Reports of Czech Romanies seeking asylum in Canada and Great Britain have spotlighted the question of how the Czech Republic is treating its minority. Certainly, the Romany problem has received more media space than at any time I can remember. An article in this week's RESPEKT, written by Milena Hubschmannova who lectures Romany language and literature at Charles University, focuses on how little special attention Romany children receive at Czech schools and how little they find to identify with in the learning process. On their first day of school a Romany child usually speaks a sorry mixture of Romany and Czech, which immediately makes them a target of ridicule, not to mention lack of comprehension in class, Hubshmannova says.

While Czech children are gradually taught all about their nation's history, its culture and heroes Romany children find woefully little to identify with. They find nothing to be proud of, nothing about successful or gifted Romanies, nothing about their history. An eight grade textbook features a single sentence on Romanies - the fact that they are a minority in the Czech republic. Otherwise, as far as primary and secondary school textbooks go, they might as well be non-existent . But of course their Czech schoolmates gather early on from their elders that Romanies are the scum of society - an untrustworthy, retarded and thieving lot. As if to prove that the only reference to them is found in the papers reporting on Romany theft or Romany crimes. It would help, Hubschmannova says, if Romany children who face racism at an early age had the benefit of at least one chapter on Romany history in textbooks, information on how Romanies live elsewhere in the world and works of their own authors such as Ilona Lackova's " I was born under a lucky star" or Ferkova's "Abducted children". She mentions six other Romany authors who would be suitable for primary school education. The problem is, she adds, that teachers themselves know nothing about Romany works and culture and when something does come out - such as a recent collection entitled Romanies of importance, then it ends up in the hands of collectors rather than school libraries or classrooms. Hubschmannova, who claims that as far as Romanies are concerned Czech children get" an education in hate", has urged the authorities to stop paying lip service to the Romany question and take action where it matters - at the lowest level where the minds and attitudes of a future generation of Czech Romanies are now being formed.

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TYDEN magazine features the best of this years Czech Press Photo 97 - where the main prize went to Petr Josek, a photographer for Reuters, for his shot of a spaniel swimming for his life in a flooded street of Uherske Hradiste. Winners of the "People in the Limelight" category include a picture of President Havel and his wife Dagmar shutting out the world for a brief kiss in the midst of an official delegation and a gleaming Oscar captured between two pairs of feet which any Czech instantly recognizes as being those of the popular father and son team Jan and Zdenek Sverak. The winner of the Science and Technology category is Tomas Novak for his photo of an in vitro fertilization. The collection of best photos will be on display at the Prague Municipal Hall in the Old Town Square from the 13th to the 31st of November.

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And finally the PRAGUE POST reports on a new collectors item in Eastern Europe. Hard to believe it may be but LPs sporting classic socialist propaganda tunes such as "The Internationale" "Lenin-song" and "Onward Youth for Socialism" have made a hit in Hungary and should be on Czech store shelves by next spring. In Budapest a compilation album named " The Best of Socialism" /available on CD and cassete/ has sold around 10,000 copies and hit the top 10 on the Hungarian charts since its late-August release. Plans are in the works for a Czech equivalent of the Hungarian album - and record distributers in England, Japan, Germany and the United States have expressed interest in the project. The weekly notes there is even a plan for a techno- remix of original excerpts from Lenin's speeches. Klara Nemravova, a 23 year old Czech graphic designer singer and part time DJ, who told the Prague Post she occasionally spins cheesy Czech hits of the early 80s admitted an interest in the idea. "They are outstandingly stupid" she said of the propaganda songs " The lyrics are so out of control, no one would write them anymore". Although there is little doubt the album would sell - there are reservations about reproducing these hits. Akos Rethly , the album's Hungarian creator said that although he sensed a hit record from the start he had trouble convincing the record company Gong to associate itself with a communist propaganda album.

Zbynek Knobloch, managing director of Bonton Music which has more than 90% of the Czech music archives in its coffers, told the Prague Post he was facing a similar problem in getting a Czech version on the market. "There are problems getting the artists' rights because the musicians are not happy to be associated with this kind of CD he says, so we are looking to do something that woun't need permission." He would give no clues as to what songs might appear .According to Akos Rethly the album was interesting not only for curious foreigners but for elderly Hungarians also. "I suspect it's nostalgia - he told the PRAGUE POST - not so much for the political system as for their youth."