling journey across the Atlantic Ocean to find their fortunes on the mysterious continent to the West.

The truly massive emigration wave from Bohemia to America began after the 1848 revolution and the onset of the Habsburg monarchy’s absolutism towards subjugated nations. Thousands of Czech families left everything behind and, driven by the desire for cheap or completely free farmland, moved to the German harbours of Hamburg or Bremen, where they boarded steamers, heading to New York, Baltimore, New Bern, or Galveston. On American soil, most Czechs settled in large agricultural states such Courtesy of the Frank S. Magallon Collection. Czech immigrants in Chicago. as Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, while a significant number made a good living as construction workers, miners, brewers, cigar makers, craftsmen, of numerous Czech urban communities and rural settlements with a specific national character and a rising number of educational, and in other professions in growing industrial metropolises, especially Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, New York, and Milwaukee. supportive, singing, sports, dramatic, and entertainment associations. Based on historical sources from 1920 we know, for example, Throughout the second half of the 19th century, with the excepthat five hundred Czech associations, clubs, and organisations tion being the years of the American Civil War, more Czechs kept coming. At its peak at the turn of the century, the annual average existed in Chicago alone. was about 10,000 people. Some authors estimate that roughly 350,000 Czechs moved overseas between 1850 and 1914. Tens Neither should the phenomenon of Czech education in the USA be forgotten. In general, European immigrant communities focused of thousands more arrived as a result of the German occupation of their efforts on building churches first, while the Czechs were rather Bohemia in 1939, the Communist takeover in 1948, and the Soviet invasion in 1968. Based on the latest US census, there are almost more likely to be establishing schools and other educational institutions. Not all of them were administered by the Catholic Church. For 1,900,000 Americans of Czech origin living in the country today. example, data from 1945 refer to 121 Catholic municipal schools with 21,276 pupils, six secondary schools, and five higher vocational Looking back on the long history of Czech communities in the USA, schools. All these used Czech as the first language of instruction. we find amazing stories of success, encouraging the national spirit and new hope, in contrast to the oppressive regimes back home.

Some 20,000 Czech Protestants living in the USA sent their children mainly to English-speaking schools. Many Czechs in the USA abanOn the other hand, integration into the American “melting pot” and doned the Catholic faith and the institution of the church, perceived coexistence with the larger German, Polish, Irish, and Italian immigrant communities were not always smooth. Czech settlers often as one of the symbols of Habsburg supremacy. These people called themselves Rationalists or Freethinkers. They sought absolute had to deal with prejudice, with various problems arising from their political and religious freedom; some groups even evolved their own limited knowledge of English, and cultural and religious differences. egalitarian ideology. Freethinkers provided more than 100 schools At the end, the newcomers, or their children, managed to adapt to with 10,000 students, primarily in the New York and Chicago areas. the demands of their new country. A possible feeling of alienation and the need to maintain ties to other compatriots also proved itself to be beneficial in some sense, namely that it led to the foundation

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Czech patriots in the 19th century left Bohemia because of resistance to Germanisation and the restriction of their national and cultural identity. After they arrived in America, they clung even more tightly to their language and folk customs. Their ethnic press actually served as a crucial tool. The first Czech-American periodicals were published in very modest conditions, thanks to the immense dedication and enthusiasm of their editors and subscribers, who were willing to pay regularly. We might call František Kořízek the pioneer in this regard. He published Slowan Amerikánský magazine in Wisconsin on 1 January 1860. He did not hesitate to pledge his own house for the money to buy printing machines and paper. He went bankrupt soon after, as did many others. Dozens of periodicals, however, survived and became an integral part of Czech communities across the States. In October 1875, the former teacher August Geringer was responsible for Svornost (Unity) in Chicago, the first Czech daily newspaper. Its circulation quickly increased to 10,000 copies. Geringer managed to build a press conglomerate, offering a wide spectrum of Czech-related periodicals. Another example of a successful periodical is the magazine Hospodář (Homesteader) published after 1890 and up to today. Its content originally consisted of correspondents’ contributions about their experience in rural areas of the American Midwest and the farm life.

Obviously most Czech-Americans these days are fully assimilated and only a small percentage is still able to communicate in Czech.

Nevertheless, some reminders from the glorious past are still present. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Archives of Czechs and Slovaks Abroad in Chicago still hold archival material of great historical value. Small Czech museums in Texas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and other states keep unique collections of Czech-American books, music, and arts. Czech heritage festivals take place in Nebraska and Kansas every year. The Czech embassy in Washington, DC, three general consulates, and a network of ten honorary consulates, including one in Hawaii, make sure the links between the Czech Republic and Czech communities remain close. The list can be easily expanded, but to summarise we can state that the development of our nation’s “American branch” has always been an indivisible and important part of our history.

Czech emigrants waving from the SS President Harding, 1935.

As for further reading, let me highly recommend the book Češi v Americe/Czechs in America (Epocha, 2018) by Ivan Dubovický, available both in Czech and English.

About the Author Martin Nekola, Ph.D. is a political scientist and historian, born in Prague. He studied at Charles University in Prague and was a Fulbright post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University. His research focuses on the Cold War émigrés and the Czech communities in the USA. He is the author of three hundred articles and has published twelve books in the past ten years. He is a member of The Association for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences. He works closely with the Bohemian National Hall in New York City and T.G. Masaryk School in Chicago.

Immigrants to America 1867

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Czech Holidays Struggle Against Americanisation

An Uphill Battle Against Global Advertising to Preserve Local Traditions

By Raymond Johnston

Who brings presents on Christmas doesn’t exactly sound like a cultural battleground, but it has been an issue since the 1990s. And that isn’t the only holiday in the Czech Republic trying to fight the overpowering influence of North America.

Halloween has been making inroads at the expense of All Souls Day (Dušičky). The previously unknown Valentine’s Day is also establishing firm roots. And stores now routinely have Black Friday sales, despite the previous day not being Thanksgiving anywhere in Europe.

In the Czech Republic, Christmas is celebrated on the evening of 24 December, not the morning of 25 December, as it is in the United States. That’s not the only difference. Santa Claus doesn’t come down the chimney, fill up on milk and cookies, and leave presents.

Instead, Baby Jesus (Ježíšek) comes through the window to drop off gifts and then rings a bell on his way out.

Many Czechs had long objected to Santa, and the movement Zachraňte Ježíška (Protect Ježíšek) took up the fight in 2008. One of the co-founders, politician Tomáš Zdechovský of the Christian Democrats, became concerned when his son expected twice as many presents due to both Santa and Ježíšek coming.

Co-founder Jitka Fialová said factors helping the growing popularity of Santa include merchants who import non-Czech decorations, and the willingness of people to buy them. Advertising and American films also play a role. Czechs are among the most atheistic people in the world, and children don’t know much about Baby Jesus, but see lots about Santa and the North Pole, she added.

The movement, though, has made little progress. “Sometimes it feels like fighting against windmills,” she said on the movement’s tenth anniversary last year.

In 2018, leaflet firm Česká distribuční said that 43% of Christmas advertising fliers use Western imagery, including cartoon characters, and only 28% had traditional Czech themes.

Children used to fast on 24 December, hoping to see the Golden Pig appear. This would allow the parents to concentrate on getting fresh carp and potato salad ready for Christmas dinner, without having to make breakfast or lunch. Convenient packaged foods have made this trick unnecessary, but some younger people still try.

Several other traditions, such as making boats out of wax-filled walnut shells to tell the future, are also fading, as they are too slowpaced for the videogame generation.

Watching Czechoslovak fairy-tale films on TV is still popular, but with the growth of streaming services, American holiday fare is starting to nibble away at the monopoly that fairy tales had back when there were only two TV state-run channels.

Czechs also have a long tradition for Dušičky on 2 November. On the closest weekend, families go to cemeteries, clean graves, and reflect on their departed relatives.

Photo by Toni Cuenca

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Photo by Srikanta H. U

However, Halloween – celebrated on 31 October – started becoming popular as a party night for expats in the 1990s. But now those expats have children and in some areas, the kids dress up in costumes and go from door to door trick-or-treating.

Zoos have been using Halloween as a way to attract young visitors in the normally slow autumn season. For several years now, the Brno Zoo has given away pumpkins for carving and hosted costume competitions. Dvůr Králové Zoo now follows suit, with hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns lighting the grounds, spooky decorations, and evening tours.

A backlash against Halloween began in 2015, when South Moravian politician Roman Celý, also a Christian Democrat, became upset that his son’s school was requiring Halloween costumes. His son, he claimed, had no interest in American traditions. These practices were turning Dušičky into a parody, Celý said at the time.

But woe betide the person who ignores Santa, scoffs at Valentine’s Day, or denies a child a costume. The tide of global marketing cannot be turned back by a few internet petitions.

However, the traffic hasn’t all been in the same direction. Krampus, a hairy, horned figure who comes around to punish bad children on 5 December, has recently been expanding his territory from the mountains of Central Europe and now terrorises kids worldwide.

And the 1973 Czech movie version of Cinderella is an indispensable part of Christmas — in Norway.

There is room for different ways to celebrate holidays, with everyone being able to honour their own traditions or explore new ones. As with every other part of a culture, from food to music, celebrations evolve over time by blending in other influences so they can accommodate everyone.

And ask any Czech what the holiday for young lovers is, and they will tell you it is 1 May. So far there has been no significant official movement against Valentine’s Day on 14 February, but it is easy to hear the rumblings of people who feel they face double taxation on their relationship by having to celebrate twice.

Both Halloween and Valentine’s Day are driven by marketing, as the Czech versions had virtually no commercial aspect. On 1 May, people simply kiss under a blossoming tree, which is free. Dušičky just requires a few candles. Cut flowers, candy, and costumes are where the money’s at.

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Carp, Lentils, and the Baby Jesus Christmas Traditions in the Czech Republic

By Ro Daniels Prague in December is a postcard. With its wooden market stalls, snow-dusted spires, and steaming cauldrons of svařák, Old Town Square looks like a scene from a fairytale. Tourists from all over the world come to the city on the hunt for handmade gifts and seasonal delicacies, not to mention aesthetic Christmas vibes – and they won’t be disappointed: the Czech Republic does Christmas well.

Prague’s Christmas markets are the most famous in the country for good reason. Over 200 stalls are set up in centres across the city, selling everything from decorations to handmade crafts and the obligatory trdelník and slabs of roast ham. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Czech Republic’s best Christmas experiences are confined to the capital – but as far as making your December a memorable one goes, Prague is the tip of the iceberg.

Take, for example, the South Bohemian city of Český Krumlov. As well as its own Christmas markets – open until 6 January, by the way, so don’t worry if your calendar is filling up already – it plays host to a rather unusual annual tradition. If you’ve visited Český Krumlov before, you’ll be familiar with the city’s bear keeping tradition, which dates back at least 400 years. Tourists flock to the castle to see Vok, Kateřina, their cub Hubert, and Hubert’s mate, the imperiously named Marie Terezie.

Christmas is a particularly busy time for the city’s furry residents, who are the focal point for its seasonal celebrations. Children are encouraged to leave presents for the bears – under strict supervision from the bear keepers – under a Christmas tree. And what do bears want for Christmas? The same as the rest of us: sweets. Kids

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leave sweet pastries, apples and, of course, honey for the bears, and on 24 December, the animals are allowed to eat everything that has been left for them. According to the bear keepers, their diet has to be significantly restricted in January to offset their Christmas feast. We’ve all been there.

If animals are your thing, you might like to visit the Bethlehem exhibition in Plzeň’s city hall. As well as sheep and donkeys, the nativity scene features Plzeň residents taking on the roles of the wise men and shepherds. The exhibition will open at the end of November and runs until 23 December.

Christmas markets are fantastic places to source unusual presents for your loved ones, but they’re nothing without a great atmosphere.

The markets in České Budějovice are known for their musical entertainment – buglers, pipers, and folk groups serenade the Christmas shoppers on Přemysl Otakar II Square, and a small stage hosts local bands. Olomouc is particularly festive in December, with its array of Nuremberg punch on sale (think mulled wine with extra rum, cherry brandy, or orange liquor). Ten varieties of gift basket are available all month.

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As any good Czech resident knows, the saying should be less “Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat,” and more “Christmas is coming, put the carp in the bath.” Most residents of the Czech Republic are familiar with the country’s more eccentric seasonal traditions, but even those of us who’ve been trying to spot Ježíšek since childhood don’t always know the stories behind our winter customs.

Take, for example, the golden piglet. Anyone wandering through the Christmas market on Wenceslas Square will notice the little gold figurines for sale at some of the stalls. Reminiscent of classic piggy banks, these are symbols of wealth, prosperity, and of the beginning of the end of winter. If buying a piglet at the Christmas markets is good luck, it’s even better to see one. Legend says that you might catch a glimpse of a golden piglet if you successfully fast for the whole of Štědrý den (24 December). Don’t worry though – you won’t be too hungry. You just need to avoid meat for the day, and, yes, you can still enjoy your Christmas dinner in the evening without ruining your chances of spotting the lucky pig.

Nowadays, the piglet has achieved legendary status, its place in Czechs’ hearts cemented by an adorable Kofola advert that has run every Christmas for over a decade. However, while the tradition of lucky golden animals is centuries old, pigs haven’t always reigned supreme. Our ancestors would have been equally happy to have seen a glittering lamb, calf, or other baby barnyard creature.

Photo by Markus Spiske

Just as gilt farmyard animals have symbolised prosperity since time immemorial, so too has a deceptively modest vegetable. Lentils, perhaps because of their resemblance to coins, have been associated with wealth since Ancient Roman times, when they were used in midwinter Saturnalia celebrations to represent abundance.

Millennia later, lentils are an important part of any New Year spread in the Czech Republic, as per the phrase “čočka na Nový rok, štěstí po celý rok” (lentils at New Year, good luck all year long).

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Whilst the traditionalists amongst you might insist on cooking your lentils with smoked meat, egg, and pickles, the actual preparation of the dish isn’t important, as far as lentils’ fortuitous properties are concerned, anyway. Just remember – the more lentils you eat, the richer you’ll be in 2020, so find your favourite dhal recipe and pile your plate.

No recounting of Czech seasonal traditions can be complete without mention of the iconic fried carp. Baffling locals and visitors alike, this dish is a mainstay of the Czech Christmas dinner and is regarded with affection and disgust in equal measure. It’s surprising, considering how essential the dish has become, that it is one of the youngest Czech traditions. The earliest mention of Christmas carp dates to the end of the 19th century, and the first instance of carp in its recognisable form – fried with potato salad – appeared in cookbooks in the 1920s, less than a century ago.

Indeed, the dish didn’t gain mainstream acceptance until as late as the 1950s, when its cheapness and availability in post-war Czechoslovakia, combined with an elevated public interest in fried food, catapulted it onto the national stage. Even more attractive, lean carp could be bought in the weeks leading up to Christmas and fattened in the family bathtub.

If you live in Prague and are intimidated by the idea of fattening, slaughtering, and frying your own carp, you might decide to go to a restaurant on 24 December. Unlike in smaller towns, Prague’s gastronomic scene barely slows down at Christmas, and many restaurants offer set menus to allow people to sample a traditional štědrovečerní večeře. Prices range from 739 CZK at U Vejvodů to 3,500 CZK for an eight-course tasting meal at Terasa U Zlaté Studně. Booking is essential.

and parts of Germany and Switzerland, and depicted variously as a young man, a toddler, or even a baby. Curious children who try and stay awake to catch a glimpse of Ježíšek himself, however, have conflicting reports on what he looks like.

The idea of gifts being brought by baby Jesus dates back to the 16th century, and the idea’s popularity is credited to Martin Luther, who popularised him in the hope that he would remind people of the true meaning of the season and supersede pagan Christmas traditions.

Baby Jesus replaced svatý Mikuláš/St. Nicholas as the deliverer of presents. Mikuláš/Nick isn’t completely redundant, though, as he continues to lay presents under trees in other countries across the world, under the alias of Santa Claus.

It might seem a little strange that children in the Czech Republic, considered one of the least religious societies in the world, write letters to baby Jesus; indeed, the tradition was threatened under socialism. In 1952, Prime Minister Antonín Zápotocký gave an impassioned speech imploring Czechs to reject Ježíšek and adopt the Soviet-approved Děda Mráz instead. Unfortunately for Grandfather Frost, Czechs stuck with Baby Jesus, and the tradition continues to this day.

No matter what your beliefs are, and whether you back Santa Claus, Ježíšek, or even Děda Mráz, there’s one thing we can all agree on: lentils and sparkly pigs are good news. The great thing about these superstitions, too, is that they’re centered around ensuring happiness and prosperity for the coming year. If you’re worried about what the future might bring, Czech tradition has a hack: eat a bunch of lentils, look for the golden piglet, and you’ll be sure to have a lucky 2020.

Windows of shopping centres across the country might be invaded by a bearded, red-suited gentleman with a sack around Christmastime, but don’t be deceived: Father Christmas doesn’t bring Czech children gifts. Instead, toys are left under the tree by Ježíšek, known as Ježiško in Slovakia, Jézuska in Hungary, and Christkind in Austria

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! m a r T A n I s The Real Fun Begin

Show your employees you care and take them to your company event in style. A ride on a deluxe T3 CoupĂŠ tram with a glass of champagne is a great way to start a company event and party.

You can modify the ride exactly to your needs, liven it up with refreshments and evoke a stylish atmosphere by connecting your own equipment, including a tablet or mobile device.

Contact: obchod@dpp.cz More information about tram rentals http://www.dpp.cz/jizdytram

The Velvet Revolution: 30th Anniversary A Chance to Reflect and Take Stock

By Anežka Novák and Herbert van Lynden

Kdy – když ne teď?

Kdo – když ne my?

A plaque commemorating 17 November 1989 as the beginning of the Velvet Revolution is affixed to the Charles University Natural Sciences Faculty building at Albertov 2038/6, where speeches were given to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the execution of seven students and one professor during the Nazi occupation in 1939, which is commemorated by International Students’ Day. In 1989, the student march was sanctioned by the authorities to leave from this point and end at the National Cemetery at Vyšehrad.

The student organisers didn’t know whether 300 or 3,000 people would turn up – to their surprise a crowd of approximately 15,000 joined. Part of the crowd did not disperse at Vyšehrad, but marched on to the city. The closer it got to the centre, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the more the spirit of ’68 took control of the marching crowd. Those were the days of student protests all around the world and the short-lived self-liberation of the Czechoslovak people from the authoritarian socialist system during the Prague Spring.

The commemoration of the oppression suffered by Czech students several generations earlier turned into a protest against what these 1989 students themselves had been experiencing daily throughout their whole lives – the curtailment of their freedom by a totalitarian regime that almost nobody respected but many feared. This had been the status quo for more than 40 years by then, since the Communists took power in 1948.

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If not now, when?

If not us, who?

In Narodní třída, the demonstrators were stopped by a cordon of white-helmeted riot police, and after a peaceful standoff, a special commando unit in red berets joined the riot police, using their batons to violently beat the small crowd and force them out through a narrow laneway, the only remaining exit. Despite the injuries they sustained, this did not break the resolve of the students to subvert the system. Every day following International Students’ Day, more and more people came to the centre of Prague to protest. As the news began to spread, protests broke out all over the country. It was not possible to extinguish the fire fanned by the winds of change that had already reduced to ashes the Soviet Union-backed communist regimes in neighbouring Poland, Hungary, and the DDR. When the leader of the Czechoslovak government, Ladislav Adamec, went to Moscow to seek advice and assistance from the Kremlin as to how to handle the protests, he was not even able to obtain a meeting. That was how far the Soviet General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev, had moved away from the Brezhnev doctrine expounded by the Soviet leadership in regard to the Warsaw Pact invasion that quashed the Prague Spring in 1968.

HISTORY

As Timothy Garton Ash, the renowned British historian who has written extensively about Central and Eastern Europe and was a “participant observer” of the events of 1989, describes it in a video interview with Dr. Stefan Auer, recorded at the University of Hong Kong earlier this year and available on YouTube: “Think back to the Magic Lantern theatre in Prague. Here were my friends and dissidents Václav Havel and his colleagues – intellectuals, playwrights, novelists, philosophers, still in their cardigans chain-smoking – who had absolutely no experience with economics or government or anything of that kind and suddenly, miraculously, within a few weeks, they were going to be running the country.

Imagine that.”

Six weeks after the Velvet Revolution had begun, on 29 December 1989, the Federal Assembly voted in the dissident playwright Václav Havel as the interim president until elections could be held the following year. Czechoslovakia had ceased being a communist country and was officially in a period of transition to becoming a democracy and a market economy again after more than 40 years.

The Czechoslovak communist leaders proved to be mere figureheads of the Kremlin, who understood that further resistance was futile and had resigned and transferred all their power without any bloodshed to Občanské forum (Civic Forum), the ad hoc committee founded by mainly dissidents and signatories of Charter 77.

Petr Pithart, one of the founders of Občanské forum, was insistent that the transition to democracy should not include a focus on the wrongs of the past, but rather on the future. While there was a commission with a ten-year mandate to investigate “crimes committed during the former totalitarian regime,” there were very few convictions and a general reluctance to engage in a reckoning with the past in the way that the former DDR did, or later the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission under the leadership of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

However, Garton Ash, in an interview with NRC Handelsblad, commented, “Compromises were made that were morally reprehensible and the effects of these compromises are still noticeable today.

There should have been truth commissions to deal with the legacy of the past. To hold the nomenklatura publicly accountable. Instead the apparatchiks from before 1989 have become the multimillionaires of today.”

He further posited, “The most absurd example of someone who has fully exploited the transition is Andrej Babiš. During the period of communism he was an informant of the secret police (an agent, according to the Slovak courts – authors) and then he became an enormously rich businessman once the country became a market economy. He established a populist political party, which appeals particularly to those who believe they have not profited sufficiently from the transition. People who think they have suffered an historic injustice.”

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What was achieved in the 15 years up until European Union accession in May 2004 is regarded by Garton Ash as “incredible.” That by this time there was “a halfway functioning market economy. Something like a liberal democracy, some elements of the rule of law and civil society … Ten years on in 1999, even twenty years on in 2009, we were still celebrating this extraordinary achievement and the fact that the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe had gone on to become members of the European Union and NATO. Thirty years on the picture looks very different.”

In reaction to the perceived corruption and unsuitability of the current premier, Andrej Babiš, a growing segment of the population has voiced its disapproval by supporting the protest movement Milion Chvilek pro Demokracii, which has grown considerably throughout the Czech Republic over the past year. It culminated in a mass protest at Letná on 23 June this year, where it was estimated that 250,000 to 300,000 people gathered – the largest protest since November 1989.

As recent events surrounding Boris Johnson and his attempts to prorogue the UK Parliament remind us, democracy is not a given and must be protected by an independent judiciary above the call of political interest. It is a continuing battle without a magic formula.

How the Czech Republic develops in the next ten years will depend on the strength of civil society, as embodied by initiatives such as Milion Chvilek, versus the “voice of the people” as described by Pehe in his blog and exemplified by the words of a taxi driver, “(If) those above would settle everything among themselves, everything could be solved much sooner. And there would be calm and wellbeing.” Democracy vs. authoritarianism – which way is the Czech Republic heading?

The author would like to acknowledge the publication RESPEKT Special: 1989 Nejlepší rok v dějinách – Jak se rodila svobodná společnost. Ročník V, č.3/2019, published on 25 September 2019.

In addition, there are concerns that President Miloš Zeman has acted in an unconstitutional manner. Jiří Pehe, the noted Czech political scientist, commented in a blog on ČRo Plus: “In the last three decades, the Czech Republic has simply not moved to a clear understanding that without respect for the rules of the game, including the highest, namely constitutional law, which without its enforcement is being broken, the democratic system starts to move on very thin ice. The creation of a fully-fledged democracy, in which the rule of law stands above politics, is still far from being a given.”

Photos by Gampe

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About Martin Martin Nekola, Ph.D. is a political scientist and historian, born in Prague. He studied at Charles University in Prague and was a Fulbright post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University. His research focuses on the Cold War ĂŠmigrĂŠs and the Czech communities in the USA. He is the author of three hundred articles and has published twelve books in the past ten years.

He is a member of The Association for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences. He works closely with the Bohemian National Hall in New York City and T.G. Masaryk School in Chicago.

He is the coordinator of the Czechoslovak Talks (www.czechoslovaktalks.com/en) project, collecting interesting life stories of Czechs abroad.

Photo by Roman Boed

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HISTORY

Emigrant Stories

Dissidents Forced to Emigrate

By Anežka Novák Victims of Communism 1948 – 1989: 205 486 sentenced – 248 hanged – 4 500 died while in prison – 327 killed on the borders – 170 938 citizens emigrated (escaped/fled) The total numbers of victims during the whole communist period are written on the bronze strip running from the top of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism, all the way down to the bottom step. Situated on the left slope of Petřín Hill in Prague and designed by the once-banned sculptor Olbram Zoubek, it is now a popular spot for tourists to take selfies. A nearby plaque in English states that the sculpture is not only in memory of those who were executed or imprisoned, but also those whose lives were ruined by the totalitarian regime, such as the children or spouses of political prisoners (usually wives, as many more men were imprisoned).

In the aftermath of the Warsaw Pact invasion and quashing of the Prague Spring in August 1968, many Czechoslovaks chose to flee their homeland – it was still possible to exit the country, until the borders were closed again in January 1970.

In the later period of communism in the 1970s and 1980s, referred to as normalizace or normalisation, life in Czechoslovakia was to return to “normal,” as it was before the reforms enacted under the leadership of Alexander Dubček from January to August 1968. The reforms were gradually dismantled, especially when the hardliner Gustáv Husák replaced Dubček as First Secretary of the Communist Party in April 1969.

Subsequently, a small group including Václav Havel, already known as a playwright in the West, initiated a more organised opposition in the form of Charter 77, a document calling the government to account for breaking its pledge to honour human rights by signing the Helsinki Accords in 1975. Originally signed by 242 individuals and disseminated publicly in January 1977, the document contained a pledge to monitor abuses of human rights, such as the detaining and imprisonment of those opposed to the regime. The signatories also sought a just and free society in which there could be dialogue with the government in order to solve problems regarding human rights abuses. The government’s reaction to Charter 77 was further repression and persecution of the dissidents who had signed it.

This took the form of being dismissed from jobs, constantly being followed, being subject to home searches at any time, being taken in for questioning (which could result in an interrogation with possible physical abuse and torture), and threats of forbidding their children to study both during the non-compulsory secondary school years and at any university.

While the methods of quelling dissent may not have been as harsh as during the Stalinist years immediately after the Communist coup in February 1948, there were a number of cases where the cause of death was unclear, or when death occurred soon after an interrogation during which the dissident had been beaten. The philosopher Jan Patočka, one of the original signatories of Charter 77 and one of its first spokespeople, died on 13 March 1977 after a brutal interrogation some days before.

The regime wished to silence the dissidents and to this end, they devised akce Asanace (Operation Clearance) with the aim of forcing dissidents into exile by making their lives so unbearable that they saw no choice other than emigration. Notable Charter 77 signatories who were forced to emigrate include the musicians and songwriters Jaroslav Hutka and Vlastimil Třešňák, the Evangelical minister Svatopluk Karásek, the actor Pavel Landovský, and the writer Petruška Šustrová.

While the easiest way for a state to ban a citizen from its territory was to strip the person of their citizenship while abroad so that they simply could not return, it was much harder for a state to force a citizen to emigrate and give up their citizenship. Even in the former Soviet Bloc countries, the citizen’s consent was necessary. After normalizace had begun, those who stayed in the country and opposed the regime were normally not willing to leave voluntarily.

Hutka said in a 2011 interview with ČT24 that he had never considered emigration before. As he put it, “I had even considered it a betrayal … At that time (after 1968) I saw it very starkly, that a person must stay and keep going until the bitter end.”

Ten years later, the situation was very different for Hutka. “The StB (State Security Service) officers said to me that I only have two choices, either emigration or imprisonment, that they will no longer allow me to run around the streets … My wife at that time then more or less persuaded me that we should emigrate because it seemed as if I would have to sit in prison for four years … It was a strange feeling: it was my first trip abroad and at the same time I was leaving for good.”

Hutka and his wife emigrated to the Netherlands in October 1978, both of them forced to give up their Czechoslovak citizenship. Hutka was the first emigrant to return on 25 November 1989, when he was taken straight from the airport to the mass demonstration at Letná to play to the crowd (estimated to be nearly one million people).

Another Charter 77 signatory who was forced into exile was Ivanka Lefeuvre and her husband at the time, Martin Hybler, also a signatory. They emigrated to France with their three young children in 1982 after suffering constant harassment from the StB. In Migrace 1982 (Academia, 2014), Lefeuvre describes her experience leading up to her forced exile and the first years in France, based on diary entries. This year, she brought a case against three StB officers in the Prague 1 District Court, seeking compensation for the mistreatment she had been subjected to nearly 40 years earlier, as well as the financial costs of emigrating. However, the case was adjourned indefinitely due to one of the officers’ legal team making an application for the exclusion of the court senate on the grounds that he doubted their neutrality.

While some former StB officers have been prosecuted in connection with Operation Clearance and the maltreatment of dissidents, the majority of forced emigrants have not sought retribution in the courts. The immeasurable damage done to their personal lives and to their families is another result of the many unjust practices of the totalitarian regime.

The author would like to acknowledge the publication RESPEKT Special: 1989 Nejlepší rok v dějinách –Jak se rodila svobodná společnost. Ročník V, č.3/2019, published on 25 September 2019.

HISTORY

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Barbara Benish

The Force Behind the Dialogue Between Two Countries for the Purpose of Creating

By Jacklyn Janeksela

Escaping existentialism in pursuit of the seemingly better times of yesteryear is a common motif among artistic communities. Even when history speaks of travesty and trauma, as in the case of the Velvet Revolution, artists tend to romanticise previous generations. They attach themselves to the past as a way of understanding the present and, perhaps, creating a better future – or at the very least, not repeating mistakes. Barbara Benish expresses her opinion, “One does not want to idealise those dark times before the revolution, but instead try to study history and continue to envision a world that is interconnected and open to all cultures and societies.”

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HISTORY

Through close observation, staring into the dark past sheds light, bringing us together rather than tearing us apart. “I think artists form groups and alliances, like all social beings, for protection, but also fertilisation. The rise of the individual artist, with the other modernist tropes, is possibly coming to an end, as with the traditional art market. Not to say that galleries will go out of business, but the way art is viewed, sold, and marketed will come to change with the trends in how it is made. We probably do not know yet what this will look like.” Benish is an expert eyewitness from the heart of change.

She has seen states rise and fall and allowed her own art to be part of the flux. She has watched art markets transform against the backdrop of a country divided. She has been the viewer and the viewed. And finally, she went underground for art’s sake.

Benish is the director of ArtMill and ArtDialog, an advocate for burgeoning artistic communities, and an artist herself. “We can never have too much art or too many artists, as long as we are able to have support from the culture we live in and have respect, in that the work is embedded in change.” But before that she was part of an artistic movement during the Velvet Revolution, an exchange between former Czechoslovakia and the US called “Dialogue: Prague/Los Angeles.” Citing the opening of the show at Lidový Dům in July 1989, as the most memorable moment, where they were “flooded with visitors and literally thousands of people came from all over the country,” Benish recalls that even “the STB film crews and all the secret police at the venue were outnumbered psychologically, it was a tangible tipping point that we all felt, but would not be understood until a few weeks later, when the Berlin Wall came down and the borders were opened for the first time in over 50 years.” Amidst the changing world, the falling and fallen walls, Benish was building her own community.

What she developed in the former Czechoslovakia during the totalitarian era was a parallel structure running alongside social structures in order to disrupt them. The profits point to compassion, collaboration, and rebellion. “Activities at ArtMill are parallel to another more formal ‘official’ culture, and maybe at the same time can undermine it.” Benish strives to go beyond notions of art, galleries, and collections, focusing more on “collectives and strong community work which can challenge the status quo as we are small, limber, and strong, with a certain chaotic presence in the society.” And the results can be seen and felt almost immediately.

“We are not big bureaucracies or institutions that take a long time to make something happen.”

Artists speak directly to tragedy and trauma in real time. A world without artists is not much of a world at all. And a world without artists responding to the world around them feels nihilistic and just ordinary. Artists “can respond immediately, because there is hardly a budget in place anyway, so there is freedom there!” Creatives like Benish can be grateful for the immediacy with which they can respond to the wound.

When discussing the artistic process, Benish believes it “is an interior one; the other part is exterior.” Again, supporting the idea that artists speak to the wound. “The work itself is an excavation into deep and dark labyrinths every time one goes into the studio, and yes, that is just hard work.” Benish speaks of her own process, “When I am at my studio at the mill, in the deep of winter, alone, it is an isolation chamber. All the other stuff: the exhibitions, the hustle and bustle of deadlines and grants, et cetera, is just about being focused and organised and having a very tough skin.”

Artists have played an integral role in society throughout the centuries. Their role is vital, producing invaluable experiences and spaces for the public. They open dialogue, allow pain and suffering to be seen, felt, and heard. They paint a larger picture, one that often goes beyond the canvas, one that builds between, among, and around.

Artists are community innovators. In the same way a diamond is formed from pressure bearing down on carbon, “when larger governmental or political bodies begin applying pressure to certain social groups, these types of organised reactions begin to occur: witness the Women’s Movement, civil rights in the US, the Pride movement, or even recent demonstrations in Prague, Moscow, or Hong Kong. If artists are shut out of the gallery system, they will naturally form their own places and systems to show and articulate their work in public.”

Artists are powerful entities during difficult times, shining bright like a diamond.

Benish knows all too well that change is inevitable. “Transitions are always difficult, but that is the definition of art: to transform and connect our spirits.” Creatives foster change, transitions that might not have seemed possible before. Offering a place to witness change, to embrace the temporal, artists unlock our spirits which seek solutions and whisper secrets.

In a world where art is everywhere and everyone wants to be an artist, Benish describes the pre-1989 period, “without an art market to speak of during the totaž days, there was a focus on the work itself, the art community, and just fighting the regime in whatever way possible.” In comparison to the current state where “younger artists today have pressure to produce, sell, market themselves, and perhaps not allow themselves the time and space to envision a larger picture of creativity.” Young artists today connect and commercialise easily, with a few clicks, even within a few seconds.

But that was not always the case, especially for artists in pre-1989 Czechoslovakia. Artists had to remove themselves from their homes, their homelands, and “travel, cross-fertilise, and communicate with other artists around the globe.” Dangerous, to say the least.

Benish recalls “the memories are stressful: of the secret police, the wire-tapping, the clandestine meetings, and constant surveillance.”

Memories pile up like bricks in a wall, but this wall is not to divide states, countries, or people, this wall is to fortify the community that fought vigilantly. “I was in a lot of the street demonstrations in the late 1980s as things were beginning to open up and the public got braver and more organised with Havel’s international support. One never forgets having a water cannon pointed at you, or riot police beating up protestors next to you, or running as fast as you can to avoid the same fate.”

Benish has run towards her own fate and run into some obstacles, especially as a female artist. “Being a professional artist, especially a female artist, includes being able to handle a lot of rejection, invisibility and/or ignorance. But when you are around long enough, and don’t give up, eventually there is an echo to the work in the world and it makes it all seem okay. I just found out for example that a body of work I did in the early 1980s will be featured at the United Nations headquarters in New York City this September during the climate conference. It is work on the indigenous patterns and processes of Hawaiian tapa, bark cloth, that was part of my senior thesis at the University of Hawai‘i. It has not been shown in 35 years, and now will be featured at this very prestigious venue with a wonderful audience of international climate activists and global leaders. When things like this happen then one is encouraged to believe that the years of working alone, in silence, are somehow worthwhile.”

She is proof that running towards something, even a wall, offers promise. After all, walls are not forever. They can be torn down or fall on their own, but rarely do they stand the test of time. In Benish’s case, she has scaled walls and moved forever forward, towards the horizon. She moves towards a cycle, towards a horizon that is the home of the rising and setting sun. In her movement, she becomes a process. And in moving, she inspires us to chase our own suns, to fight for another day to exist, to create, to be artists.

HISTORY

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fb/ Popko Productions Studio & Gallery

April Popko april@popko.com popkoproductions.com +420 777 296 233

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Inspiration & Energy Positivity & Light Buy Popko Art – Feel Inspired In this magical time, we celebrate the spirit of giving, sharing energy, inspiration and light!

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Come for ideas and inspiration with the best studio prices on paintings for your home, office, gifts, and special holiday treasures that will last a lifetime. Popko will help you choose perfect paintings for any wall space and budget you have.

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You can buy Popko's original paintings currently on exhibit at: US Embassy in Prague/in the American Center Triste 13, Malá Strana, Prague 1

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Animadecor in the showroom boutique Na Moráni 345/11, Palackého Namesti/Karlovo Nam, Prague 2

Confess Research in the office Vitkova 5/32, Karlín, Prague 8

Žižkov Tower, Tower Park Praha, in the observatory Mahlerovy Sady 1, Žižkov, Prague 3

Popko Studio & Gallery Reporyje, Prague 5. By appointment. Please call or send a direct message to April Popko for a very unique experience in the studio!

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Zana Ni

Artist in the Spotlight

By Jacklyn Janeksela Meet the “alive-dead” tattoo artist known as Zana Ni. Her art comes from a very personal place, one that shines from the abyss, bioluminescent, a multi-coloured splendour. Her tattoos come from sacred waters and mean more than meets the eye. Her story is one that exists in darkness. It catches glimpses of light from deep down, deep within, and spins the light into psychedelic visions.

Although one might suspect her designs arise from drug-induced states, Ni’s tattoo art is free of psychedelic substances.

“My work reflects purely my mind. I don’t take any psychedelics, even though many people think so.”

A proud female tattoo artist, she stands in solidarity with others of her kind, other feminists who believe tattoos are much more than inked lines. She speaks for those who use tattoos as a healing art, for reaching into the depths of our souls, pulling out our demons and hugging them rather than scolding them. Her opinion on female tattoo artists is that, “Women tattoo artists go deeper.” She has reasons for her opinion. “We are women and from the beginning, we are more sensitive than men.”

Her themes are often reflections of love and rainbows, but there’s a touch of the macabre, too. Ni isn’t afraid to delve into our demons in order to better understand our angels. After all, darkness and light don’t just contrast with each other, they are complementary. Devils can be angels in disguise. Just take a look beyond the skin’s surface and study the signs.

For Ni, drawing and art saved her life. She talks about how she suffers from derealisation-depersonalisation as a post-traumatic shock. Despite such difficulties, she refers to her art as “dreamy, energetic, emotional” and uses her experiences to help others. Her tattoos bring trauma to the surface. On the skin, they are sources of strength, symbols of supreme internal divinity, shadows of soothing energies. And she encourages her clients to feel the same way. The fuel is the pain and it becomes a powerful tool of transformation, from sufferer to healer. Perhaps we might even call her the wounded healer of the tattoo world, the Chiron of the Czech Republic.

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Her childhood included a “different diet,” as she refers to it. During her formative years, she “painted rainbow houses with many windows on the clouds” and has continued to seek out such playful images. She believes that she “was born with a rainbow mind and a surreal worldview.” When it comes to her gifts, she’s from the school of “the Art Soul..” Without any formal arts education, actually getting “kicked out of art high school,” she formed her own philosophy on art. During her time in art school, she was not in her element and even felt suffocated, so sought the song that allowed her soul to sing. And she hasn’t looked back since. Like with many windows that close, another opened. Ni found the window in the clouds of her childhood and that window led her to a rainbow-coloured world.

For Ni, art is her saving grace. “My medicine is art.” To manage her mental illness, she relies solely on her art and does not take drugs or medication. She stands out among her peers, not only for her colour schemes, but her perseverance. Her designs burgeon with this wisdom that fortifies the ink with which she pens her passion. It goes into the bodies of those who seek her art as therapy, it stains the skin with memory of “what hasn’t killed us has made us stronger.”

The medicine seeps into her tattoo gun and dazzles the bodies of her clients, where “art is a kind of therapy for me and for my client.”

She’s proud to say that 90% of her clients are women. “I’m not only

ARTS & DESIGN

their tattoo artist, but therapist and friend … every single session is unique and every single session brings new stories.” Her work goes deeper than the needle. Ni becomes a guide, someone with whom trust is built during the process; from the consultation to the finished product, her work connects her to others, the world around her. Her work is a journey.

Ni enjoys “working with women’s stories, emotions, and energies.”

She discusses the process, “when I’m connected with my client, I start drawing the design. It’s all about energies.” The flow is like the ink from the tattoo machine into the body, like energy charge through the chakras. Her work is about opening each chakra, specifically the third eye. As Bellamar says, “I have three eyes, two to look and one to see.” Ni’s tattoos express this concept. She is the third-eye awakener.

and its powerful role in this world brings Ni into a profound dialogue “between our ‘normal’ world and universe/other worlds.” Women make this possible. It’s always been the woman as oracle. Ni is that oracle for the tattoo world in Prague. And women from near and far are blessed to carry a piece of her magic on their bodies.

To work with one’s gifts, to be impassioned by a higher calling to help and heal, calls for gratitude. And Ni values what she’s manifested. “I am grateful for every tattooed day in this world that I can sell my message. My message is my art. It will remain forever, even if my life in this world ends and goes on, because we are all energy and never die, it just changes its form.” Maybe one day, we’ll see Ni after she’s left her body, in a vibrant display of light after a rainfall.

Maybe we’ll have the pleasure of witnessing her rainbow, and we’ll smile because it feels so familiar, like a rainbow we’ve met before.

Regarding feminine energies and power as they relate to the tattoo world, she claims the female portrait as her signature. “Everybody who knows my art knows women are like mediums for me … in my art women are a little bit surreal-unreal with deep eyes and bindis, hearts, or third eyes on the forehead.” Exploring the female figure

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Angles, Diamonds, and Crystals

Identifying the Ideological Subversion of Czech Cubism

By David Lameš Czech Cubism occupies a special place in the pantheon of Czech culture. Along with the interwar Functionalism of the First Czechoslovak Republic, Czech Cubism to this day features in tourist guides, art retrospectives, and pop culture as the embodiment of a modern and civilised Czech nation, its destiny to become respected internationally and aesthetically independent of the German influences that had up to then been driving people’s destinies. But for how well-known this artistic movement is, few today consider the paradoxical environment of its existence. It is celebrated as defining, when it existed for only a few short years, from 1910-14, before the outbreak of the First World War. It is considered nationally widely popular, when its expression was in reality confined almost exclusively to Prague. It is a style that has developed from the baggage of the 19th century, used as a tool in the early 20th, becoming distorted as an icon of “Czechness” in the globalized world of the 21st.

Firstly, it must be said that Cubism is far more rooted outside the borders of modern Czech Republic than within, and like with most architecture and art, its origins are not cultural, but expressly political.

The end of the 19th century in the Austro-Hungarian empire was a critical time for the emerging Czech nation. The political machinations of Eduard Taaffe, who in order to break the conservative majority in the Austrian Diet, led the Czech representatives to abandon their policy of abstention and actively take part in Parliament. This was only possible due to the great industrialisation of Bohemia, which led to the internal migration of Czechs to cities, displacing German as their primary language. With increased urbanisation, nationalism flourished and the Czechs began seeking an equal standing with their German counterparts. However, by the turn of the century, German Liberals, who feared the loss of their privileged position, resisted these attempts, worsening the cries for autonomy and the rejection of “Germanness” by the emerging Czech intelligentsia.

House of the Black Madonna, Prague 1.

By VitVit on Wikimedia Commons

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At the same time, Modernism began emerging, both socially and culturally. Rationalism began to be incorporated as a basic tenet of aesthetics, the nationalist-influenced Historicist architecture began giving way to “liberated” comprehensive oeuvres, breaking down traditional distinctions in the arts into a single unit, a total art. Art Nouveau and Secession epitomised this, creating international frameworks that developed into the later Art Deco and International styles.

In Paris, a retrospective on Paul Cézanne’s work, most importantly his representation of three-dimensional form, led to a new development: Cubism. Ushered in by Picasso’s Demoiselles D’Avignon in 1907, the movement based itself on the destruction of the portrayed object and its abstract reconstitution from a variety of viewpoints without depriving it of its objective character. But as a result, Picasso did not set out to invoke non-artistic metaphor in his paintings, here a painting was a painting. As a result, the Parisians limited themselves to a narrow band of motifs: landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. This was not the case in Prague.

ARTS & DESIGN

Diamant House by Emil Králíček & Matěj Blecha

ARTS & DESIGN

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Diamant House by Emil Králíček & Matěj Blecha

Contrary to Montmartre, Prague understood Cubism differently, and aside from certain works by Emil Filla, painting gave Czech artists a medium to express thematic wholes. As a result, from today’s perspective, what was understood in Prague under the term Cubism as “Modern art” is rather closer to Geometric Expressionism, for which we use the term Cubo-expressionism. Consequently, Cubism in Bohemia rapidly began to diverge from Paris, as subjective perspectives and private dialogues there became wider public jumping-off points here, as the style came into vogue in 1910. At the risk of simplification, the collectives in Prague adapted the movement to local conditions; the traditions of Gothic and Santini’s Baroque. Contrary to other nations, such as Italy’s Futurism, Dutch Neoplasticism or Russia’s Cubofuturism, the adoption of Cubism did not lead to artistic revolution here, as it was exactly the strongly developed Central European character of Czech culture that allowed to digest the movement and adapt and transform these foreign influences.

This became apparent as Parisian Cubism transitioned from analytical to synthetic, surprised and disillusioned with the fact that the progenitor’s example was unable to satisfy their expectations. However, this break offered experimentation, namely in architecture.

In a certain manner, architectural Cubism symbolised a step backwards, compared to the Modernism that was quickly establishing itself with the likes of Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner. Pavel Janák was instrumental in the establishment of this new view of architecture, through his key 1911 essay The Prism and the Pyramid. There, he decried the apparent excessive rationality that seeped into the prevailing architecture and caused it to die as an artistic discipline that had the capacity to fire the imagination. He described his Cubistic basis in terms of the “interaction” of three forces, with positive or negative forms of inanimate material deformed under the influence of a penetrating power, transforming the natural form of matter, diverging it from its native element. He posits crystallisation as the finest example of this process, and cites the oblique angle of falling rain from wind as another.

It is therefore ironic that Cubism came to adopt such expressionistic qualities, as its starting point was so anti-expressionist. In this manner, especially through the establishment of deeper accidences of the style, as was the case with Vlastislav Hofman or Josef Gočár, it anticipated the establishment of German Expressionism, relating these two styles closer together, rather than distancing them.

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The very notion of Czech Cubism becoming an “established” or “popular” style even in Bohemia was unusual. The style was not particularly critically acclaimed, with Janák himself abandoning it in 1913. Indeed, the dearth of structures built in the style outside of Prague shows its lack of penetration. It was technically difficult, which met with opposition from builders. Potential clients and the wider public, on the other hand, considered it faddish, eccentric, and somber. Hofman, who was radical in his Cubist designs, saw almost no avenue for employment. Others approached it pragmatically, introducing Cubism into detail work, often with more popular Secession or Modernising motifs. But through this treatment, Cubism became remarkably capable of dialogue with its often historic surroundings.

Such is the case with Gočár’s House of the Black Madonna. The building, built in 1912-13, is at its core Modernist, gaining its Cubist dress only after basic construction was complete.

Indeed, Czech Cubism in its time was precarious. Its short period of circulation was primarily the efforts to propel the emancipation of a nation. The emerging Czech middle class, made up of mid-level bureaucrats and city folk, had the desire to own homes, furniture, clocks, and art that not only reflected a wish to be seen as belonging to a modern Europe, but also pieces that were decidedly Czech, creating an oppositional dialogue with the Secession and Wiener Werkstätte. Through this effort, the Cubist style was adopted in applied arts. However, there was a serious miscalculation. The middle class was in its infancy, and there was not enough of a market for such explicitly national goods in this multinational empire. That, and the ideological substance often superseded functional expectation, leaving couches and chairs awkwardly angled and too heavy to move, and light switches and door handles too intricate to mass-produce. By 1914, when Artěl fell into financial difficulties, the Viennese Museum of Applied Arts effectively bought its entire assortment: for Vienna, Czech art was considered a part of the Austrian multinational culture.

It is important not to fall victim to narratives that are almost a century in the making. To this day, Cubism remains a tool by which Czechs signal their achievements and uniqueness to the world. However, it is important that we maintain its contextualisation so as to not gain a skewed image that feeds itself into unreality. As a style it was vibrant and short, with enough particularities and charm not to need it to be further expanded or subverted with histories to which it does not belong.

ARTS & DESIGN

Winter Skincare Advice Winter is the harshest of all seasons on the skin, often causing redness, dryness, and an overall wrinkled look.

My recommended skincare routine starts with washing the face using Edelweiss Anti-Redness Cold Climates & Ski Lilac Syndet Bar and applying Hyalual SPF 50+.

Despite the season being mostly cloudy, it is crucial to maintain a regimen of applying SPF. Those which are cream-rich and oil-free are especially good, helping to add moisture while still protecting the skin.

At night it is important to always wash the skin. I recommend using the Lilac Syndet Bar followed by a deep moisturizing Wow Mask by Hyalual. Before going to sleep, I apply Proteoglicanos by Praxis concentrated serum. Each day I apply Hyamira Collagen enriched with Hyaluronic Acid to keep the skin tight and glowing.All of the above-mentioned products can be purchased online or at Infokrasa, which is located in the heart of Prague.

As for procedures this winter season, I recommend a superficial redermalization using Xela Rederma and moisturizing peeling using the Hyalual products. Also, the application of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers can help give you a more youthful look. It is important to mention that these procedures must be performed by a medical professional in a certified clinic.

Dr Alberto Leguina-Ruzzi is a medical doctor, PhD in medical science, fellow in dermatology, and master in aesthetic medicine. Currently, he runs his practice in Altos klinika, located at Karlovo Náměstí in Prague

You can schedule an appointment: Email: info@drberts.com WhatsApp:+420608441632.

For more information, visit www.drberts.com

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Winter Fashion

By Julie Orlova

Photo by Francesco Gallarotti

A gender-neutral fashion guide to cold times

Colours and cuts

Do you know what I want to clothe myself in this winter? A fleece blanket and a pair of fluffy socks. The perfect outfit for work, right?

Whether you’re a devout fashionista or simply want to dress up for something other than your bed, you might want to hit a couple of stores or draw some inspiration from the mannequins while window shopping. Trends are neither arguing nor competing, but are complementing each other this cold season. So, you can wear and mix almost anything. Sometimes the weirder the combination looks in your mind, the better (and warmer) it feels in reality. To help you, here is a little gender-neutral guide on how not to get lost in the abundance of fashion choices.

This winter is going to be very warm if we put our trust in fashion designers – all shades of brown, cream, and orange with a slash of violet and blue are in favour. Not only do the colours reflect warmth and cosiness, but also the cuts and textures. Oversized and perforated patterns, shaggy wool, braids, wide hems, beige sweaters, and harem pants (which we are finally allowed to tuck into boots, yay!). If any of this is still missing from your wardrobe, check out your grandparents’ closet. And if brown is not your cup of tea, here is something to calm your black, black soul – dark romance is back.

Black lace, red satin roses, gloss, and guipure – if you weren’t a goth in your youth, now is the time to try it out.

Scottish inspiration – patterns The designers seem to have conspired and autumn collections, as well as their seasonal advertising campaigns, have drawn inspiration from Scotland. While Mango models walk sheepdogs on Scottish hills, other brands are satisfied with traditionally Scottish argyle and plaid, the more unconventional the colours the better. Another pattern of Scottish origin, houndstooth, makes an appearance on most preppy-style garments, but don’t experiment with colours – proven formal-suit neutrals lead the way.

Minimalism has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years – the fewer shiny buttons and tassels your coat has, the more versatile the garment. You can compensate with patterns – in addition to diamonds and squares, opting for a paisley pattern or flowers and stems on a dark background will help you hit the sweet spot.

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Styling

Last thing to keep in mind

Layering clothes like cabbage is especially relevant for our hemisphere. Therefore, if you want to warm up and at the same time recreate images from the catwalks, feel free to wear turtlenecks under shirts, sweaters, knitted vests, jumpsuits, and dresses.

Nothing makes outfits work this season like the high collar.

Sustainability is in fashion – high-street brands used to force as many items of clothing as they could into your shopping bag, but now they have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon, which is good for the environment, but not so much for your wallet. Now Mango, Zara, and H&M release their collections as “capsules” to supply you with as many compatible items as they can. Enjoy mixing and matching, but beware of buying something you don’t really need.

If you have followed fashion trends for the past couple of seasons, your closet must be packed with suits of all kinds. Don’t worry, you probably don’t need another one. A good idea would be to add a belt.

This way you will keep the snug vibe as well as adding an accent to your waist. I must admit I miss some elegant tailoring, don’t you?

One more relevant styling technique is the combination of a dress with wide trousers underneath, which can be observed on mannequins in almost every store. Too many layers for you? If you wear tights or socks, opt for brighter colours and patterns. Neon, lace, polka dots, or zebra print will do the trick. Make them peek out of massive grunge-style shoes, ideally, or killer Dr. Martens boots.

Alternatively, any platform shoes will do.

Photo by Frank Marino

Photo by Ramiz Dedakovic

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Julie Orlova Photo Reportage

Julie Orlova is a photographer and storyteller born in Russia, living and creating in Prague. She is a contributor to several publications writes about psychology, fashion, and travel. Through her photography and writing, she tries to self-reflect and prove to every human being that they are beautiful.

Instagram: llucyque

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iamjulieorlova.com

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www.iamjulieorlova.com

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention, December 1971, Musikhalle Hamburg

by Heinrich Klaffs

Revolution Built on a Rock Base Bootleg Rock ’n’ Roll Represented the Promise of Freedom to the Normalisation Generation

By Raymond Johnston In Czechoslovakia, rock ’n’ roll music was one of the most suppressed forms of expression, but it also played a big part in keeping people’s hopes for freedom alive.

Smuggled recordings by blacklisted musicians such as Frank Zappa, who is considered the godfather of the Czech music scene, as well as The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones circulated in copied cassettes or even in homemade records etched onto disks cut from the plastic of X-ray photos. These influenced Czech underground bands such as The Plastic People of the Universe (whose name comes from a Zappa song), DG 307, Půlnoc, and Garage.

One of the biggest supporters of the underground music movement was dissident writer Václav Havel, who personally helped to make recordings by The Plastic People and later co-wrote the human rights manifesto Charter 77 in response to the treatment of the band members following their arrest at an illegal concert in 1976. The manifesto helped put Havel in the international spotlight.

“The Velvet Underground became the Velvet Revolution,” then-First Lady Hillary Clinton said at a 1998 White House dinner honouring Havel, who had by then become the Czech president. Former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed performed at the event.

Musician Michal Prokop, who has been performing since 1963 and served as a politician after the Velvet Revolution, said rock was very popular among young people before 1968. “The regime tolerated it, but it was presented as one of the symbols of the bankrupt imperialist lifestyle,” he said, adding that it was not all that different from the US or Britain, where authorities sometimes criticised rock music’s alleged ill effects on the youth.

The 1968 invasion ushered in the era of Normalisation, when all Western influence was put on a short leash. Czechoslovak officials were stricter than in other Eastern-bloc countries, as they were trying to push the genies of free expression unleashed by the Prague Spring back into the lamp.

By April 1969, everything related to culture was under state control.

“LPs were no longer allowed to be recorded in English. There was a prohibition against some compositions and musicians on radio, television, and in public concerts. A number of people emigrated,” Prokop said.

Performers needed a licence. This wasn’t new, but it used to be a routine process of playing before a panel of professionals who would determine how much you could charge for concerts, based on your technical skill.

But many of the Czechoslovak musicians didn’t see themselves as political. They had no agenda of hoping to overthrow the communist state. They simply wanted to create something original, which became increasingly difficult after the 1968 invasion.

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Now, the state would take away the licence of any troublesome performer. “By 1974, there was the so-called retraining, which had a completely different goal: to liquidate most of the disobedient people. These were individual examinations, including a political interview on the relationship of the musician to the current politics of the Communist Party. The commission was composed of faithful communists,” Prokop said, adding that many of his colleagues faced retraining, but he managed to avoid it.

“Many people were forced to return to amateur playing, often semilegal or illegal. Sometimes it was really underground. These were hard times,” he said.

Some Czech bands preferred to fly under the radar, rather than conforming to the state’s ideas. These included not only The Plastic People, but also now-obscure acts like Umělá Hmota, who lost their licences rather quickly in the 1970s.

Blacklisted performers could play at unadvertised concerts in small venues. Sometimes people would pretend it was a wedding reception to explain the noise.

Other bands continued on aboveground, but with changes. The band Blue Effect altered their problematic lyrics and switched their name to Modrý efekt, to avoid using English. They then played at state-sanctioned jazz events, as there were no more approved rock festivals.

There was a reason why jazz was not hit as hard as rock. “Jazz is mostly instrumental music, and it does not appeal to the majority audience. The Bolsheviks understood this, so jazz, even if it is actually also American music, had a much better position. There was no place for very strong emotions, while rock ’n’ roll is built on this.

Rock ’n’ roll for us was faith, a gate to freedom!” Prokop said.

The Rolling Stones Rotterdam Mick Jagger and Keith Richards 1982

But jazz didn’t offer complete protection. Former Blue Effect member Vladimír Mišík, who in 1974 started his own jazz-fusion band called Etc., was blacklisted from performing for two years, starting in 1982.

A big crackdown took place in the mid-1980s to stop the influence of punk bands like The Clash and The Ramones, glam rock from David Bowie, and assorted new wave music that was coming in via cassettes and over foreign radio. An anonymous 1983 magazine article called “New Wave with Old Content” said that the newer strain of rock music encourages laziness and “antisocial behaviour”.

One band caught up in this sweep was Pražský výběr (Prague Selection). They had a successful album and appeared on state television before being banned in 1983.

Not all of the underground scene was in Prague. Another formerly blacklisted band that still performs is Už jsme doma (Already Home), which formed in Teplice, near the German border, in 1985. They brought in a whole new range of influences from bootleg cassettes: The Residents, The Damned, and Pere Ubu, among others.

Prokop didn’t get involved in politics until just before the end of communism. “I did not want to have anything to do with the communists, but I initially did not have enough courage to dissent until 1989. First I signed the petition for the liberation of Václav Havel from prison and then Několik vět (A Few Sentences),” he said. The latter was a petition just five months before the Velvet Revolution that criticised the communist government. The signatories nonetheless faced repercussions until November came.

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The Plastic People of the Universe from www.umelahmota.cz

Things changed rapidly after the end of communism. In 1990, Havel appointed Zappa to be Special Ambassador to the West on Trade, Culture and Tourism, much to the annoyance of the administration of US President George H.W. Bush. The appointment didn’t last long, and Zappa would later be an unofficial cultural attache.

Zappa, who influenced so many of the early bands, played his last concert in Prague in 1991, joining Pražský výběr on stage. He passed away in 1993.

Prokop briefly traded in music for politics. “I wanted to take part in making our country come back among democratic countries, although obviously I had no idea how complicated the process would be. So I went into it and I do not regret it,” he said. He held various positions between 1990 and 1998, but has now returned to music.

Pražský výběr’s main member, Michael Kocáb, once considered an enemy of the state, led a parliamentary commission in the early 1990s that negotiated the exit of Soviet soldiers from then-Czechoslovakia. In 2009-10, he was Minister for Human Rights and Minorities. The band played at Prague’s Metronome festival in June this year. No further concerts are planned.

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Tom Stoppard wrote a play called Rock ‘n’ Roll about rock music from the Prague Spring up until the Velvet Revolution. It ends with The Rolling Stones coming to Prague in 1990, heralding a new era of artistic freedom. The play premiered in London in 2006. When it was performed in Prague’s National Theatre in 2007, The Plastic People played the opening and closing music on stage.

The opening act for The Rolling Stones’ show in Prague in 1990 was the once-banned Vladimír Mišík and Etc. With the Velvet Revolution now 30 years ago and the Soviet-led invasion 50 years ago, most of the dissident bands now only have a cult following among the younger generation. But they did have an influence on the Czech bands of the 1990s like Tata Bojs and Sto zvířat, who are still going strong today. And they get the respect of the people who are grateful for the freedoms built on rock ’n’ roll.

MUSIC

CULTURE IN YOUR POCKET Why stay at home? GoOut!

www.goout.net 43

Creativity in Education What Can We Do Now?

By Michal Capek

Photo of Diane Hebb

by Leigh Woods

“What can we do now?” That’s a phrase you could hear often at the Creative Cities Educate With Art conference held at the Old Town City Hall in Prague last month. The meeting was attended by many teachers and other educational representatives who aim to promote creativity and art in education. The atmosphere embodied a sense of great emergency, with a focus on the “lack of creativity” in schools.

Four highly respected delegates were brought in to share their expert opinions on the topic, each representing a different country, sharing their story of success, and serving as an inspiration to those who gathered for the conference. The speakers were Marjo Kyllönen, Head of Helsinki’s General Education Division; Diane Hebb, Director of Engagement and Participation at the Arts Council of Wales; Peggy Brandon, Director of the Expert Center of Culture Education at Mocca Expertisenetwerk Cultuureducatie in Amsterdam; and Paul Collard, Director of the international organization Creativity Culture & Education.

Participants could personally experience new methods of creative teaching during experimental workshops and presentations. While brainstorming ideas as to what can be done with the current situation, hands were shooting up and voices raised as emotions ran high. There was something special about this conference for the attendees, as there was a collective passion for the cause, with each person present hoping to draw inspiration from one another to help promote more creativity in education in their own spheres. Participants were asked to define “creativity,” determining every aspect of the word and its various connotations. The results of this exercise covered the following points: - curiosity (thinking, asking questions, researching, exploring, and questioning assumptions) - perseverance (coping with uncertainty, determination not to give up, and courage to be different) - imagination (finding possibilities, creating context, and using intuition) - discipline (creation, improvement, development of techniques, and critical reflection)

The conference was a great example of how creativity leads to the generation of new ideas, plans of action, imagination, and bringing people together. However, the standard for most of the individuals who were present is pushback from the system and often opposition even from their own colleagues. The main focus of most school systems is on career education. Creative subjects are deemed experimental and secondary, without importance for the future, and are all too often relegated to extracurricular activities to be engaged in after one has completed one’s homework and studied. Many at the conference disagreed with this notion and claim that creativity plays a vital role in childrens’ development and can help in every aspect of their lives. Most of the participants have their own unique ways of bringing creativity to their pupils. However, to continue their work they need support and a change in the system.

The fact of the matter is that we are still a long way from seeing any significant changes. The conference was a first step in the right direction, especially as it was sponsored and hosted by Vít Šimral, a politician and member of the board of education, sports, science, and support of business in Prague.

When asked about future plans, Šimral said he saw this conference as a drawing board of ideas. In time, those ideas would be used as the basis of a basic reform of the current education system. An online portal will be created, which anyone can access to find information and share ideas. Even though it is merely a suggestion, as it is up to schools whether they want to implement a new curriculum, it is definitely a start.

Kyllönen spoke about the necessity of political support when reforming education. In Finland, they put education first, meaning that no matter the political agenda different parties might have, no one can alter the long-term educational plan. This is the key to Finland’s success in education.

- cooperation (appropriate cooperation, providing and receiving feedback, sharing in- and outputs).

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One of the main organisers of the conference was Jaroslav Raušer, Vice President of the Czech Music Council and Director of the Move Association. He supports young up-and-coming artists in creating music and provides spaces equipped with musical instruments, computers, and professional programs where students are free to play. Raušer also teaches modern techniques and how to use modern software. At the same time, he helps more established artists to break out abroad. One of his most recent successes was with Czech indie band Lake Malawi in London.

His views on one key point related to the current state of education in the Czech Republic resonated with the other attendees, which was that the level cannot compare to that available in more Western countries.

So, let’s return to the question, “What can we do now?” For some, it might be to wait for politicians to wake up and for others it may be to take action. The latter entails forming support groups, organising conferences, and creating awareness campaigns about the changes that need to be made. And perhaps the question also ultimately rests with Šimral.

Whoever is responsible for determining the fate of creativity’s role in education, hopefully in the future we will be able to look back with pride at what we have achieved.

Raušer, who is also a board member for Creativity in Education, says that politicians unfortunately often disappoint, rather than supporting the furthering of plans. It might not even be the case that they object to the idea of reforming education, but put simply, the whole process is far from being quick. Politicians tend to want results as soon as possible, or at least within the four years that they might be in office, so that they can present their positive results to their next potential voters. So how can we reform something which takes more than four years to reform?

When talking about the way music is taught in Czech schools, Raušer exclaims, “The curriculum is still focussed mainly on classical music, but we are in the digital age now! How can we compete on the market if kids are still learning from sheet music alone and not taking advantage of the technological progress that has been made?

“Music, and other areas of art, form a part of the exports of a Western country. To be internationally competitive, one has to target foreign audiences. We, like Britain, should also export culture to other countries in Europe, or America,” says Raušer.

The lack of creativity in education serves as Raušer’s cause for action to work with children and help young artists. He‘s doing it simply because no one else will, and just like the main message conveyed at his conference, he is taking the matter into his own hands.

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Eska Restaurant

A Restaurant Bakery Combo at the Heart of Karlin

By Richard York Only around fifteen years ago, dining options in Prague were pretty limited. Traditional Czech food of course, maybe some Italian, and for Asian cuisine the only real option was to go out to Sapa market. The initial options in modern dining were aimed at tourists and later expats, and in many cases, they were formal and always expensive. Cutting edge culinary trends barely made a mark.

How times have changed! First came the top end fine dining establishments with their Michelin stars. But the epicurean evolution of Prague has matured with the emergence of neighbourhood restaurants eager to engage with developments which have impacted the worldwide dining scene. Prague has discovered its gastronomic groove!

Opened in late 2015, Eska has become somewhat of a poster child for this movement. At the time, Eska was an outlier for the Ambiente group, whose powerhouse names such as Café Savoy and Lokal fall much more safely within the mainstream. However, the group has always been ambitious, and has already reaped the rewards with its Michelin-starred La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise.

limelight, curated with specialised techniques in cooking and presentation, was guaranteed to challenge the local conservatives. And Eska was also willing to dare the always tricky modernisation of long forgotten traditional recipes.

What began as a risky experiment has become a self-assured success. Walking into Eska, you are hit by a marketplace buzz, with the smell of freshly baked bread, pastry and brewed coffee. The spacious but warm kitchen draws focus towards the bustling energy of the galley team. As the expansive space is lit by sunshine through the industrial windows, you could be forgiven for mistaking yourself in Soho or Tribeca.

Michelin has recognized the achievement with a Bib Gourmand award, signifying great food for moderate prices. However perhaps the real tribute to Eska is the impact it has had on the Prague dining scene. The techniques which Eska helped introduce to Prague are now finding their place in the cuisines of local neighbourhood restaurants throughout the city. But as is often the case, the treasure lies at the source of the inspiration. Eska has transformed from a pioneer to a master of accessible, modern cuisine in Prague.

Eska’s early years were marked with ideas new to Prague. These include combining a Nordic approach to cooking and décor with a Czech version of farm to table philosophy, neither of which had been seen in Prague in any meaningful way. Placing vegetables in the

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Photos by Leigh Woods

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Tomáš Valkovič

Deputy Chef at Eska restaurant

By Richard York When Eska first opened, you helped to pioneer global culinary techniques which were not yet accessible in Prague. How has your own cooking evolved in that time, and how do you balance international and local influences?

Many of the ingredients that are used such as fermented yeast, pickled vegetables etc are ingredients that were used as far back as the middle ages. How much of the old times are influenced in your cooking?

I have been working in the eska since the opening as a normal cook. I was in Prague only for 3 months and immediately I started to such an interesting project. from the beginning we had a huge effort and passion to do everything perfectly. I personally gave a lot to Eska from the beginning, we were working on new meals, creating significant meals for Eska today. The most important thing for us was to build a high standard right from the start. We wanted to cook classic recipes with Czech ingredients using techniques like open fire, fermentation, pickling. We were influenced only by cooking techniques that have not been used so far by anyone. We wanted to make the most of the minimum. We started to promote cheaper and less known products. We tried to work zero waste.

Fermentation in general is one of the oldest techniques of food preparation. It gives us new possibilities and new taste combinations in the kitchen, while fermentation is also healthy. It helps us greatly to keep our vegetables for the winter. From the beginning we have several original ferments and cultures. We have a kefir culture, water kefir crystals for fermented lemonade or, for example, our sourdough starter is original since the opening of the restaurant.

All these cultures still produce kefir lemonade and bread so we have a history and we care for them every day. It is an integral part of our work and life. In Czechoslovakia it is a great tradition to ferment and pickling of everything. Fermented cabbage and pickled cucumbers are very tipical for us and we all know it from childhood. We love it!

Czech Republic has always been a meat driven country. The new idea of having vegetables as the main ingredient such as your signature dish fermented red wheat with mushrooms and egg. How has the reception of this culinary style changed over the time you have been open?

Eska can be considered laid-back, since the décor is casual and the food is accessible. Yet some of your team come from fine dining backgrounds. How do you balance between a fine dining approach to maintaining high standards and yet keep the laid-back vibe?

Among the main ideas of eska was from the beginning to work more of vegetables, and not only in the Czech Republic is usually just as a side dish but also as a separate meal. We were the first to prepare such fermented red wheat with mushrooms. So simple and so great.

It is nothing more than a fermented grain of wheat ready for risotto.

People love it. We opened for the winter so we worked with autumn vegetables like carrots, celery beet and cabbage. It was interesting to watch customers come to taste and understand that we want to work according to season and offer. We Slovaks and Czechs are still set for meat and we have to eat to the fullest. I’m glad we got on this wave like serving the weggie for the mains.

In the Eska we are lucky to have amazing staff. There are young enthusiastic people who take work as their hobby and mission.

Many of us have experience in great restaurants and yet they are young professionals. An apartment chef is not just a job but a lifelong work. And finedining is no longer just about silver cutlery and a starched environment. In recent years the concept of finedining has taken on a whole new dimension. Not just French precision cuisine full of expensive ingredients. Great food is prepared with cheaper pieces of meat and vegetables. Animals and vegetables always process everything to minimize losses, while it is about hard work and thinking about things. It’s about moral perception about ethics and the environment. I think this is now the real finedinnig. Food is a great indicator of who we are and why we are here. At the same time it is about preparation techniques about planning the season about creativity about respect for our country and our producers.

With vegetables placed at the forefront in many of the dishes, seasonality is key. What is your approach to maintaining consistency on the one hand and yet responding to the seasons on the other, especially during winter?

It’s challenging but every year it’s better. For example. We want to be strict on ourselves and we want to keep what we report. We have good relationships with growers and farmers. There are many skilled people in Prague and its surroundings who understand their work. It is not possible without it. Producers adapt production to our needs. Spring and summer is quite simple because there are so many vegetables fruits and herbs. It is spring and summer that we use to the full and we go to collect wild herbs, spruce shoots, cones and the like. We ferment and pickling vegetables and fruits. We produce syrups, salts, oils, marmalades. And this is just reflected in the variety of winter menu in our restaurant. We can afford to offer Czech fruit and vegetables in an unconventional form. We do not and do not want to import strawberries and raspberries in winter.

We prefer to use pears and apples for example. And people understand it. It would be easier to order everything whenever we want and still have all the assortment but we don’t want it and it doesn’t make sense to us. We learned to work with what we have. As a rule, if we want something to try to get it in the Czech Republic, if it is not available with us so we ask: do we need it at all?

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Photo by Leigh Woods

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Potatos in Ash Eska Signature Dish

INGREDIENTS Serves 2-3 Potato foam Potatoes 250gr Pinch of Salt 150ml Milk 100ml Cream 25gr Butter Carp 200gr Salt 200gr Sugar 150gr Carp Cured Egg Yolk 2 Egg yolks 200gr Sugar 200gr Salt Browned butter

Potato espuma/foam Boil the peeled potatoes in salted water until soft, once soft in a pan combine with milk and cream and blend until completely soft and light, season to taste. For an extra light foam you can use a pressurised whipping can. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Smoked Karp Marinate the Karp in an equal salt and sugar mixture over night, before using rince under water and smoke with warm smoke before serving, making sure bones and scales are removed before plating.

Cured eggyolk Dry the fresh eggyolks in a sugar and Salt mixture for at least 24hrs, once cured remove exec salt and sugar and dehydrate in a dehydrator or a very low temperature oven with the door slighly opened. The eggyolks are ready when completely dry.

Brown butter In a pan on very low heat, heat the butter until it turns a light and golden brown then turn off the heat. You can strain out the larger pieces of milk solids, but this is optional.

50gr Butter Ashed potatoes Hay Grenaille potatoes 6pc For plating Some Chives 15 ml Kefir Salt Pepper

Ashed potatoes Take the grenaille (small) potatoes and bake in the oven at 180C until soft, to ash the potatoes place a little bit of hay on top of the potatoes and burn the it until combusted, before serving remove the exces ashes.

Serving To serve this recipe, cover the bottom of a deep dish with the potato espuma, sprinkle with some chopped chives and dill. Finely slice the smoked karp and delicatly place over the foam. Add a delicate serving of the sweet butter and some kefir. Finally place three or four of the smoked

potatoes gently in the center of the dish ans generoulsy grate the cured eggyolk over then entire plate.

Enjoy!

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Photo by Leigh Woods

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Wines for the Holiday Season

By Kristýna Krupková

It’s the end of the year and the holiday season brings ample occasions for a toast or a party. Sparkling wines are the obvious choice for festive days and celebrations. We touched on this topic in Oko!’s summer edition, but there is definitely a lot more to learn about the bubbles. Champagne is iconic, Crémants and Cavas are good value for money, and I believe that the holiday season deserves some treats.

These would include the top-quality sparkling wines from around the world that are produced by the so-called traditional method, or méthode champenoise, when the bubbles are produced naturally by secondary fermentation in the bottle, not in the tank or by injection of CO₂ into the wine.

Try some of the Champagnes produced by small houses, as the wineries are called in this region. The big brands offer stability, but not necessarily the best quality. Three typical Champagne types are Blanc de Blancs, made only with the grape Chardonnay; Blanc de Noirs, made with one or both of the blue varieties Pinot Noir and Meunier; and the most traditional is the blend of all three grape varieties. Rosé Champagne can be made in two ways: the Saignée method, using the juice of red grapes which has been in contact with its skins for just a few hours, or by the blending of white sparkling wine with locally produced red wine. The latter method is used often to ensure the stability of colour intensity year after year.

Champagne is also usually a blend of different vintages, as the houses keep the so-called reserve wines for the next years’ blending. If the vintage in a particular year is exceptionally good, the house may decide to produce a single vintage only. This is called

Photo by Tristan Gassert

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Millésime and has the year of vintage written on the bottle’s label.

Most Champagne houses also produce bigger bottle formats like magnums (1.5l) or jeroboams (3l) which can be great as gifts or if you invite more people for dinner or to a party. They look cool and age slightly slower than the normal bottles, so these bigger bottles are usually sold following a longer period of maturation in the cellar.

Crémant is the more economical choice for lovers of French sparkling wine lovers. Those from Alsace and Burgundy are probably the best known, but Crémants are also made in the regions of Bordeaux, Limoux, and the Loire Valley, among others. There is a wider range of varieties that can be used and the minimum time of ageing varies as well.

Recently, there has been an interesting movement in the sparkling wine region of Penedès in the north of Spain. Some of the smaller local producers decided to leave the DO Cava (the biggest appellation for sparkling wines in Spain) and sell their wines under their association name of Corpinnat. These wineries were fed up with the low standards and lack of rules for Cava production, demanded by the big brands who sell millions of bottles and use low-quality, cheap grapes from many different regions of Spain. Translated, Corpinnat means “born in the heart of Penedès” and the wineries follow strict rules and quality requirements. These include using organic production, their own hand-picked grapes, local varieties, ageing in the bottle for a minimum of 18 months, and a statement on the label regarding when the wine was disgorged. This is important for you as a consumer. Sparkling wines generally evolve a little in the bottle after the lees have been taken out and it was closed with the cork closure, so knowing how long the bottle has been on the market is useful.

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Moving further south and deeper in history, there is a wonderful selection of long-aged wines which are very good for wintertime.

Sherries, Ports, and Madeiras are very traditional, yet always trying to keep up with modern winemaking methods and latest trends, and they are great choices for the upcoming months. Chilled Fino or Manzanilla works perfectly as an apéritif, as well as the driest Madeira made from the local grape Sercial. The Oloroso and Amontillado styles of sherry, as well as the lesser-known Palo Cortado, undergo long-term oxidative ageing in old-oak barrels and therefore bring to your nose and palate wonderful tones of roasted nuts and almonds, dried figs and dates, sweet spices and caramel. And they are usually dry and a yummy digestif!

You can find most of the above mentioned wines in our e-shop. The lively bar Champagneria, near Národní třída in downtown Prague, is also a great place to taste sparkling wines of all types made according to the traditional method. So enjoy the holiday season with amazing wines and have fun!

More at www.foltynwine.cz and www.champagneria.cz

Similar notes are found in sweeter Madeiras, from Verdelho and Boal to the sweetest Malvasia, and Pedro Ximénez sherry. These are amazing dessert wines and I would recommend serving them slightly chilled. And if you prefer the taste of red grapes with notes of ripe red and dark fruits with Malvasia natural residual sugar, have a glass of Port. The best thing about these wines is that if you have a glass, but don’t feel like having another one for days, they will last in your fridge for months when sealed with the original cork.

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La Cave D’Adrien

A Taste of France in the Heart of Vinohrady

By Benny Water

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It is on the central roundabout of Americká in the heart of Prague 2 that we find La Cave D’Adrien. Over the last few years, this once mainly residential neighbourhood in the trendy district of Vinohrady has developed into a hotspot for cultural and social activities. And along with the neighbourhood, La Cave D’Adrien has made some changes of its own.

Adrien Bricout arrived in Prague after a traumatic time in his life more than seven years ago. Originally intending to stay for just a few months, he fell in love with the city and the Czech Republic, which eventually led him to make the decision to stay. When he started La Cave D’Adrien, his intention was to share his passion for and knowledge of the best France has to offer. The French produce market was very different back when he first came to Prague.

Vinárnas and French food outlets were few and far between.

Nowadays the options are far greater, and Vinohrady seems to be the central point for French businesses.

Adrien’s love for quality French produce is in his blood. His mother originates from the region of Burgundy, and with his father hailing from the Champagne area, wine played a crucial part during his upbringing. He gained experience in the harvesting and production of wine from a young age. Combining his deep knowledge with a taste for the finer things from the French table, Adrien has set out to source the best possible products to bring to Prague To stay relevant, Adrien is constantly trying to evolve his business, and even as we walked in to conduct our interview, it was undergoing some changes. Initially, La Cave D’Adrien was mostly a wine shop and importing business, but over the past few years, shelves have been moved to the side for tables and sofas, and packaged products such as cheese and charcuterie are now also available for consumption on site. La Cave D’Adrien has successfully mixed French bistro decor with Czech mid-century design furniture, offering a cosy and charming atmosphere to have a post-work glass of wine or apéritif during the warm summer evenings.

When asked about the future, Adrien mentioned that he wishes to play a more significant role in the neighbourhood’s cultural scene, replacing the current sales counter with a space for music and entertainment. He hopes to attract local clientele with the goal of introducing them to the highest quality French products (that he personally selects and imports) while they enjoy fine music and performances.

If you have not yet been to La Cave D’Adrien, this place is definitely worth a visit. Adrien and his colleagues will always welcome you with a smile and are happy to suggest the perfect glass of wine to suit your palate.

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Yemeni Coffee

Rooted in Yemen, Now the New Generation Wants to Put It Back On the Map

By Raymond Johnston When you hear the word coffee, Yemen isn’t the first place that comes to mind, but some people would like to change that.

Haitham Al-Shoriy runs Tribes of Mokha, a new coffee roastery that is trying to raise the profile of Yemeni coffee not only in the Czech Republic, but across Europe and globally.

Yemeni coffee has a long history, but it is mostly forgotten. “Yemen was the first to cultivate coffee. A lot of the words that pertain to coffee like, mocha and al-Arabica, stem from Yemen. There is a port in Yemen called Mokha,” he said. While many people have heard of Arabic coffee, Yemen is the only Arab country green enough to grow coffee.

He pointed out that champagne has to come from the Champagne region of France, and many other foods and beverages also have to come from a specific place to use a regional name. “Mocha shouldn’t be called Mocha unless it is from Yemen. It’s our namesake and we have come to reclaim it not for pride’s sake but for the people’s sake, to improve lives down the line,” he said. “It’s the world’s favorite beverage. We popularised it and get no credit for it.”

The first wild coffee trees were in Ethiopia, but they were cultivated first in Yemen, which began an export business. Ethiopia only started exporting 100 years ago, but expanded their business much faster.

Java is another synonym for coffee, and those plants in Indonesia can also traced back to Yemen. The word “coffee” itself comes from Arabic. “All these things lead back to one single point: Yemen,” said Al-Shoriy.

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Currently they roast imported green beans from Yemen in Liberec, North Bohemia, but they are looking for a showcase location in Prague for a specialty coffee shop and roastery. Al-Shoriy said “We are now trying to re-establish Yemeni coffee at the specialty coffee level.”

They have looked at several spaces, but not yet found the right one.

“We need a space that is big enough. We are happy waiting for the right space instead of rushing for the wrong space. We want to do something that can be representative of Yemen and quality coffee,” Al-Shoriy said.

The roastery’s goals go beyond running a simple cafe. “What we want to achieve is to promote Yemeni coffee and stimulate the economy in Yemen. And that is because the economy in Yemen is suffering right now because of the war,” Al-Shoriy said. “Yemen was the poorest Arab country before the war. Imagine where we are now.”

Profit margins for coffee, at least for the farmers and the producers, are small. The current conflict has driven them even lower, as the coffee has to go through up to 60 tribal check points on its way to being shipped. “There are all sorts of troubles to get the coffee out. It takes ridiculous amounts of time and ridiculous amounts of money.

The infrastructure is awful. Yemen is on two hours of electricity a day in the capital,” he said.

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Yemeni coffee farms tend to be very small, divided by family ownership. “One family can produce 50 kilos, at best 100 (per season) if they have a big lot. Depending on the area, there are two harvests per year,” says Al-Shoriy. A small café can consume 50 kilos of green coffee in a month, he added. “In order to stay sustainable, you have to pay prices above the market in order for the farmers to stay alive. So, we are trying to combat that by paying fairly to the farmers and to the producers.”

Tribes of Mokha works with a select few Yemeni producers that commit a percentage of their profits to agricultural initiatives in Yemen. “We commit 5% on top of that to initiatives related to coffee, agriculture and infrastructure, and anything we can do in any area, such as education for the children of the farmers. We are in our infancy now, but 1,000 euros here is nothing while 1,000 euros there goes a long way.”

Al-Shoriy’s plan is to aid farmers directly, with a percentage of the profits from the specific bags of coffee going back to the exact family that grew those beans. “And if a café has that bag, the people in that café are drinking that farmer’s coffee, and are the only people in the world drinking that farmer’s coffee. It is personalised. We send a message from the café back to him, so he knows and he can be proud of his work,” he said.

Now, much of the profit goes to exporters and importers, and not the farmers. Tribes of Mokha wants to change the business model so more money remains in local hands. They are cutting out several steps, so the coffee can go directly from farmers and producers to Tribes of Mokha, which will roast it and distribute it to specific cafes.

Producers turn the harvested coffee cherries into green beans and take care of logistics. Each farmer’s output is so small, it does not make economic sense for them to do their own processing.

“We want to keep it ethical and sustainable,” Al-Shoriy said, adding that their efforts go beyond what popular certifications require. “What we pay for green coffee and to bring it here is incredible. It is incredibly profitable for the farmer as they matter the most. We pay way above fair trade prices for fresh coffee cherries. We work directly with producers that work hand-in-hand with specific farmers.”

The café’s role will be to explain what sustainable coffee means.

“We are able to showcase that through transparency,” claimed Al-Shoriy.

The money that gets into the Yemeni economy from premium coffee should help to stimulate other businesses, and the economy in general. “There is a charity element and there is a sustainable way of doing things. We want to stimulate the economy and the industries that work in this time of war by promoting it, giving it a life,” he said.

“Many don’t recognise Yemen. We are more than flying under the radar. We hope that this opens up the doors to people learning about the culture,” says Al-Shoriy. Yemen may be unknown to many people despite being one of the oldest civilisations in the world but Tribes of Mokha aims to change the country’s image and re-establish its role in the world of coffee.

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Karlín in the Spotlight

The Resurgence of Prague’s First Suburb

By Julie Orlova I stand in front of Sokolovská and unfolding before my eyes is a scene with trams 8, 3, and 24 rushing past perfectly rectangular pastel blocks with trees planted at equal distances from one another. The aroma of Peruvian coffee, beard oils, and fine leather wallets hangs in the air. We are in Prague’s first modern urban expansion – Karlín. Carefully polished to perfection, it was not always like this.

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In 2002, the Vltava burst over its bounds and flooded all of Karlín.

Following the disaster came local and foreign efforts to rebuilt and invest and, as a result, gentrification. It is either said that the flood washed away all of Karlín’s personality and made it into a lucrative commodity, or that it liberated the neighbourhood and upgraded it to a better, cleaner, and, well, brighter version of itself.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Past Karlín is special in its compactness – in few other areas does one typically know exactly where a Prague neighbourhood begins and ends. On the north and south it is bordered by the Vltava and Vítkov Hill, in the west and east by the Magistrála and Palmovka, respectively. You can walk through the whole of Karlín in just 60 minutes, while being surrounded by centuries of history.

Karlín started as Prague’s first industrial suburb and was given the name Karolinenthal after the Austrian emperor’s wife, Caroline Augusta. The Czechs dropped the German suffix so the shorter version, Karlín, stuck. It was a time of rulers, compasses, and respect for the perfection of ancient grandeur. The architects of Karlín were striving for classicist symmetry, and the location encouraged it. Three parallel streets came into being: one directly below Vítkov (Pernerova), one in the middle (Křižíkova), and one along the Vltava (Sokolovská). Those are crossed by shorter perpendiculars at regular intervals, which allowed for the formation of perfectly rectangular blocks, and voilà, blueprints for a modern industrial quarter were born.

In the middle of the 19th century, Karlín slowly started turning into the energy nexus of Prague. It hosted the city’s first gasworks, illuminating 200 lamps in the city centre every day, starting with Hybernská in 1847. Manufactories, soap and oil production, consumer industries, bakeries and haberdasheries also dominated in time. One can only imagine how loud and polluted the area became, which the local aristocrats weren’t too happy about. Punctured through the city’s fortifications, the city’s first railway bridge, to this day Europe’s longest; the Negrelli Viaduct, connected to the newly established Masaryk Terminus; and František Křižík’s electric tramway would make headlines here just decades later. These top-notch technologies only added to the noisiness and overall industrial feeling of the area. What’s more, the eventual destruction of the city’s fortifications depressed land value here, relegating it to a working-class district that supplied the numerous factories that continued to mushroom.

Karlín played a role in the turbulent events of the 20th century. Its working class nature lent itself to emerging socialist ideals, and, in Karlín’s National House, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was founded in 1921. After World War II, Karlín’s position as an industrial center was strengthened, and the nationalised buildings were earmarked for the “socially weak,” including a growing Roma community. After the Velvet Revolution, the economic policy of shock therapy forced most factories and industrial enterprises to close, as they were decades behind in both technology and business practices, and Karlín abruptly its lost centuries-old purpose. Thrust into deeper poverty, noisy, dirty, and crime-ridden, and with an insular community Karlín was probably best characterised by the proverb at the time – “Karlínu a Libni zdaleka se vyhni” - Give Karlín and Libeň a wide berth.

For a long time, nobody saw a future for this post-industrial district.

Suddenly, in the summer of 2002, Mother Nature made a decisive statement and brought the most devastating flood Prague had seen in over a century and a half. The floodwaters swept 25 buildings away and turned the city streets into canals 4 meters deep. Most of the shops, restaurants, and other establishments were destroyed.

The Karlín of the past had died.

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Present When asked what they love about Karlín, locals mention how central it is, the efficiency of the transport, and the plethora of great places to dine out. Yuppies and expats claim to be proud to live in Karlín, praising the unique community vibe that had emerged over the past few years, as if it wasn’t always the case, but those who kept their homes and remained since before 2002 claim the opposite.

According to them, the community in Karlín was always exceptionally strong, especially in times when the Roma community called this place their home. Not only did they share their everyday lives with outsiders, but also welcomed anybody to their communal events, weddings, and festivals. Since Karlíners stuck together, went to the same pubs, took their kids to the same schools, played for the same local football teams, and celebrated life’s milestones together, it would be hard for them not to grow on each other.

It’s no surprise that the Roma were the first people to suffer the consequences of gentrification. It is believed that of around 60-70 families that used to live in Karlin, there is a maximum of ten living there now, if not fewer. For a decade after the flood there were some attempts to revive the old, mixed community, to keep the summer festivals alive, but the old community engagement and the numbers themselves just weren’t there anymore. Gentrification phased out the old and the poor. This was only about high rents; the indigenous people find themselves alienated in the area where they lived for many years – places that once were part of their homes in their minds have gradually disappeared.

So, what appeared in its place? Business. Karlín today is the perfect illustration of how good PR and smart investment works. From cafés that are wittingly home-office friendly to office buildings that win international awards for being eco-friendly, Karlín now has the reputation of being fertile soil for all things business. The park where Karlíners used to grill, play chess, and walk their dogs is now glass, concrete, and eco-plastic. Every weekday, hordes of office workers occupy all the vacant spaces in local cafés and restaurants, which in turn cater to the office plankton: many places close early, or are only open on weekdays, or everything but the business lunch is prohibitively expensive to order.

While some are bitterly nostalgic, others seek out the to the positive in the influx of investment. The streets of Karlin are littered now only by the leaves of the trees in the streets and the crime rate is almost shockingly low, while the number of dog- and child-friendly spaces increase every day. Karlin’s reputation has also gone up in the world.

The neighbourhood used to be equated with noise, crime, the Roma ghetto, smoking chimneys, and tumbledowns. Living in Karlin was considered a punishment. Now it’s considered almost a privilege to commute here and almost impossible to rent a place – similar to Prague’s centre, but without the tourist traps. Places like Eska, Nejen Bistro, Parlor, Můj šálek kávy, Bistro proti proudu, Garage, and Peter’s Burger Pub all deserve to be in any food guide. The concepts are unique, and the staff are incredibly friendly.

The flood undeniably refreshed the taste palates of the locals.

Current residents of Karlín have no reason to complain about access to amenities. At their disposal is the largest number of Czech pubs in Prague, beauty and yoga studios, barbershops, and all kinds of international cuisine. They have the Vltava to ferry across, and Vítkov to climb. They enjoy the abundance of brunch places and bicycles to ride. It looks like they’ve found their urban dream.

That is, of course, if they manage to keep their homes.

Future Karlín’s developers now gamble not on the unique culture and history of the location, but on the dynamism of its development, which means the latter will not stop. Current residents may pay no heed to the “suffering” of their predecessors, but their housing security is as precarious. Since nobody knows when or if the gentrification will stop and rents will cease to rise, the middle class might actually be the worst affected. Therefore, the people who brought Karlín back from the ashes after the flood and up to new greatness might soon find themselves on the other side of that equation.

The rift between residents and office workers continues to grow in examples like the construction on the Rohan embankment. The locals had hoped for new public spaces, with modern areas for living and relaxation, that at the same time would connect Karlín with the Vltava, Štvanice Island, and Holešovice. Instead of the open space, however an almost impenetrable wall arose along Pobřežní Street, closing off the old Karlin from the “new” one, as well as ruthlessly cutting off free access to the river.

It is up to the reader whether to have an opinion about Karlín’s state of affairs or simply enjoy its warm hospitality. The district has much to offer and definitely deserves a visit

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Photos by Julie Orlova

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photo from metronomefestival.cz

30 Years of Freedom 2019 in Review

By Ro Daniels Czech superstition has it that years ending in 8 are momentous. The First Republic was formed in 1918, in 1948 the Communist Party took control of the government, and 1968 saw the Prague Spring. One notable exception to this rule, however, is the not insignificant example of 1989, when Czechoslovakia began its transition from socialism. This year, 30 years after the fall of socialism in the country, has offered locals an opportunity to reflect on the last three decades, to consider what the future of the Republic should look like, and to celebrate their liberty with various cultural events. Here’s Oko!’s roundup of the most important events of the last year.

It would be hard to discuss 2019 without mentioning the political turbulence surrounding Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the investigations into his financial affairs. The so-called Stork’s Nest inquiry, dealing with Babiš’s alleged misuse of EU funds, was launched almost two years ago, although there is evidence of foul play dating back much further; an unfinished European Commission report leaked earlier this year seemed to suggest that Babiš’s business concerns and political position constitute a conflict of interest.

These revelations, combined with the Czech Police’s recommendation in April that Babiš be charged with fraud, triggered a series of protests across Prague and the rest of Czechia. The organisation Milion Chvilek pro Demokracii coordinated the bulk of these demonstrations, culminating with a march at Letná in June that was attended by a reported 280,000 people.

It seems significant that these events took place in 2019, exactly three decades after the dismantling of the socialist regime in Czechoslovakia, as their scale and peaceful nature have drawn comparisons to the protests leading up to the Velvet Revolution.

Babiš has yet to address the allegations or the protests.

The Velvet Revolution has been commemorated in various different ways across the country. Festivities kicked off 11 months before the exact anniversary with a special New Year’s fireworks show that incorporated Modlitba pro Martu, the song that has come to symbolise both the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution itself. The performance was one of the most watched events of the year, with over a million people tuning in.

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Music, such a controlled medium under socialism, was used to mark the anniversary all year. The Metronome Festival at Výstaviště Holešovice adopted “30 Years of Freedom” as its theme, and featured the cult heroes Pražský výběr, whose anti-establishment sentiments caused them to be censored in the 70s and banned outright in the 80s. The iconic rock band performed alongside Liam Gallagher and Kraftwerk during the two-day-long festival.

Prague Castle hosted a photography exhibition commemorating the events of ’89 in states across the socialist bloc. 1989: The Fall of the Iron Curtain documented the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond with photographs from Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Yugoslavia. Its organisers said the collection had been curated to appeal to those who didn’t have personal recollections of the events – whether that was because they weren’t citizens of the Eastern bloc, or because they are too young to remember the Velvet Revolution.

Similarly, the Festival of Freedom aimed to deepen young people’s understanding of this recent chapter in Czech history. In a conscious effort to remind people of students’ role in the Velvet Revolution, the festival collaborated with over a hundred colleges and universities, and organised various interactive exhibitions. Most remarkable was a four-hour-long roleplaying game, which required students to adopt the persona of a real person involved in the 1989 demonstrations and follow their path around Prague.

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Students at the Czech Technical University (ČVUT) also celebrated an anniversary this year: 2019 marks 50 years since the iconic Klub 007 was opened in the university’s halls. The club organised 12 special shows during the course of the year featuring overwhelmingly local acts to commemorate its history as a hotbed for low-level dissidence under socialism. Politics aside, the club made a name for itself as a student-run venue featuring trailblazing acts, including folk heroes at the outset, then jazz sets, punk performances, and some of the first new wave shows in Prague.

Prague’s cultural institutions have undergone a renewal this year.

Most famously, the iconic National Museum has opened its doors to the public after several years of renovation. Visitors were briefly admitted at the end of 2018, but the museum was soon closed again to allow for further work to take place, before opening for good. As well as the traditional exhibition spaces, the museum’s dome has been made accessible to the public for the first time.

Prague Pride celebrated its 11th year in August with a weeklong programme of lectures, parties, picnics, and, of course, parades.

The organisation used a smorgasbord of cultural events to bring generations of LGBTQ+ people together, believing that the community is strengthened by intersectional communication. Seminars and talks about the history of Pride and its manifestation across the world were held in Czech and English.

The climax of the week was the ever-popular parade from Wenceslas Square to Letná on 10 August. This year’s parade was one of the best attended in Prague Pride’s history, with a reported 30,000 people braving inclement weather to take part. While there were a few instances of protestors attempting to disrupt the parade – an unnamed group, for example, poured cooking oil on the steps leading to Letná in an effort to curb the march – the police reported no violent incidents and the day was considered a success by its organisers.

While the week of events was largely characterised by a joyful atmosphere, the organisation Jsme Fér (We’re Fair) were keen to remind the Czech Republic’s LGBTQ+ community that true equality remains something to strive for. The independent group, formed in 2017, held a happening in June this year to mark a year since the Equal Marriage Bill was submitted to Parliament. The proposed bill would compel the state to allow same-sex couples to marry in a legally identical way to heterosexual couples. Although the bill has been discussed in parliament twice, the Lower House has yet to vote on it, and Jsme Fér claim that more time was given to dissenting speeches than assenting ones during the discussions.

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Fans of sculptor David Černý were relieved to see his Miminka statues returned to the Žižkov television tower. However, the babies now on the tower are not the original statues, which were officially retired after being deemed unfit for permanent exhibition in such an unprotected place. The new statues are visually identical, but more durable and better affixed to the tower – good news for anyone who was worried about walking under the original sculptures. Žižkov Tower was the scene of another unusual exhibition this year.

In July, the tower was transformed using video-mapping technology to depict the launch of Apollo 11. A projection of the launch took place in real time, with a special film screening in the tower grounds afterwards. The event took place on 16 July at 22:10 to coincide with the exact fifty-year anniversary of the original launch. Žižkov Tower was chosen because its size and shape closely resemble the Apollo 11 launcher.

Prague played host to a number of smaller festivals in 2019, the variety of which showcases the city’s vibrancy and diversity. In February, Dlabačov Cinema hosted the festival Zažij Nový Zéland, with screenings of classic and contemporary Kiwi films, and lectures in Czech, in an attempt to share the country’s art with Czech people.

May saw the return of the Khamoro Festival, known as the world’s largest Roma festival. The programme included photography exhibitions, literature events, activities for children, and performing arts, and culminated in a parade incorporating Roma musical traditions.

Prague Fringe, an English-language theatre and performing arts festival, had its most popular year yet, with around 6,000 visitors compared to a mere 400 in 2002.

It was a bittersweet year for animal lovers, as Prague Zoo saw the death of one beloved animal and the birth of another. Bora the polar bear, a stalwart favourite amongst visitors, passed away at age 33, far surpassing the average life expectancy of polar bears in the wild.

Bora was described by her keepers as “very calm – even phlegmatic – and laid-back.” Bora is survived by her daughter, Berta, and her adopted cub, Tom. Meanwhile, zookeepers and visitors alike had reason to celebrate when a female giraffe was born. Rothschild’s giraffes are critically endangered, with as few as 2,000 surviving in the wild. Prague Zoo’s herd constitutes an important part of the global conservation effort.

Czech sports fans had plenty of cause for celebration in 2019.

Karolína Plíšková was ranked the number two singles player in the world after defeating Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, while Barbora Strýcová took the title of number one doubles player when she and her partner, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, shattered records at Wimbledon. In the US, it was announced that Václav Nedomanský, known as the first hockey player from the socialist bloc to defect and play in North America, will be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. The former Detroit Red Wings forward fled Czechoslovakia in the 70s and played in Canada and the US until his retirement. He will join goalkeeper Dominik Hašek as the second Czech in the Hall of Fame.

Czech climate activists participated in the global Extinction Rebellion event in September following a summer heatwave that shattered records, with 30 June being the hottest day since records began 244 years ago. On this day, thermometers recording a sweltering 37.9°C. The Czech chapter of the movement organised a “Funeral for Trees” (Pohřeb pro naše lesy) in several centres across the country, including Prague, Brno, Liberec and Vsetín. Protestors brought “dead” trees into cities and held a silent wake for them, intending to disrupt traffic and force a conversation about the morality of global environmental apathy.

2019 has been a year of renewal and remembrance, as Prague residents commemorated their history and considered the future of the city, the country, and indeed the planet. Despite this, the events of the year have by no means been dominated by reflection and future planning: the city has also hosted countless significant cultural festivals, reminding us all of the joy in art and community. It’s been a pleasure to experience commemorations of the nation’s recent history, while also celebrating some of its more marginalised groups.

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HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CITY? Whether you’ve lived in Prague for months or years, there’s always more to discover: neighbourhoods, museums, walks, cafés, places to take your kids...

Or perhaps you have friends in town and don’t have the time to play tour guide. Prague City Tourism to the rescue! Pick up our FREE, up-to-date, ad-free guides at our Visitor Centre, or order them online just for the cost of postage at w eshop.prague.eu.

Prague City Tourism Visitor Centre q Rytířská 12, Prague 1 – Old Town r open daily 9-19 w prague.eu

Technology Trends in 2020

Disruption, Challenges, and All the Buzzwords You Can Muster

By Dominik Ježek When talking about today’s rapid technological developments, avoiding buzzwords is like playing Minesweeper. Disruptive is the new innovative, almost everyone is challenging something, and if you can’t discern VR from IoT, you might feel like a sloth in the middle of a burning forest. We-are-I-oh-what?

Even the most erudite tech editors find themselves in the shoes of Alice in Wonderland sometimes. But by reading about the hottest tech trends from 2019 in addition to those for the upcoming year in advance, you won’t have to learn many new terms and abbreviations all at once. The most discussed technologies of the recent past will remain atop the list in 2020.

They just picked up the pace.

AI level over 9,000 If we were to advise you which technology you should learn more about in 2020 and beyond, we’d go all in on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The myriad of opportunities offered by this technology, including machine learning and voice recognition, has been shaping the future and will continue to do so. Think more of an overhaul, rather than refurbishment.

AI is what lies behind things like voice recognition and mimicking the human brain. The technology can learn from itself and allows for much faster analysis of the mountain of data we produce every day. All the big guns in IT, such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, are heavily investing in AI, and you can see this on their product list.

Take Google, for example. Its artificial neural network made a leap forward in the accuracy and quality of translations with Google Translator in 2016. Since 2017, Google Lens image recognition can connect you to wifi just by scanning the password with your phone camera. The Duplex AI system showed us how it could talk to restaurant managers over the phone and book you a seat for the evening in 2018.

Not all the roses in the AI garden are in full bloom, though.

Languages with some weird and weirder rules, such as Czech, stretch its translation abilities to the limits. While AI might be winning the battle on the text-to-text plains, the hills of picture-to-text or voice-to-text remain a touch too steep.

Try typing the word “restrooms” into the Google Translate mobile app and it gives you the correct Czech translation, “toalety.” Now find a sign that says “restrooms,” click on the Word Lens feature in the app, point the phone camera at the sign, and you get “obnovení.”

Restrooms somehow turned into restoration. So near and yet so far.

Photo by Fabio Oyxis

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TECHNOLOGY

No more peeking without consent

Ali 5G Indahouse

For years, almost no one has been bothered by all the personal data companies and governments collect. Everything is just a click away and why would anyone want to eavesdrop on us anyway?

Our list can’t be complete without the fifth generation of wireless phone technology. As Sacha Baron Cohen’s movie character and the inventor of the word “restecp” would agree, 5Gungle is massive.

Sorry for the wicked 5Gokes, but it’s hard to resist. Tech editors aren’t exactly known for their savvy social skills anyway.

Start with Amazon’s home assistant Alexa, which has been recording everyone, even when no one called out “Alexa” to wake the device up from sleep mode. Carry on with Facebook and its massive data leak to Cambridge Analytica and its continuous disregard for your privacy. Even the mighty Google doesn’t come out without a smudge, giving its contractors access to Google Assistant and Google Home voice recordings. As you can see, your PCs, Macs, and smartphones ceased to matter that much in terms of privacy. Smart homes are the new frontier of rogue data collections.

Thanks to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, we will see many more privacy issues surface, as well as further public and private efforts to protect our data. With the prevalent lack of basic tech literacy among the general public, we don’t want to go as far as calling 2020 the year of privacy renaissance. Still, we allow ourselves a bit of wishful thinking and dream of a world where people are well aware when they trade privacy for convenience.

Global going local Having all data stored online in the so-called cloud has become the Mecca for big tech companies in the past few years. The idea of full access to the necessary data anywhere, anytime sounds appealing.

But having many devices connected to the Internet at once in one place is putting immense pressure on network data flows, especially when it comes to the use of online analytics and other demanding operations. That’s where edge computing comes in. By moving services as close to the source of data as possible, you can achieve better response times and faster transfers.

The other issue with devices is that remote locations come with low and intermittent connectivity. If a technician working in the field wants to check machine performance and do real-time analytics, he surely won’t be happy to see the devilish spinning circle on the display.

Despite many other advantages of edge compared to cloud, the best way is a combination of the two. Just like in public transport – one hand on the handrail (cloud for long-term stability) and the other scratching your itchy ear (edge for operative purposes).

If you are still keen on reading our view on this controversy-stricken and heavily politically influenced technology, we wrote a whole article for you. Just wait a few more pages.

There are definitely other technologies you are likely to hear about in 2020. We have already covered smart homes and the Internet of Things, 3D printing, and artificial realities in previous editions of Oko! Magazine and we are keeping our eyes peeled for the up-andcomers, such as robotic process automation, quantum computing, and prescriptive analytics.

Since we started with buzzwords and did our best to avoid them, we would like to conclude with our Top 10 list featuring some of our favourites. If you play buzzword bingo at a tech conference, be sure to include these and you will no doubt enjoy a sweeping victory: • • • • • • • • • •

Disruptive – that’s a must, go disruptive or go home Challenger – every disruptive company needs to challenge something, preferably something big Big Data – small aims are for small people. Big goals are either for big people or for those who are compensating for something Immersive – we guess that “sucking in” does not sound that impressive. Immersive VR space toilets, anyone?

Blockchain – let’s sort out 5G first, shall we?

5G – yes, we did put 5G as point 6. Yes, we did it for the sole purpose of teasing all perfectionists Internet of Things – this smells of robotic discrimination.

When will we get the Internet of People?

Revolution – the timeless favourite of every marketer Personalisation – the ultimate “Personalised Internet of People Experience” or “real offline life” for short Smart – smart is the new1+tan²C. You have smart industry, phones, TVs, toilets, fridges (which we distrust), and homes, and we strongly believe you can fill all 25 cards with smart stuff, but that would be cheating

Photo by SpaceX

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5G Our Next Pandora’s Box?

The New Frontier Where Winners Might Be Losers

By Dominik Ježek The time-tested rule of thumb speaks clearly: “If you want to know a person’s true character, let them work on a computer with a slow internet connection.” While you are recalling the last time you wanted to smash your fists on the keyboard and play frisbee with your laptop, we would like to soothe your rage with a promise of super-fast internet connection which should be in full swing next year.

Answering 5G’s 5 Ws 5G stands for the fifth generation of wireless phone technology.

As for its predecessors, 1G dates back to 1982 and its speed of 2-3 kbps (kilobits per second) only facilitated voice calls. Since then, analogue went digital, faster speeds allowed multimedia file transmissions, and mobile phones turned into pocket computers.

While the last evolution from 3G to 4G meant mainly a massive leap in terms of faster internet connection and higher data capacity that helped to spread mobile devices across the globe, 5G aims higher.

Do not imagine it will mean something more than an exponential increase in speed, lower latency, and more reliable connection.

The main point is how it will affect the connected devices.

The first are routers and fixed-line internet connection in general.

Operators in the Czech Republic currently offer maximum fixed-line speeds of hundreds of megabits per second (Mbps). For example, UPC boasts 500 Mbps and its competitor T-Mobile offers 250 Mbps.

Compare it to the tens of gigabits per second (Gbps) 5G promises, and the need to drill an extra hole into the wall to wire up your TV exists no more.

Shining promises and holo calls The next in line are IoT devices, smart homes, and even smart cities. The quicker response rate (up to 50 times faster) that could drop to a staggering 1 ms with 5G is crucial for any machines that need real-time reactions, such as autonomous cars. To give you some context, it takes at least 10 ms for the human brain to process an image seen by the eye.

The low latency makes cloud gaming possible as well. Gamers won’t need expensive hardware to play the most demanding games.

Video calls will go as smoothly as a bowed violin –or holo calls.

Had you gone to the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary this year, you could have seen the talking holograph of Milan Zíka in the Vodafone lounge. The West Bohemian spa city is one of the few testing places where you can enjoy 5G in the Czech Republic and Vodafone wants to launch its first commercial 5G network there.

The British mobile operator already brought pieces of 5G tech to Karlovy Vary last year, but there were no phones that supported it. Now major smartphone brands are rushing to be the next to put these two magical characters in the name of their new devices.

Even though Samsung has already sold more than two million of these, there are only a few places around the world where you can use it.

Photo by Thomas Millot

68

TECHNOLOGY

Photo by SpaceX

From headstrong into headless

Poking the hornet’s nest

The missing infrastructure is not the only problem paving the road to 5G. As with all new technologies, security counts among the biggest issues. A team of researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Lorraine, and the University of Dundee analysed 5G’s security and described it as “immature and insufficiently tested”. The research team warned that the new technology enables massive DDoS attacks, cryptojacking, and other cyber attacks on an unprecedented scale.

The last big potential issue relates to radiation levels.

The super-fast 5G works on higher millimetre waves, which do not penetrate objects easily. This means that you need a lot more of them to cover the same area as with 4G. Even though studies have so far been unable to show any adverse health effects, Brussels and Geneva stopped 5G trials because of radiation levels this year.

Despite the experts’ warnings, companies are racing to be the first to reach a massive scale with the speediest networks. China, chiefly its tech giant Huawei, still leads the rankings, with South Korea and the USA in close pursuit.

Even though Huawei denied any accusations of providing the Chinese government back doors into their network, many remain suspicious. The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency even openly called Huawei a security threat. Our cyber watchdog explained that China’s laws require private companies residing in China to cooperate with its intelligence services.

As you can tell, there is a lot of research to be done to determine how the new technology affects our health and security, and how it interferes with other signals. In fact, 5G has quickly become our Pandora’s box and instead of a careful examination of its surface intricacies, we are running to the shed for the crowbar. Whichever country you are rooting for in the 5G race, the people enjoying seamless video streaming and lightning-fast downloads might end up on the losing side.

The mad dash for 5G deployment and its insufficient testing also raises concerns about interference with weather forecast equipment decreasing its accuracy by as much as 30 %. This might not seem like a big deal in a landlocked country, such as the Czech Republic, but for the people of the regularly hurricane-swept US coast, this could mean the difference between life and death.

TECHNOLOGY

69

Where to Hit the Slopes This Season Skiing Spots From Špindl to Šumava

By Anna West

Photo by Matt Pet

70

SPORT

Photo by Tyler Domingue

Shorter days, cold nights, and markets selling mulled wine and roasted chestnuts are the harbingers of winter in the Czech Republic. While many accept this as a signal to retreat indoors and hibernate throughout the chilly months, those with an appetite for sport may throw on snow-faring attire and look to the surrounding areas for opportunities to hit the ski slopes – or the flats, if that’s what you’re into.

In 2017, the European Union’s statistical office reported that more than 7.3 million pairs of skis and snowboards were exported by EU member states, 60% of which were traded within the EU. This may be unsurprising, as modern skiing originated in Europe. The first recorded ski races and exercises were done by Norwegian and Swedish infantries in the 1700s. Even the word ski comes from the Old Norse word skíð, which means “stick of wood.”

The history of skiing in the Czech Republic, however, goes back only 130 years to when Josef Rössler-Ořovský used the slight incline of Prague’s Wenceslas Square as a ski run. Afterwards, skiing as a sport began to draw greater interest from the population. In the 20th century, after the fall of communism, foreign goods and sporting equipment became available for the first time in four decades, resulting in the modernisation of ski equipment and ski resorts.

Today, the country has more than 191 ski areas. One of the most popular and famous destinations is Špindlerův Mlýn – or Špindl as it’s commonly called – in the Krkonoše mountains. The resort offers 25 kilometres of slopes (groomed daily) and is also home to important events and competitions, such as this year’s World Cup slalom, where American Olympic gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin set a new record for the most alpine skiing World Cup triumphs (15) in a single season. Nearby mountains Herlíkovice, Černá hora, and Pec pod Sněžkou offer an alternative to Špindl’s crowds, though they also remain popular. Ski resort Černá hora-Pec sees around three-quarters of a million visitors per year arriving for winter sports and activities.

In southern Czech Republic, near the borders with Germany and Austria, the Šumava mountain range has a variety of resorts for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. From Kvilda in Prameny Šumavy, to Špičák, the resorts lie inside the Šumava National Park, which is covered by the most extensive forest in Central Europe and has protected status. Lipno, located further south, has 11.8km of slopes available and offers ski schools for children and beginners.

For slopes closer to Prague, many frequent Ještěd, the highest mountain in Liberec, located approximately one and a half hours from the capital by car. Also in Liberec is the Harrachov ski resort in Čertova hora known not only for regular skiing, but also ski jumping and ski flying. For cross-country skiers, the annual Jizerská padesátka (50km) race in the nearby Jizera mountains attracts thousands of participants from around the world. Beginners should try Chotoun, a small, kid-friendly resort 30 minutes from Prague. At most resorts, with some exceptions, children under the age of six can ski free of charge.

Before hitting the slopes, it’s important to plan your ski trip right.

While most resorts offer ski and snowboard rentals, renting equipment in the city will save time and money. Many stores offer a variety of sports brands for skiing and snowboarding equipment, and some even offer services such as bootfitting using 3D modelling technology.

In recent years, new products have emerged to improve skiing and snowboarding preparation and experiences. For example, the Czech Skipass is a season ticket that allows visitors to use 190 kilometres of downhill slopes in 23 leading Czech ski resorts. The pass, which can be purchased online ahead of time, helps skiers avoid long lines and provides the opportunity to sample a variety of resorts. To keep track of ski conditions, download the iSKI Czech phone application, which provides the latest data concerning weather conditions, snow depth, and quality, as well as open chairlifts at ski resorts in the region.

Perhaps the greatest threat to snow sports comes from changes in climate. The Ministry of Environment, in its 2015 report “Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Czech Republic,” found that climate change conditions in the Czech Republic manifested as “warmer and wetter winters with smaller amounts of snow.” The report, which was based on simulations using regional climate models, states that in winter, the Czech Republic can expect a “decreasing occurrence of frost, ice, and arctic days.” With decreased snowfall, and warmer temperatures causing more melt, the sport faces an uncertain future.

Although the prognosis may seem grim, many ski resorts have invested in technology to create artificial snow produced by cannons when temperatures are below zero. With the right conditions, a typical ski season can go from November to late March, presenting plenty of opportunities to ski and snowboard this winter into spring.

SPORT

71

Combat the Flu with the Power of Nat-achoo!

Natural Remedies for the Flu Season

By Vanessa Gautschi

Jack Frost has most of Europe tightly in his icy grip. Biting winds blow unforgivingly through the cobbled streets of the Czech Republic’s major towns and cities as temperatures tumble with each new day. Tiny snow crystals adorn the rooftops and elegant icicles decorate the overhanging eaves as people keep themselves warm next to open fires while sipping hot wine.

With the season of cosy nights upon us, a couple of uninvited guests slither their way into our lives. Sitting in the tram, one can’t miss the familiar tram cough – a sickening chorus echoing through the carriage. More and more co-workers enter the office with swollen eyes and red, runny noses as they sit down at their desks with a big cup of ginger tea.

When even the “Na zdraví” over full beer mugs does not keep its promise of bringing health, it’s time for nature’s little helpers to come through. The Czech Republic’s natural apothecary cabinet offers a vast assortment of herbal and natural restoratives that will get you through the next bout of flu.

After dinner, you might want to grab your jar of onion syrup – stored in a dark, dry place where it happily soaks up honey. This natural remedy straight out of Babička’s kitchen might sound bad, but can actually be quite delicious once the onion juices mingle with the golden, acidic liquid. The pungent shot is known to cure viral ailments and the honey carries many vitamins that should bring you back up to speed. A simple three tablespoons a day might not bring fresh breath, but can at least offer some welcome relief for sore throats.

The superhero of natural remedies can be found in every kitchen: garlic. The healing effects of the “stinking rose” were discovered early on: researchers believe the ancient Egyptians already knew about the healing properties of this bulbous plant. In Ancient Greece, it was none other than Hippocrates – known as the father of medicine – who around 400 BC prescribed garlic for infections, digestive disorders, and even heart problems! Ever since, garlic has convinced many nations throughout the ages of its healing powers.

And rightfully so, confirm many scientists around the world. Crushing a garlic clove sets free a substance called allicin, which then quickly converts to sulphur-containing compounds that confers superpowers on garlic. And like many other insightful nations, the Czech Republic has for centuries been using the root in many shapes and forms as a remedy for colds and flu (and hangovers). One of the most common is česnečka, a garlic soup.

Not only does the broth rehydrate the body, but the combination of garlic’s antibacterial and antiviral compounds boosts the response of white blood cells fighting incoming bacteria. And by the bye: hearty, piping hot garlic soup with toasted breadcrumbs after a day out in the cold makes for a comforting weeknight dinner.

While you’re at it, why not tweak the traditional recipe and throw in a couple of oyster mushrooms, too? Mushroom foraging in autumn is not only a beloved Czech tradition; its bounty makes for the perfect food to have when the flu is about to roll over you in the winter months. Oyster mushrooms – which grow on old or dead trees in the forest – contain important ingredients like beta-glucan, which has been proven to fight the flu.

Photo by Ale Vega

72

HEALTH

Photo by Matthew Henry

And it’s not just hearsay onion fights colds and flu: science confirms what Babička prescribes. Onions contain a chemical compound named quercetin, which possesses antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

Of course, this is Czech Republic, and thus, schnapps like Becherovka and Slivovice are popular remedies to scare away sickness in wintertime. Some people even bathe in the liquors to dilate blood vessels and help mucus membranes to take care of an infection! A real booze-ter for the system.

Baths in general are a popular antidote for the flu. And they are best enjoyed with a cup of tea. The blossoms of the linden tree – also the national tree of the Czech Republic – make a herbal tea that will combat infections in the system.

And because you should pamper yourself when sick, how about a bowl of ice cream after your medicinal bath? Drizzle some vitamin-rich sea berries – more commonly known as sea buckthorn – over your dessert, top it with a couple of gingerbread cookies, and you are all set to overcome your illness naturally, easily, and happily!

The Czech Republic offers many natural and curious remedies to overcome the flu. With the help of bulbs, roots, berries, fungi, and just a dash of Becherovka, tackling the bacteria threatening to ruin the festive season becomes incredibly easy. And if all traditional recipes fail, retreat to the remedy that has proven to be successful over centuries: get a person you love to wrap you up like a burrito and sleep around the clock as icy winds howl outside.

Brzy se uzdrav!

Victims of sore throats should give ginger tea with lemon a try.

The yellow root contains gingerols and shogaols, which are known to bring relief to a sore throat and kill rhinoviruses – which cause colds and flu in the first place.

HEALTH

73

Catching Snowflakes

By Anežka Novák

The music of J.J. Ryba’s Česká mše vánoční wafts and floats, descending the arches of the baroque church Kostel Nejsvětějšího Salvátora in the Old Town. Julia recognises snatches of it from long ago. She and Antoine emerge into the night, sauntering along the embankment of the Vltava River in their long coats, snowflakes fluttering and falling, like the first snowflakes she saw that long-ago Christmas in America.

Poking out their tongues, catching snowflakes, shrieking with delight, Julia and her two brothers run after their father, Miroslav, who strides ahead, crunching the crisp snow on a Chicago street, deserted except for a car gliding by. Julia looks back at her mother’s tear-stained face, almost hidden by a scarf. Julia takes her hand. “Are you missing Granny?

Christmas at Granny’s?” Christina nods.

Julia smiles at the thought of Granny, the aunts and uncles and cousins, the kids running down to the beach for a swim, tippy toes on hot sand, the flip-flop of jandals on the sandy path, stopping at the dairy for hokey pokey ice cream cones and licking them all the way back to Granny’s. There you could open the sunporch window and sniff the sea air, listen to the waves on clear nights. You could see the sea, even when the winds blew in from the Cook Strait, splashing the sea over the road that curved its way around the harbour to Wellington.

Julia hugs her mother and Christina manages a weak smile. When the family arrive at Mr and Mrs Vesely’s place, Miroslav beams as he greets them, Vesele Vanoce! Tatínek, as he likes the children to call him, instructed them to say, “Vesele Vanoce pane a paní Veselí! Merry Christmas, Mr and Mrs Merry!” Julia hides her face behind her green corduroy coat to prevent herself from being seen laughing.

Mr and Mrs Merry tell the children to call them teta and stryc. Julia pulls a face, “But they’re not our aunt and uncle!”

Tatínek laughs, saying that’s what people do in Czechoslovakia. Julia nods. He will please Tatínek, but she thinks they do some strange things in Czechoslovakia. Eating carp and potato salad for a Christmas meal! At least the Christmas biscuits are nice. Mrs Merry made them herself – cukrovky, almond shortbread biscuits, Christmas shapes dusted with icing sugar. The children gobble them up and so does Tatínek, who tells Mrs Merry she must give the recipe to Christina, who scowls behind her flame-red hair because she doesn’t like fiddly baking.

By the time they trudge home in the dark, the snow is slushy and soft. The Chicago suburb is flat, arranged in a grid pattern of squares. The children like counting down the blocks, competing with each other to call out the numbers first, Julia loves beating her brothers. She smiles, she’s never seen Tatínek smiling so much. Plus Mr and Mrs Merry gave her two happy-looking soft toys, a big white dog with crimson-coloured floppy ears and a gold ribbon tied around its neck, and a long colourful snake. Julia glances at her mother. She can see tears dripping down Christina’s face, glistening like raindrops. Julia fishes out her embroidered handkerchief and hands it to her mother. If only everyone could be happy at the same time, she thinks, but Christina has been coughing and blowing her nose for a week and now she’s homesick too.

Julia tries to make sense of it. New Zealand – America – Czechoslovakia. That’s how it is for immigrants, they are always conjuring up other lands, especially at Christmas. That’s what the older kids told Julia at school – first you are an immigrant and then you become American. America is nearer Czechoslovakia than New Zealand, but they can’t go there because of the Iron Curtain. Julia can’t imagine what a curtain made of iron looks like, but it sounds bad because Tatínek said they could put him in prison if he goes back there. Now they are an immigrant family, except Tatínek is also a refugee, because he doesn’t have a passport, only identity papers from the UN. That’s why he likes America so much – he isn’t the only refugee, he can speak Czech and make jokes and eat Czech koláč and go to mass in Czech.

But the more Tatínek spoke Czech, the more homesick Christina got. After the Chicago riots in the summer of 1968, she didn’t want the children growing up around that violence either. Julia heard them arguing about it in the kitchen. Tatínek wanted to stay put – it was the Prague Spring, he was waiting until he could go back there. Suddenly there were photos of tanks invading Prague on the front page of the newspaper and Tatínek almost weeping. That Christmas of catching snowflakes was Tatínek’s twentieth away from his homeland. And who knew how many more pretend-Czech Christmases he would have?

When they parted with Tatínek at a Chicago railway station at the start of the journey back to New Zealand, Christina and Tatínek promised he would come at Christmas. But he never did, he stayed in Chicago and had three more pretendCzech Christmases there. He never did get an American passport with his photo and pages to fill up with visa stamps.

The Americans called him a Czechoslovak, even though he didn’t have a passport from that country. It had turned into a totalitarian Communist state and he had escaped across the border with next to nothing one spring night in 1948.

So in 1999, Julia liked remembering that immigrant family Christmas they once had, catching snowflakes on the way to Mr and Mrs Merry’s place and walking home in the slush of melting snow, clutching her two big, happy-looking soft toys.

She wished Tatínek had lived longer than three more Christmases so he could be walking along the Vltava River with her and Antoine. She gazed at Antoine. Suddenly she poked out her tongue, he poked out his tongue back. Catching snowflakes, laughing, Julia and Antoine started celebrating their first Czech Christmas.

74

ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

illustration by Marina Kudinova

75

Advent in Central Bohemia Christmas is fast approaching, and all of us will have to pick the right presents and most probably wait in long queues at the cash registers.

However, we know places where the original traditions have not been forgotten, places where the pre-Christmas rush has not yet arrived.

Give yourself and your loved ones an early gift and visit Central Bohemia.

Explore the places that offer a unique Christmas atmosphere, filled with scents of hot red wine, known as “svařák”, and freshly baked festive sweets.

For Unique Gifts to Advent Markets Our ancestors knew long ago that a handmade gift will be met with greater gratitude than the most expensive gift of all. Fairs, which take place in a number of Central Bohemian places, offer not only stalls with traditional Czech Christmas gifts, but also creative workshops where you can create your own Christmas decorations and greetings cards.

Discover the advent markets at Kutná Hora, where you can participate in these activities along with enjoying a beautiful wooden carousel and puppet show!

Christmas with the Czech Aristocracy Learn more about the origins of Christmas in the Czech Republic during the times when the region was covered with brilliant-white snowdrifts.

Find out more about the customs and traditions of the holiday and how it was hosted on Christmas Eve during unconventional tours prepared for visitors to iconic Czech monuments.

Do not miss the unique atmosphere of the castles and chateaux located in Central Bohemia. It’s often the last opportunity of the year to enjoy the stunning building interiors before they close down for the season.

To the Museum with Nativity Scenes (“Betlémy”) A number of exhibitions are also connected with Christmas.

And there is more to them than just various designs of nativity scenes and the production of glass ornaments.

Visitors will be surprised by the diversity of the events taking place in Central Bohemia.

For example, at the Regional museum Mělník, an exhibition focussed on Christmas during the 1970-80s will be installed for those who enjoy all things retro. Guests will be able to explore the Christmas season at a time when the cassette walkmans and colour televisions were considered modern technology.

Regardless of which advent attraction you decide to attend this year in Central Bohemia, we promise you’ll experience the true spirit of Christmas.

15. 11. 2019 - 30. 12. 2019

Folk Christmas in the Elbe Region, Přerov nad Labem open-air museum (exhibition)

22.-24. 11. 2019

Advent festival, Nelahozeves chateau (markets)

22.11. 2019 - 5. 1. 2020

Christmas of 70's and 80's, Regional museum Mělník (exhibition)

26. 11. 2019 - 12. 1. 2020

The story of the Christmas tree, Loučeň Chateau (Advent tours)

1.-20. 12. 2019

Advent Exhibition, Mnichovo Hradiště Castle

1.-22. 12. 2019

Evening Advent Markets, Mladá Boleslav

4.-21. 12. 2019

Advent Markets, Kutná Hora

7.-8. 12. 2019

Advent tours of Český Šternberk Castle

13. 12. 2019

Mysterious Christmas night walk with surprise, Slaný

14.-15. 12. 2019

Christmas in the miners house, Museum of mining, Příbram (workshops)

77

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Oko! Magazine www.okomagazine.cz Registration : MK CR E 23315 IC: 0645533 ISSN 2571-3345 Edition #6 Nov/Dec 2019 Published Nov 2 2019

Art Director Benny Water design@okomagazine.cz Editor-In-Chief Leigh Woods editorial@okomagazine.cz Copy Editor Marissa Baard Cover Page Nela Moravcova Editorial Advisor David Lameš

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N°6

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