Czechia remembers Václav Havel
Václav Havel, the first president of democratic Czechia, died 13 years ago. Leading politicians remembered him at a ceremony at his graveside, a special concert will be held at the National Technical Museum, and many other events are organized around the country.
"Dear fellow citizens, I assume you did not elect me to this office so that I could lie to you," said Václav Havel in his first speech to the nation on January 1, 1990. He described Czechoslovakia as a country that was not flourishing and whose people's great creative and spiritual potential was not being used meaningfully. It was a very candid speech that echoed another great oration by Winston Churchill, when he told the British that he had nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. Soon after, the first freely and democratically elected president of Czechoslovakia, following decades of communism, addressed a specially convened joint session of the United States Congress:
"Dear Mr. Speaker, dear Mr. President, dear Senators and members of the House, ladies and gentlemen: My advisers advised me to speak on this important occasion in Czech. I don't know why. [laughter] Perhaps they wanted you to enjoy the sweet sounds of my mother tongue."
These were Václav Havel’s opening words. Martin Palouš, a close friend and co-worker of Havel since the 1970s and 1980s—when Havel was often imprisoned for his dissident activities—and later Czech ambassador to Washington, DC, and the United Nations, recalls that historic visit:
"I was suddenly there, preparing all the meetings related to that visit, and I think that it was the first and very important impact he had on the United States. What he said in this speech is very relevant even today. If you read it, you’ll find these two things:
"First, he said, if you want to help us on our way to democracy, which is just beginning, help the Soviet Union on its very difficult but possible way to democracy. And I think that this question remains relevant today."
"And second, he said in this speech: I will need a lot of your assistance—political assistance, material support, know-how, and so forth. But there is one thing we can offer you as compensation; it doesn’t need to be a one-way street. And that is our experience with totalitarianism—you were fortunate not to be exposed to it—and all the knowledge that has come out of it."
"So I think this message of Havel’s from 1990 is still in the air. When I was ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, certainly, he was my president. I tried, as his ambassador, to take care of the communication. Sometimes it was not the easiest thing, but I think that his role and impact in the United States remain relevant. He is still the most powerful voice, among our politicians, for communicating or fostering contact between the United States and the Czech Republic."
When asked to summarize Havel’s significance for people abroad who may not know his importance, Palouš provides an example:
"I’ve been teaching at Florida International University for the past 13 years, and we always had to discuss Václav Havel. Thirty-year-old students in Florida had never heard this name before, so to them, he was an exotic figure."
"We had to revisit the history of Central Europe after the Second World War and our captivity in the Babylonian Empire of the Soviet Union, and then provide context for our democratization process. Havel, as a dissident who transformed into a politician and president, became central to that story."
"My students, to my pleasant surprise, understood his message very well. I recommended several key texts by Havel, such as The Power of the Powerless, as well as his presidential speeches and later activities. They connected with his world of ideas and strategic thinking, which was a significant part of his intellectual life."
Václav Havel was re-elected as president of Czechoslovakia and later Czechia three times. After retiring from politics, he remained very active as an internationally respected moral authority and a writer. He authored the play Odcházení (Leaving) and even directed its film adaptation. Havel passed away on December 18, 2011, at the age of 75.
