Programme dedicated to the great Czech poet and visual artist. A poetic collage entitled Ode to Jiří Kolář will pay tribute to his tireless experimentation and fracturing of the borders and definitions of poetry. Via a selection of his poems and text collages we will also look back at his reflections on writing and creativity. A collage composed by Soňa Pokorná will be performed by the young actors Julie Ondračková and Samuel Toman.

Lecture by Igor Lukeš, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University who has been based in the US since the 1970s. Prof. Lukeš has published numerous books on Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and 1940s, always first in English and subsequently in Czech. He writes and appears in the Czech media and is also the Czech Republic’s honorary general consul in the state of New England.

Now traditional poetry reading held within the international literary festival Stranou 2017 – European Poets Live. Belarusian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Austrian, Slovenian and Ukrainian authors will present their work.

Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov was a Russian liberal politician and critic of President Vladimir Putin’s regime. He was deputy prime minister of the country in 1997–1998, during Boris Yeltsin’s presidency. In February 2015 Nemtsov was shot dead in Moscow. Following a screening of the documentary film “Nemtsov” (in Russian with English subtitles, 66 min.), the journalist and politician Vladimir Kara-Murza and Michael Žantovský, director of the Václav Havel Library, will discuss the current situation in Russia.

The permanent exhibition about Václav Havel will be open for the entire evening, supplemented by an audiovisual selection of archival material from the Václav Havel Library.

What leads young Europeans to sign up to Islamic State? A Respekt debate linked to the launch of Ondřej Kundra and Tomáš Lindner’s book Můj syn terorista (My Son the Terrorist) (Albatros 2017). Evening moderated by Silvie Lauder.

Research and data by Czech ministries show that there are a growing number of socially excluded localities and linked communities. The number of people who are indebted and under distraint is on the rise, the share of long-term unemployed continues to rise, neither employers nor the state administration show any interest in them and they face sweeping accusations of laziness and inadaptability. At the same time, social benefits fail to function as a safety net and that role is mainly played by the grey economy. Incidents occur in various places in the Czech Republic, the coexistence of the majority and Romanies is disturbed and from time to time social unrest erupts.

Reading by Jiří Imlauf, front man of the band Houpací koně, from Ústí hlavně (Ústí Mainly).

Miloš Rejchrt is a man of many professions. He has served as an Evangelical vicar, was a Charter 77 spokesman, was involved in samizdat publishing, appeared in the film The Joke, lived as a stoker, was a songwriter and sang with the band Berani. He also worked in Czech Radio’s religious affairs department. The interviews in Dveře se otevírají nad texty Starého a Nového zákona (The Doors to the Texts of the New and Old Testaments Open) were conducted with him by Petr Vaďura.

The presidential election is approaching and the names of potential candidates are gradually appearing. Some have officially announced their candidature. At the same time, various civic groups are attempting to find an “anti-Zeman” to take on the incumbent. The names have one thing in common: They are (almost) all men. Why has no distinctive female candidate yet appeared? And what kind of candidate would she need to be? Almost a century after women obtained suffrage it is time for the first female Czech president.

Screening of the films: Citizen Havel, Leaving, Olga, Journey to North Bohemia and Life According to Václav Havel

A pre-holidays helping of music and chat from the doyen of Czech music criticism Jiří Černý about Václav Havel and his favourite songs and musicians. A recollection of a time when there was still time to listen to everything.

People without a roof over their heads. The often friendly but often hostile world of the street. The subject of homelessness will be highlighted with a unique debate and an exhibition of photos exploring homelessness by amateur photographers. Catering will be provided by The Homeless Cooks, who operate under the non-profit Jako doma; it focuses on female homelessness and works to create a society in which all have the right to a dignified home and without gender or social inequality.