Czech and Slovak Cultural Center

Please join us for the fourth annual lecture series sponsored by the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota.

Václav Havel and His Legacy by Dr. Martin Palouš 

When: Saturday, May 18, 2013, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. lecture via SKYPE, 11:00 – 12:00 a.m. discussion

Where: City Bella, Community Room, 6600 Lyndale Ave South, Richfield, MN

It is not often that a small nation – or even a big power – gives to the world a person who touches people of the whole world and becomes a true legend. Václav Havel is one such person, and the country that gave him to the world, is the former Czechoslovakia, and now the Czech Republic. His achievements are many, ranging from opposition to communism to promotion of universal human rights.

There is no better person to speak about Havel’s legacy than Dr. Martin Palouš, Havel’s long time friend, his spokesperson and himself a global advocate of human rights. Palouš was among the first who signed the famous Charter 77 and helped create the Civic Forum after the demise of communism. After liberation he became member of the Czechoslovak Federal Parliament, and then moved to serve as the Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Subsequently he was called upon to became the Ambassador to the USA and then to the United Nations. Currently he is the Director of Václav Havel Presidential Library, inspired by the example American presidential libraries. Palouš is also a frequent lecturer and author, most recently Senior Fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs at the University of South Florida.

In his speech he will analyze the phases of Havel’s life (playwright, author, engaged citizen fighting for human rights in a communist dictatorship, leader of the “Velvet Revolution”, Czechoslovak and the Czech President, global statesman, and finally “past president”. Among other themes, Palouš will analyze critically Havel’s contribution to that it means Czech identity in the light if it being also a global identity.

Please join us for the fourth annual lecture series sponsored by the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota

Dynamics and Complexities of Transition to Democracy  By Dr. Jiří Pehe

The transition from authoritarianism to democracy occurred in four, mutually intertwined areas: the creation of institutions and procedures of the political democracy; the introduction of a market economy; the building of the rule of law; and the creation of a civil society. Some of these areas could be built faster than the others. The creation of a vibrant civil society is the most difficult project. The gap between the relatively fast construction of the institutional framework of democracy and the internalization of democracy as “a culture”, has contributed to the rise of a political system we can call “a democracy without democrats”. The benign pressure of international institutions in the direction of “democracy-building” has, on the one hand, stabilized the new emerging democracies in the Central European region, but, on the other hand, has also contributed to the widening of the gap between a democracy understood as and institutional framework and a democracy understood as “a culture”.

When: Saturday, April 27, 2013, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. lecture via SKYPE, 11:00 – 12:00 a.m. discussion

Where: City Bella, Community Room, 6600 Lyndale Ave South, Richfield, MN

Jiří Pehe was born in Rokycany, western Bohemia. After his arrival in the US in the early 1080s, Jiří attended Columbia’s School of International Affairs and graduated with a master’s degree in 1985. He found employment at Freedom House, a non-profit organization promoting civil liberties and human rights, and later became the director of East European studies there.

In 1988, Jiří was recruited to work as a Czechoslovak analyst for Radio Free Europe (RFE) in Munich. He remained in this post at RFE throughout the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. Later, he was promoted to head of Central European research and analysis. Radio Free Europe moved its headquarters to Prague in 1994 and Jiří moved back to the Czech Republic. From 1997 to 1999, Jiří was President Havel’s chief political advisor. Jiří has written numerous essays and papers that have appeared in world newspapers and academic publications and has also published several books. Today, Jiří is the director of New York University in Prague.

Please join us for the fourth annual lecture series sponsored by the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota

Where: City Bella, Community Room, 6600 Lyndale Ave So, Richfield

When: Saturday, March 23, 2013, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. lecture, 11:00 – 12:00 a.m. discussion

Topic: Is Communism Dead? Yes, but….

The Meaning of Recent Presidential Elections in the Czech Republic

Speaker: Dr. Tomáš Klvaňa (via SKYPE FROM PRAGUE)

Communism is dead, but not buried yet, and its corpse reeks. Come and hear about the recent Presidential elections on the Czech republic presented by SKYPE from Prague, with lot of time for discussion. Dr. Klvana is already well known to our audiences to which he delivered several lectures during his last visit when he was honored by the University of Minnesota with a “distinguished leader” award. Educated at the Charles University in Prague (MA) and the University of Minnesota (PhD), he held several important posts in both public and private life in the Czech Republic and other West European countries. His most recent activities included active support for one of the Presidential candidates, Karel Schwarzenberg, the present Minister of Foreign Affairs. His main focus is on the development of the civil society and support for non-profit organizations that provide the backbone for such society. He visited Cuba several times to help promote the same ideas there, a courageous venture.

The most recent Presidential elections were unique to the country. For the first time in history the President was elected through universal vote rather than by the Parliament. Neither the political parties, nor the media and the public were prepared for such change. We have asked Dr. Klvana to describe what happened, how the President was elected, why his own candidate, Karel Schwarzenberg lost, and what the meaning of these elections are for the country’s participation in the European Union, for her relations with the US, and for the future of democracy and civil society in that country. Communism has been thrown out some 25 years ago, but did it disappear? That will be also one the important questions Dr. Klvana will address.

The 2012-13 Mestenhauser Lecture and associated workshops will be given by Professor Betty Leask, University of South Australia, who is a globally recognized scholar and practitioner of internationalizing the curriculum and student learning. She is a highly sought-after speaker in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States. In 2010, she was named an Australian National Teaching Fellow.

When: Friday, February 8, 2013

Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m., reception to follow

Where: 3M Auditorium, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The lecture is free and open to the public and will be streamed online.

For more information: http://global.umn.edu/icc/lecture/

This is a reminder to join us for an exceptional lecture.

The Bolshevik Revolution and the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia

WHERE: City Bella, Community Room, 6600 Lyndale Ave. So, Richfield, MN 55423

WHEN: Thursday, January 24th, 2013

TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Speaker: Theofanis G. Stavrou

Despite thousands of books about the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, there is still little known about the fact that the course of history may have been different, had the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia been allowed to fight the Bolshevik revolution. This army of 60,000 well trained and bottle-tried group was organized to fight alongside the Czarist army to fight the Austrian and German forces, but also to help liberate Czechoslovakia from the 300 year Hapsburg rule. When the Bolshevik revolution took place it faced this army with several options: 1) surrender to the German military – and be shot as defectors and traitors, 2) disarm and join the Bolsheviks (which is what Stalin and Lenin pushed for) 3) evacuate itself under the leadership of the allied forces still headquartered in Russia to France to help fight the Germans and Austrians, 4) to evacuate itself to return to a liberated country. and 5) fight the Bolsheviks. The study of this Legion is a story of bravery, stamina, military successes, trials and constant struggles with the Bolsheviks intrigues, threats and intimidations, but also of indecision and poor judgment on part of the Allied headquarters still residing in Russia.

There are very few people who can answer this counterintuitive question than professor Theofanis Stavrou, Professor of Russian history at the University of Minnesota, where he also directs the Modern Greek Studies Program. He is the recipient of many national and international awards, including Distinguished Teacher at the University of Minnesota. Born on the Island of Cyprus, Dr. Stavrou has received his PhD at Indiana University in the field of Russian and East European history. He studied at Leningrad State University (1963-64) under the auspices of the Cultural Exchange Agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. A strong believer in the power of cultural exchanges, Dr. Stavrou has visited the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe for nearly four decades. Dr. Stavrou is the author and/or editor of books on Russian history and culture. He is currently working on two ambitious projects, one dealing with relations between Greeks and Slavs in the 19th century, and the other on religious experiences of Russian people in the 20th century.

You are cordially invited to attend

Fourth Annual Lecture Series sponsored by the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota

about

Shifting Landscape of Neglected Central Europe

 Past, Present and Future of the Czech and Slovak Republics and their roles in the Vysegrad Four, the European Union, NATO, Transatlantic Relations and Global Affairs 

Location: City Bella, Community Room, 6600 Lyndale Ave. So, Richfield, MN 55423

For directions click here:

http://www.citybella.com/site_page.cfm?pk_webpage_menu=963&pk_webpage=1076

Thursday, November 15^th, 2012

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. 

The Roma in the Context of Current Civil Rights Issues

Speaker:

William Duna

William A. Duna is an American Gypsy descended from Hungarian musicians who emigrated to the U. S. in 1893. He has been active in the music field as a teacher, writer, performer and entertainment consultant and is the director of Basipen, the Society for the Preservation of Gypsy Music.  He has also lectured at the University of Minnesota, has been appointed by two presidents to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and has directed efforts to obtain recognition of the persecution of Gypsies in the Holocaust and throughout history. In the present day he continues to actively pursue Roma civil rights.

Thursday, January 24^th, 2013

Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The Bolshevik Revolution and the Czech Legion

Speaker:

Theofanis G. Stavrou

Dr. Stavrou is a Professor of Russian history at the University of Minnesota, where he also directs the Modern Greek Studies Program. He is the recipient of many national and international awards, including Distinguished Teacher at the University of Minnesota.  Born on the Island of Cyprus, Dr. Stavrou has received his PhD at Indiana University in the field of Russian and East European history.  He studied at Leningrad State University (1963-64) under the auspices of the Cultural Exchange Agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union.  A strong believer in the power of cultural exchanges, Dr. Stavrou has visited the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe for nearly four decades. Dr. Stavrou is the author and/or editor of books on Russian history and culture.  He is currently working on two ambitious projects, one dealing with relations between Greeks and Slavs in the 19th century, and the other on religious experiences of Russian people in the 20^th century.

Thursday, February 21^st, 2013

 Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The Hapsburg Empire and the birth of Czechoslovakia

Speaker:

Gary B. Cohen

Dr. Cohen was educated at the University of Southern California and Princeton University.  Between 1976 and 2001, he taught courses on modern European social and political history and East-Central Europe in the 19^th and 20^th centuries at the University of Oklahoma.  In 2001, he joined the University of Minnesota as the director of the Center for Austrian Studies, executive editor of The Austrian History Yearbook, and Professor of History.  Prof. Cohen’s research has focused on social development, ethnic group relations, and education in modern Austria and the Czech lands. His publications include The Politics of Ethnic Survival: Germans in Prague and Education and Middle-Class Society in Imperial Austria, 1848-1918, and Němci v Praze, 1861-1914.   Prof. Cohen’s scholarship has earned national and international recognition.  He currently serves on the advisory board for the modern history unit of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.  The Collegium Carolinum in Munich elected him a full member in 2003, and the Republic of Austria awarded him its Ehrenkreuz (cross of honor) for Science and Arts, in 2009.  In 2011, members of the Austrian Academy of Sciences elected Prof. Cohen a Corresponding Member of the Academy’s humanities and social science sections. 

Attendance is free, but contributions are welcome. 

For further information contact: www.cs-center.org

Dr. Allyn Johnson; 763-670-3016, john2023@umn.edu;

Dr. Renáta Tichá; 651-587-9621; tich0018@umn.edu;

Dr. Josef Mestenhauser; 612-822-8862; j-mest@umn.edu;

Czech and Slovak Cultural Center and Czech and Slovak SOKOL Minnesota would like to invite you to meet and hear an exceptional person

Dr. Tomas Klvana

Managing Partner, Good Cause, s.r.o. and Executive Director of Zdenek Bakala Global Non-Profit Programs

“Unscripted Voyage from Communism to Democracy”

DAY: Thursday, October 18, 2012
PLACE: City Bella, Community Room, 6600 Lyndale Ave So, Richfield, MN 55423
TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Dr. Klvana is coming to the University of Minnesota to receive its prestigious award of Distinguished Leadership. He studies at the University and received his PhD degree in Speech and Communication in 1997. His career spans from being the student leader during the velvet revolution that toppled the Communist Government, to being an important journalist, public official, and now major proponent of non-profit civil society. His work with the Zdenek Bakala Global Non-Profit Programs oversees several projects, including the Vaclav Havel Presidential Library and the newly established branch of the Aspen Institute. He is lecturer at the New York University in Prague. He worked as press secretary and policy adviser to President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, and in 2007-08 was a special Government Communication Envoy for the Missile Defense Program. In 2001-03 Dr. Klvana was Deputy Editor-in-chief of Hospodarske Noviny and in 2000-01 a senior international commentator for the Czech daily newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes. In 2011 Dr. Klvana published his literary debut, a novel “Marina, A Russian Story” (in Czech). Dr. Klvana serves on the Board of Directors of Economia Publishing, a leading Czech media organization, and also on Board of the Harvard Club in Prague, and is a member of the Czech Euroatlantic Council. He also holds an MA degree in journalism from the Charles University in Prague. In 2003 he was a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School. Dr. Klvana publishes a blog in Czech in which he analyses international relations for leading Czech media. He frequently participates in international conferences. Together with the former Ambassador to US and UN, Dr. Martin Palous, he is in the process of creating a new Center for the Study of Transition from Communism to Democracy. The day before he comes to the US he will moderate the first ever Presidential debate with all candidates for the President of the Czech Republic.

The event is free to public, but contributions are welcome. Free parking available behind the building or on the street

For information call J. A. Mestenhauser at (612) 822-8862 or Dr. Joyce Tesarek (612) 822-6147 or consult www.cs-center.org

“Remember Lidice” is a dramatic appeal to the people of the world not to forget the tragic event of June 10, 1942 when an entire village near Kladno was leveled and its inhabitants shot or sent to concentration camps. This appeal is as powerful in the Czech recent history as the battle cry “Remember Maine” is in US history. Yet we cannot remember Lidice the way two sisters, last  survivors of the tragedy of a village near Kladno. They will be featured on SKYPE during the last of the lecture series organized by the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center and the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development:

When: Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 9:00 – 12:00 a.m.

Where: ROOM 2-224 Carlson School of Management, 321 19th Ave So., Minneapolis, MN. Park on street or in the ramp opposite the school accessible by sky walk

The two sisters, Mrs. Jarmila Sklenickova and Mrs. Miloslava Kalibova have unbelievable memories they will share with us, while their granddaughter, Sarka Kadlecová will moderate the panel in Prague, with J. Mestenhauser here. Mrs. Sklenickova just published her memoirs (also now available in English under the title “If I were a boy I would have been shot”) and both are key  persons appearing now in a full feature movie by the same name, LIDICE.

We have been able to obtain the feature movie, Lidice, that is topping all ratings in Prague, even surpassing the film made from Vaclav Havel’s theater script, Odchazeni (Departing).

PUT THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW. TO MEET SPECIAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROGRAM, A VOLUNTARY DONATION OF $5.00 ($3.00 FOR STUDENTS) WILL BE GREATFULLY APPRECIATED.

In June of 1983, Peter Vodenka, his wife, four-year old daughter and two-year son defected from behind the Iron Curtain of Communist Czechoslovakia.

You are invited to join us as Peter chronicles their journey that had been in the planning for 10 years from Hrejkovice, Czechoslovakia to America.

Hosted by the German-American Fellowship Assn., April 14th, 2012, at 8PM at the Bloomington “Living Hope” Lutheran Church, 9350 Portland Ave. South, Bloomington, MN.

Further information at www.gafa.org or email gafaorg@gmail.com. A $3.00 donation is requested from non-members.

The Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development present their fall/spring lecture series.  Please join us for a unique learning experience.  Lectures are free and open to the public.  Please help us to continue the free lecture series by making a contribution at cs-center.org.  Become a part of CSCC by taking advantage of free membership (cs-center.org).  For lecture updates, visit our website (cs-center.org).

Place:  Carlson School of Management, Room 2-224. Carlson is located on the West Bank Campus at 321 Nineteenth Avenue South.  A skyway connects the building to the 19^th Avenue Parking Ramp.

Time:  9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturday, March 31, 2012

Speaker:  Professor Paddy Dale, St Olaf College

Vaclav Havel:  A Moral Beacon in a Time of Transition; Politics, Morality, and Civil Society

Vaclav Havel (1936-2011) was a political man without political ambitions:  a universal critic primarily concerned with a moral critique of Communist Party socialism but who also directed himself as much at the Western world as he did at the Soviet bloc.  Havel became leader of Czech dissent because of his own moral courage.  He enjoined all of us to “live in truth,” take responsibility for ourselves and construct a healthy civil society.  The lecture will examine the sources of Havel’s political morality, his acquisition of authority within Czech dissent and his emphasis on Civil Society as the palliative to our political social and economic problems.