Generation Czech: What Does it Mean Today to be Czech

The Velvet Revolution is unquestionably one of the most significant moments in Czech history. Twenty-five years on, we asked a group of Czech millenials – the first generation to grow up since the fall of Communism and therefore with no direct experience of life under socialism – one key question: “What does it mean to you to be Czech?” We received a broad range of answers but all agree on one thing: deciding what it means to be Czech in a globalised world is no easy task…

Mišha Žaloudková, 1^st year MA student

“Living abroad and travelling have made me more aware of how Czechs are gradually managing to satisfy the needs of the new generation. We are now growing up in a country completely different from the one of our parents and it's a big weight upon our shoulders. Now that we have this power, what kind of Czech Republic do we want for our children? More smiles, less anger, bitterness and jealousy, more gender equality, the ability to be flexible, worldly, and multicultural? To me, being Czech now is a balancing act: Choosing a Caesar salad instead of the traditional and fatty knedlo, vepřo, zelo but keeping the beer.”

Tomáš Balvín, 2^nd year BA student

“Rumour has it that when journalists in Ukraine during the ongoing conflict wanted to avoid persecution, they claimed to be Czech – that way nobody would take them seriously. Twenty five years after the Velvet Revolution which seemed to promise so much, Czechs still want desperately to amount to something, to make up for the 'stolen' time. A quarter of a century later, they have failed to do so, and are laughed at for the attempt. Therefore, what being Czech means to me above all is witnessing our reckless, pathetic efforts to rank among the 'western elite' while very often forgetting and condemning what there was before. On a positive note, I'm sure that once nearly Czech identity barely exists at all, tourists from all around the world will still exclaim in elation "Czech Republic? Ah, Prague! Cheap beer!" and we, the addressees, will laugh about it – bitterly.”

 David Koranda, 3rd year MA

“To me, being Czech means that I get to lead a fairly good life but fortunately I am still able to grumble about some fairly insignificant things. It means that when I complain about these things there's luckily always someone who's got it worse. It means that in my life I get to bemoan the astonishing number of idiots I have to put up with, and at the same time refuse to acknowledge that a lot of people must inevitably feel the same about me. It means that while I'm aware of how beautiful some parts of our country are, when it comes to vacations I'd rather go abroad.

It means that I get to criticise other nation's sins and offences and then completely disregard our own; that I get to brag about how wonderful and complex the Czech language is, and then complain when I go see a movie and it's dubbed; that I get to look crossly at tourists who come in the National Theatre dressed in T-shirts and jeans even though I'm far from a diehard patriot and the idea of wearing comfortable clothes actually appeals to me.

It means that I was raised an atheist, that I like beer, that I still hear the word 'communist' at least once a day, that I like to berate politicians I never voted for, that I also like to berate politicians I did vote for, that I'm actually not big on voting, that I have firm opinions on matters I know nothing about, that I'm set in my ways and don’t like change. Yes, I'm Czech and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Josefina Formanová, 3^rd year BA student

I would rather go directly to Prague Castle and shout out all the words which represent what our current president is harming; "democracy", "honour", "loyalty", "politeness", "respect", "tradition", "empathy", "dignity” and many others. It is not meant to be implied, however, that my "being Czech" is defined only through the disagreeable personality of our current head of state.

I’ve been studying at University College Dublin for almost two months now and I realised after a very interesting debate with our local lecturers, that one of the treasures of the Czech nation is our language. We preserved our own language for centuries, though occupied by Germans, Russians and others. There is also the great barrier of language that cannot be overcome by any other nation. It is not a boundary of any kind of territory – we all know this is a term that does not even have any kind of referent when looking back to the Ukrainian crisis which has unfold during the past six months. More ridiculously, once I traveled to Austria, a country that our nation was previously part of, being a more or less respected part of the great Habsburg monarchy. It was the moment when the police stopped me and asked me to see my passport that I understood. There is no space for trust yet.

Trust is something that will lead my country to democracy. A vital trust that there are people who were capable of being more than people, who were able to fight for those words mentioned above, and not sink into a political river Lethe. These forgotten words, "freedom", "dignity" and "democracy" were our legacy of the Revolution in 1989. 

As a Czech person, despite everything I will reply to the question with a hopeful imperative: "May words such as "shame" and "doubt" be forgotten; may the words "freedom", "dignity", "democracy" and "loyalty" be rediscovered." 

Answers were collected by Lisette Allen and the original article was published on Expats.cz on 11^th of November, 2014.

A Lesson in Swearing and Politics

There have been two things I’ve ended up having to explain to various, non-British students since I started Erasmus. Firstly, trying to make sense of British politics, and secondly, how the British swear. But if I had wanted to save time it would have been easier for me to have just sat them down in front of a few episodes of The Thick of It or the film version, In The Loop. Both contain amazing satire of British politics from the last five years without requiring much knowledge of the context, and use some of the most hilariously creative swearing on television (if that’s your thing). When the creator, Armando Iannucci, asked an ex-Whitehall civil servant if the use of profanities was realistic, he said that the only difference was that The Thick of It was too clever.

The show follows the work of the fictional Department of Social Affairs and the staffs’ relationship with the borderline psychopathic spin doctor, Malcolm Tucker (played by Peter Capaldi and loosely based on the Labour “Director of Communications and Strategy” Alastair Campbell). It exposes the inner workings of British government politics; the hypocrisy, crushing boredom and the “power of spin”, that forced most ministers to either follow the party line or lose their jobs. A standard episode shows the minister or one of his civil servants getting something horribly wrong; such as arriving at a press conference with no new policy to announce, or leaking something to the press that they really shouldn’t have. Although Tucker usually has to sort it out, he is also usually the one who causes it, forcing constant changes in what is said and dictating precise wordings of statements – for instance, one minister in confusing “The Prime Minister is the right man of the moment” and “the Prime Minister is the right man for the moment” accidentally causes a leadership challenge.

The Thick of It is the creation of Armando Iannucci, one of the most influential satirists working in the British media today, so much so that in 2012 he received an OBE for his “services to broadcasting”. Iannucci is responsible for programmes like The Day Today and Brass Eye which he wrote with Chris Morris and attack the various failings of news programmes and documentaries. He then went on to front his own shows like Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive and The Friday Night Armistice, largely unscripted panel shows which mocked the week’s current events. However, despite the large cult following of his work with Chris Morris, The Thick of It is probably what Iannucci is best known for and rightly so. Not only is it incredibly funny, but it has also had a major impact on politics. The term “omnishambles” – meaning an almost all-encompassing failure or disorganisation - was coined by The Thick of It writers and was then used by the Leader of the Opposition in a speech in Parliament. After Mr. Miliband used it, several opposition politicians followed suit, and for a while it was seen to encapsulate our current government.The Oxford English Dictionary even gave it the title of “Word of the Year” in 2012.

Iannucci’s skill as a satirist can also be shown in that, as well as mocking what they actually had done, he actually predicted several of the Coalition’s actions in final series of The Thick of It: one character says that they can’t go into First Class on the train otherwise the newspapers would destroy them, two weeks later George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was caught in First Class without a ticket. In The Thick of It, the “junior coalition partners” (The Liberal Democrats) propose the “We-Bank”, a community funded bank that would require £2bn funding and then the real Liberal Democrats proposed a “business bank” needing £1bn funding. This is what makes The Thick of It so good; as well as there being a lot of fun in listening to Dr Who swearing at lots of scared looking people, it also echoes reality so closely that you feel slightly uncomfortable watching it, terrified that this will be the government’s next bloody stupid idea.

Fergus Doyle (English & American Literature with Creative Writing, University of Kent)

Prague impressions from a Melbournian

Having travelled all the way around the world for more than 20 hours on a plane, it is no wonder that the most common question I receive after people learn I am from Australia is “why Prague?” I don’t blame them. It was not an easy decision to pack up my bags and leave ‘Down Under’ and my comfort zone, but as I approach the end of my third semester here, I do not regret the decision at all.

It is true that things in this country are definitely different, but most of the time I have enjoyed these differences, and actually some of the time they work in my favour! From the academic perspective, the classes at Charles University in Prague are a little bit more ‘relaxed’ so to speak. The biggest difference is the ‘three chances’ policy during exam time. Back in Melbourne there is just the one chance, that’s it. There is no “I didn’t study enough, I’ll just take the next term”. I must admit, for obvious reasons (I am a student after all!) this system here in Prague is much better! Another thing that adds to the ‘relaxed’ nature is the fact that for the majority of my subjects there has been no roll call; that is, collection of names. Ok, there may have been one or two subjects that did this, but on the whole, it is less strict than in Melbourne; where you must attend at least 75% of all your tutorials (what are called seminars here).

Of course, before coming to Prague I had always known about their obsession with beer, but you don’t really comprehend this until you arrive. And can you really blame them? At just under $1.50 Australian dollars for half a litre, it was very easy to develop a love and admiration for beer. In many cases you were economically better off if you bought beer instead of water. I dread the day when I return to Melbourne and have to pay over $7 (124CZK) for a beer (and it’s not even half a litre!) The cheap price of beer means that generally just about everything else is cheaper as well, so as a student it is the ULTIMATE study (a.k.a drinking) destination.

Image credit: Elena Fermanis

Also, all this nonsense that the Czech people are ‘cold, just like the Germans’ just doesn’t stick. Of the many Czech people that I have met, the majority have been more than willing to meet and have fun with people from around the world, and nothing says bonding like 3 litres of beer! I don’t know how much of this rings true to older generations, but the student-aged people I met were generally pretty down to the earth and awesome. The sense of humour is obviously going to be different when one person is not using their native tongue, but half the fun is in these translation mistakes!

As for the city of Prague itself, it is by far one of my favourite cities in Europe. It is compact enough to walk around, and the buildings and architecture is simply stunning. Even as I go down the road to the supermarket I can be amazed at the beauty around me. This is one thing that I will never get over, no matter how long I live here or how many times I will come and visit in the future. However, from a logistical point of view the transport system is so good that it puts Melbourne’s to shame (which is pretty poor for the price you pay). I love Prague’s trams the most as you can see the city more of the city; as long as you are not stuck in one of those single carriage ones after 4am! The trams cover just about all the most important areas, and if not, the metro and buses do a good job of connecting the outer suburbs too. But most of all, they all generally run on time!

They say that time flies when you are having fun, and that has certainly been the case during my time in Prague. I know that when I eventually leave, the things I miss the most will be the things I take for granted right now: beers for ridiculously low prices, an education system that says it’s ok to fail an exam, and a transport system that never leaves you stranded. Prague is definitely a student’s heaven!

-          - Elena Fermanis (student of Economics from Melbourne)

Czech it out: my term abroad in Prague

When I reminisce about Prague, I think of the cobbled streets, the distorted shadows of the statues on Charles Bridge at night, the smoky bars and the taste of hot goulash and beer.

It is quite exasperating to live in a country where you cannot speak or understand the language because it is impossible to communicate with the locals and you are immediately targeted as a tourist when you speak out loud the street. After three months in Prague, I only learnt some basic Czech. The only link I had with anyone Czech were my teachers and my Czech buddy who was studying French for his M.A, and preferred practicing French with me. Despite this, daily life was quite easy; I shook my head and smiled a lot. Interactions were usually successful, unless it was with someone from an older generation who could not understand a word of English. There were of course more difficult times like when I lost my wallet and had to declare the loss to a police woman who could not understand a word I was saying: the result is that I am not sure until today if my loss was properly declared. However, as I studied in Charles University and FAMU, I spent a lot of time in the center of Prague where being understood was rarely a problem.

One of my best memories from Prague is going jogging early in the morning across the city and along the Vltava. I would cross Kampa Island and David Černý's giant babies, pass the John Lennon wall (graffitied since the 1980s as a form of rebellion against the communist government) and cross Charles Bridge, invaded by a swarm of tourists from morning until dusk. My trip would conclude at the top of Letná Park where they erected a huge monument to Stalin in 1955: it was then destroyed nearly a decade later and in its place was installed a metronome. The view from there is beautiful and you can see from afar Národní Divadlo (literally translated as National Theatre) with its golden roof glittering in the sun.

Image credits: Fiorella Lecoutteux

One place I loved to visit is a bar my friend discovered near Můstek, in the center. It's an apartment transformed into a bar which sold jewellery, organized indie film screenings, had a shelf full of card games and chess boards and sold cheap beer. It's in this bar that I met a lot of Czech students. They taught me that Kafka and Kundera were not the most famous writers in the Czech Republic, as the first considered himself German and Jewish and the second moved to France in the 1980s. Rather, they told me about Karel Čapek who lived in Prague during the 1920s. He was a journalist, fiction and children writer who was politically involved and was a fervent critic of communism. His dystopian novel War with the Newts is a hilarious yet terrifying account of newts taking over the world because of human greed. I would recommend it to anyone.

What started as a simple Erasmus trip thus transformed into a chance for me to delve into a unique central European culture. The food is very much a mix of German, Hungarian and Austrian specialties but with a Czech twist. People seem to eat a lot of street food and one thing I loved when it was cold was trdelník, cooked dough with cinnamon and sugar. The city is vibrant with culture. It hosted the German festival as well the French cinema festival at Kino Lucerna during the autumn. You can find a little shop across the street from this cinema which sells all kinds of posters to postcards. I especially enjoyed discovering the artist David Černý. During November, the Czech Republic had new elections because of a recent scandal. The artists spoke up against the rise of pro-socialist government led by Miloš Zeman by erecting a huge purple middle finger in the middle of the river towards Prague Castle and the home of the president. Černý has installations all around the city and one of my favorite can be found at the gallery Futura in Prague 5 where there are two larger-than-life sculptures of bodies bending forward, revealing videos of President Václav Klaus. Another installation of his is a fountain in the form of two men urinating in a basin in the form of the country Czech Republic, symbolizing life under the Communists.

Living in Prague is also great for travelling as it is very central; I went to Germany and Hungary over the weekend for a very cheap price and little travel time. Erasmus allowed me to meet people from all over Europe; from Russia and Ukraine to Poland, Germany and Hungary. It was a great mix of people and cultures. Next June, we are all planning on returning to Prague for a week.... because let's face it, we simply can't get enough of it.

-          Fiorella Lecoutteux (Literature and Film student from Brighton)

Prague So Far

Moving to a strange country is always filled with trepidation and anxiety, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel them as I packed my bags. One always has the fear of being stuck in a strange land with strange people and becoming a recluse unable to connect. Naturally this was balanced with excitement, I’m one of those people who gets restless if stuck in one place for too long; new people, new country, new food, new (better) beer.

It’s been good. You might have guessed that I have not become a Boo Radley-esque recluse (yet, I’ve still got 5 months left) and I’ve been keeping busy. There’ve been things that I’ve liked, things that I’ve disliked. Much like with any other place. The city itself has to be one of the great pleasures of mine; walking through the streets in the sunlight, taking in the wonderful views at Petřín, finding a café or hospoda and sitting drinking with friends. After a year studying in central London, where a pint of beer is usually around £4.50 (150 Kč… ouch) and usually worse than what you’ll get here. If there’s one thing I miss about London though it’s the sheer variety of it; there’re people from everywhere, food from everywhere, you can find anything and can do anything. Sadly this usually comes with a hefty price-tag but my nostalgia sometimes forgets that and tea… I miss tea.

I would say though that of all the cities I could have chosen (Moscow, Krakow, Tartu, Helsinki, Belgrade, Budapest) Prague probably has the most going on culturally. In my time here I’ve visited both small and grand events; from poetry readings in small cafes to seeing Dvořak’s “New World Symphony” performed by the Czech Philharmonic (and that was sublime). I’ve also started to love Ice-Hockey with a passion rarely seen, the fact that the arena sells beer is much appreciated.

Photo credits: Dita Havránková

Music’s ubiquitous as well; from the pianos placed around the city, the video of the police playing one is glorious, to the mezzo-soprano who busks near Náměstí Republiky, wandering into a church and unexpectedly hearing the most-lovely choral music. If there’s one thing I wish I’d done more of during the summer its traveling. I managed to visit a few of the national parks, Pilsen and had a trip down to Brno but I do feel that when the weather improves I should take the opportunity to see some more of the Czech Republic, then potter around Hungary and Poland for a time.

I’ll take a minute here to talk about bread. Unless you’ve visited the UK you can’t quite realize how much better it is here. By comparison bread in the UK seems to be made with the same rat poison they use to make cocaine go further, only without the cocaine. Whereas here; (mouth waters) the strong aroma, that wonderful crunch as you bite in, the softness and chewiness of the inside. For that matter, this pretty much extends to all bakery products here. I need a pastry now.

I’ve found the country to be charming, quirky, unusual and full of unexpected surprises. I’ve liked my time here and am even considering staying on after I graduate. Perhaps nothing can sum up the charm of the Czech Republic more than this. I asked a waiter in my rather bad Czech about why a larger beer was cheaper than a smaller one, his response? “Sir, this is the Czech Republic.”

-         Graham Bush (MP’s Native-speaker co-editor; Central European Studies at UCL in London and Charles University in Prague)

The Science of Getting SHERLOCKED

Just a few days ago we had the opportunity to celebrate 160 years since the creation of the character Sherlock Holmes and yet it is now that the brilliant detective experiences something of a revival. Over the past few years, his stories became widely watched, read, and discussed practically all over the world. All the credit is owed to the BBC series Sherlock – the series of a mere (albeit longer than standard) three episodes per season with a waiting time between seasons of one to two years and cliff-hangers that make every fan’s fantasy run wild and write supporting messages in all kinds of places (including the mirror in the ladies toilet on the ground floor of our Faculty of Arts). Despite these slight drawbacks, Sherlock managed to become one of the most popular series of last years. How is it possible? The answer is fairly simple – quality.

Sherlock is a modern adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories in which Holmes and Watson become Sherlock and John, move to contemporary London, Watson blogs about their adventures instead of writing them down manually, while Sherlock gets rid of his characteristic hat – at least for the most part – and exchanges pipe for nicotine patches. However, it is not all that simple. Describing it as dressing the old in a coat of modernity would not be doing justice to the series. While all the main characters and the main storyline remain unchanged, the individual plots and circumstances are figments of fantasy of the series creators, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who never fail to hide a reference or an inside joke for lovers of the books in an episode.

However, lovers of the original are not the only ones likely to take liking in the series. Quite the contrary, many of those who had never held Arthur Conan Doyle’s book in their hand before or had but did not manage to get past the first story found themselves so in love with the detective and his life that they decided to give the books (another) try. Even those with considerable aversion for most of detective series have a chance of becoming dyed-in-the-wool fans. (Believe me, I would know!) Furthermore, the series is praised by numerous critics as well and has been awarded with several prizes, the most prestigious being BAFTA for Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actor for both Martin Freeman (John Watson) and Andrew Scott (James Moriarty).

Sherlock simply has everything a successful series which aims to catch the attention of the audience and not let it go again ought to have. Despite the modern elements, the series manages to capture the original atmosphere of mystery and suspense and give an insight into Sherlock Holmes’s mind the likes of which we never had before, cleverly illustrated deductions on the screen being only one part. The performance of the leading actors Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Freeman (John Watson) as well as the supporting cast, which is outstanding, is enhanced by the thrilling, witty and entertaining script.

That could be about enough praising, right? I believe everyone got the gist about the brilliantness, resemblances and dissimilitude of Sherlock by now. What remains, though, is to say a few words about what actually happens in the series:

John Watson, an army doctor, returns from war and finds himself missing the danger he became accustomed to. He finds it in the person of his new flatmate, the eccentric detective Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is a man who can tell nearly your whole life story from the way you look and behave, who spends his time being consultant to New Scotland Yard and experimenting with human body-parts in their flat and who goes to Buckingham Palace in nothing but a sheet. While Sherlock gives John the danger he has been longing for, John in return helps Sherlock develop some of the human qualities he has been lacking and teaches him the advantages of having a friend. Together they solve crimes – from missing boyfriends and rabbits to cases of national importance – and gradually become famous, consequently attracting the attention of criminals truly worthy of being their opponents, such as Moriarty.

All in all, the series is unique. It is clever, dramatic, surprising and does not hesitate to make fun of all sorts of things, including its own fans. Watching Sherlock, you get a feeling that the show is in fact a homage to Arthur Conan Doyle with every detail being lovingly crafted and acted out. It was my pleasure to get “SHERLOCKED” and I would advise everyone to give it a try, if for nothing else than to get to know one of the classics of British literature and listen to the pleasant accent of British English. Now is the right time to begin – the third season has just been aired so you have (at least) one year to catch up!

-          Alena Kvítková

50 Years of Nicely-Accented Weirdness

For the last few weeks whenever I’ve talked to someone from home the inevitable question raises its head: “Did you see Doctor Who?”  The program recently celebrated its 50^th anniversary with a special episode which has received near unanimous acclaim. It premiered on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, that’s how old it is. More people watched it in the UK than watched the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Doctor Who is a national obsession. The question remains though, why?

It’s a reasonable question, whenever I’ve tried to explain it to someone who hasn’t watched it a conversation similar to this unfolds:

Graham: So it’s about this guy called The Doctor who travels in time and space, in what’s essentially a blue telephone box.

Friend: Must be cramped.

Graham: No you see because it’s bigger on the inside. His main enemies are the Daleks who look like pepper-pots with plungers and egg-whisks attached.

Friend: Egg-whisks?

Graham: They’re really frightening egg-whisks!

As you see I’m placed in the position of justifying why not only myself but my entire country enjoys watching killer-egg-whisk-monsters and why a show which relies on them as well as other camp or bizarre features could have possibly lasted for fifty years. There is also the question of how such a thing could become such a cherished part of modern British culture.

Its very strangeness perhaps, is the reason for its success. There is no show I am aware of which is quite as unusual as Doctor Who; its hero is a strange-looking skinny man in a bow-tie, its monsters include statues that move when you aren’t looking at them and in one memorable episode evil water, the main character never uses a gun, abhors violence, and is clueless about sex. (insert joke about the audience here)  This is a show which no-one in their right minds would produce, and so naturally the British invented it.

This is of course selling it short. The central conceit is an appealing mythological one; a weary, lonely traveller righting wrongs and helping the innocent. Bringing others along on the journey but knowing that he must continue alone. The very strangeness of it allows it to stay fresh and enjoyable. The show has consistently been able to reinvent itself with a handy plot device which allows for a new actor every few years. (The next will take the role this Christmas.) A bold yet worthwhile move as Time Magazine explains:

“We expect the show to recreate itself with each new incarnation of the main character, and that in-built drive towards novelty helps it remain sharp, even as other shows trend towards repetition and boredom.”

It has pioneered interesting and original concepts, inhabiting a variety of genres; comedy, drama, science-fiction, horror to name but a few. While I may mock the statue monsters or the episode where they had evil water, what I neglect to mention are that these were genuinely scary. Seeing the mundane and everyday become terrifying was the key part of what made these things frightening. Invoking the same fear you get as a child lying in bed in the dark, when every object becomes a new fear and every sound is a new horror.  It appeals to the more positive aspects of ourselves; the myriad worlds feed our imaginations, the villains are defined by a lack of empathy and common decency invariably prevails, problems are solved with wit, bluffing and knowledge rather than sheer strength. In the words of the comedian Craig Ferguson: “It's all about the triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism.” Isn’t that what television should be? Something which exalts the simple act of caring for one another? Encourages you to think your way out of difficulty? And to do that and be not only watchable but entertaining? Truly remarkable.

In closing, I hope I have at least somewhat explained the appeal of this unusual show and if any of you get the chance, do watch it. You may like it, you may hate it but give it a shot. At least it might give you an insight into the strange creatures which the British are. If starting out though, watch an episode from 2005 or later. Many of the older ones haven’t exactly aged well, many are hilarious for all the wrong reasons now.

- Graham Bush