Reflection on taste and these times June 28, 2016 Source: The Guardian Nigeria / www.guardian.ng / By Debo Adesina / Those who questioned or still question President Muhammadu Buhari’s educational qualifications, especially his secondary school leaving certificate, certainly know a thing or two about jokes. They have never met his classmates or, better still, his students or subordinates in …
A treasure trove of memories June 20, 2016 Source: The Manila Times / www.manilatimes.net / By Juanito P. Jarasa / NOW in my retirement, I look back to my 40-year diplomatic career and realize how meeting very important personalities has enriched my life. I was ambassador to Hungary and Czechoslovakia on a concurrent basis, then to India and …
Watson: The character of a president June 16, 2016 Source: The Salem News / www.salemnews.com / By Brian T. Watson / It has been nearly five years since Vaclav Havel died. He was the first president of Czechoslovakia after the fall of the communist government there in 1989. This year, I have closely followed the American presidential primary candidates …
New York to mark late president’s 80th birthday with “Václav Havel Day” June 16, 2016 Source: Radio Praha / www.radio.cz / By Dominik Jůn / The mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, is to declare September 28 to be “Václav Havel Day”, according to the Czech Consulate in the American city. Numerous events are to surround the roughly three-day commemoration, including performances of Havel’s …
Havel’s Humanity April 29, 2016 Source: The Wall Street Journal www.wsj.com / By Salil Tripathi / In 1988, when he was still a dissident playwright, Vaclav Havel began writing a play about the angst of a political leader about to relinquish power. Outwardly, the leader looked supremely confident; inwardly, he had no idea how he …
Peter Jones: Czechs have a lot to teach Scotland January 13, 2016 Source: The Scotsman www.scotsman.com / By Peter Jones / Prague airport is a bit of a shock for those of us who like to think that Scotland, and indeed Britain, are open cosmopolitan nations keen to engage with the world, especially emerging economies such as China and Russia. Prague’s confidence …
The West is losing the battle for the heart of Europe January 13, 2016 Source: Reuters blogs.reuters.com / By John Lloyd / A little over a quarter of a century ago, Europe celebrated the healing of the schism that Communism enforced on it since World War Two, and which produced great tribunes of freedom.Lech Walesa, the Polish shipyard electrician, climbed over his yard wall …
Pehe: Era of Havel’s legacy promoted in Czech politics is over December 2, 2015 Source: Prague Daily Monitor / www.praguemonitor.com / By ČTK / www.ctk.cz / Prague, Nov 28 (CTK) – The era of prominent politicians who promoted the legacy of Vaclav Havel and occupied leading posts in major Czech political parties is over, Jiri Pehe wrote in Saturday’s issue of Právo in relation …
More Havel letters published November 28, 2015 Source: Prague Post / www.praguepost.com / By Czech News Agency / New book of Václav Havel’s texts reflects his persecution, stay in jail Prague, Nov 26 (ČTK) — A new book of texts by former Czech president Václav Havel (1936-2011), including some that were never published before, reflects his persecution …
Refugees and responsibility in Central Europe October 22, 2015 Source: Today’s Zaman / By Michael Zantovsky / Fifteen years ago, the Czech statesman and playwright Václav Havel noted that some Czech politicians “recognize two different kinds of violence, genocide, terror and mafias: one that is better, and one that is worse. The better kind is pan-Slavic, and the worse …
Czech stance on refugees could risk gains of last 25 years, says IIR’s Benjamin Tallis October 8, 2015 Source: Radio Praha www.radio.cz / By Ian Willoughby / Englishman Benjamin Tallis heads the Centre for European Security at Prague’s Institute of International Relations. An expert on European affairs, including the EU’s border-free Schengen zone, he is also the editor-in-chief of the IIR’s recently rebooted academic journal New Perspectives. When we spoke …
Václav Havel: Personal Truth as Political Theatre October 6, 2015 Source: HowlRound / www.howlround.com / Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred. Václav Havel, playwright, former Czech President, leader of the Velvet Revolution, personal idol, was sitting in the front row of the Ohio Theatre in New York. I was sitting in the back. He was about to watch The Memo, the kickoff …
Edinburgh Fringe 2015 Review: Antiwords August 31, 2015 Source: Nouse www.nouse.co.uk / By Joel Down, Arts Editor / Spitfire give a new beauty to the big-headed in this perceptive play set in an era of communist rule Vaclav Havel was a hugely influential man, not just in theatre, but in office: eventually becoming the president of Czechoslovakia in 1989, 26 …
Three Finalists Named For 2015 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize August 27, 2015 Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty / By RFE/RL / The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) announced on August 25 that human rights activists from Russia, Afghanistan, and the Balkans have been named as the finalists for the 2015 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. The finalists …
Francis Wilkinson, Bloomberg View: Public bigotry creeping into our private lives August 4, 2016 Source: WacoTrib Central Texas News / www.wacotrib.com / By Francis Wilkinson / What’s in a name? It’s a measure of Donald Trump’s insidious reach, and of the potency of the political virus he carries, that I was thinking about this lately. I’m hardly an obvious target of Trump’s demagogy and …