Mailbox

Mailbox

Hello and thanks for listening to another edition of Mailbox. Olga Szantova is still not well, so I'll be standing in for her until she gets back.

And today is a very special day, here in the Czech Republic but before I'll tell you why, here's a question from Jane Rush from somewhere in cyberspace:

"How many holidays does the Czech Republic have?"

Well, there are seven state holidays. They are on January 1st (celebrating the Independent Czech State), on May 8th (Liberation Day), July 5th (in memory of the Slavic Apostles Cyril and Methodius), July 6th (the burning of Jan Hus), September 28th (Czech Statehood Day), October 28th (Czechoslovak Independence Day), and November 17th (Fight for Freedom and Democracy).

Then there are six other holidays, which many of you have as well. They are New Year´s Day, Easter Monday, May Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

If you have noticed, one of the state holidays is on November 17th, which is today. Kofi Nelson from my home country - Ghana writes:

"Happy holiday. I have an old Czech calendar, which I think says that you have a holiday. It's in Czech and I can't read it. It says 'Statni Svatek. Den Boje Za Svobodu a Demokracii'. What does it mean? Is it a Communist holiday? Do you still celebrate it? If yes, your holiday falls on a Sunday. Does that mean that you get Monday off instead?"

Yes, you are right, Mr Nelson. It's a state holiday, commemorating the students' revolt and struggle for freedom and democracy thirteen years ago in 1989.

Yes, it is thanks to their demonstrations and protests in Prague that the so-called Velvet Revolution followed, bringing down Communist rule.

And that is why we have decided to devote today's Mailbox to this holiday. We've collected all the questions that we received regarding this day and will be answering them in today's programme.

And before moving on to the next question. We still have to answer the second part of Mr Nelson's. Unfortunately, when a holiday falls on a week-end, it is not replaced with a week day. There were three state holidays that fell either on a Saturday or a Sunday this year. Nick Stevenson from Virginia, USA, who asks:

"I remember you asking in one of your Central Europe Today programmes whether the Czech Republic still be viewed as former Communists or whether the international world should forget about the past and focus on the future. Maybe it lies in Czechs themselves? They still celebrate November 17th, don't they?"

It is true that there is much debate on what role the Czech Republic should play internationally and how it should be viewed. Some argue that the constant reference to the past is doing the country harm and hindering it from development. Others say that thirteen years are a very short time, when looking at recovering from 40 years of Communist leadership. I think both arguments have a point and it's all about finding the right balance between the two. November 17th, however, is a completely different story. It does not celebrate Communism but rather the end of the Communist past.

And, just as importantly, it celebrates the power of students. It is thanks to their initiative, to their opposition that a change occurred. Many think back to the days of student revolt, wishing that students would oppose the current situation too.

That's actually a good lead into the next question, which we received from Jackie Black in Norway. She writes:

"What role do students today play in voicing their opposition?"

What we saw in 1939, and 1989, to name just a few examples in the country's history, were exceptional cases. People were fighting for the basic human right - freedom. Since the '89 revolution, the country has been in a constant period of transformation. You may recall that after the fall of the Communists, when Vaclav Havel was inaugurated as President he asked the Czech people to be patient as the road to democracy would be long and hard. Czechs are therefore still hoping that a change will come and students have not found the situation to be serious enough to protest.

Then we have those who criticise students for not criticising enough. Some say that today's generation of students is less concerned with national events and focuses on problems concerning themselves only, such as the introduction of school fees. But that is not really true there are numerous student forums and discussion meetings on political, economic, and social issues of both national and international importance. The fact is that there has not been any reason for students to revolt as much as in 1989 and in 1939 when they opposed Nazi occupation.

Okay, here's another interesting quote from Joshua Navratil, Chicago, USA. He comments:

"This will be your last year that President Havel will receive representatives of the students who took part in the events of 1989. Next year, a new president will be taking over that responsibility but I do not think that any of the candidates you have mentioned in your broadcasts so far will do Mr Havel justice!"

And you are not the only one who thinks that, Mr Navratil. One thing that many agree on is that President Havel cannot be replaced. His fight for freedom and democracy really makes him the father of the nation, which has gained him both national and international respect. Whilst many argue that some of the expected presidential candidates have what it takes to lead the country into the European Union and so on, they lack that special personal link or relationship.

And on that note, we'll end today's Mailbox. We are still getting a lot of mail from listeners asking for the new winter schedule. Those of you who have access to the Internet, please get a copy from our website - www.radio.cz/english.

Apart from the new schedule you will find a transcribed version of all of our programmes, lots of information on the Czech Republic. Special sections such as on NATO membership and minorities, and all our reports in audio.

Send us your mail with questions, comments, and suggestions to [email protected] if it's an e-mail or send a letter to the Radio Prague English Section, 120 99 Prague 2, Czech Republic.