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 NOVEMBER 14 - 21, 1997 |
F R O M T H E W E E K L I E S |
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[ November 14 ] [ November 7 ] In the first two weeks of November Czech weeklies tend to be a strange mix of the old and the new - reporters recall the anniversary of the Velvet revolution which toppled communism in the Czech lands and -then with a detached curiosity -look further east to Moscow to see whether the poverty ridden nation would feel nostalgic enough to mark anniversary of the Great October Revolution-which paradoxically took place in November -and gave birth to communism. Mlady Svet and Respekt both report on a sorry picture of Russian life, on people who are poverty-stricken tired and disoriented and who, unhappy both with the past and the present, turn to the vodka bottle for consolation -rather than any form of political protest. Although Czech officials marked the anniversary of the November anti- communist Revolution with the regular speeches and flowers- the media have focused on two related topics. For them the celebration of the dissident cause this year was the long-awaited re-opening of the cafe Slavia, a Prague landmark where dissidents and intellectuals used to meet and the return of The Plastic People of the Universe - the underground rock band which thwarted the communist authorities for years before breaking up under the strain. The Plastic People are back with a vengeance - Tyden magazine reports - and they are better than ever. In an interview for the weekly, band leader Milan Hlavsa speaks openly about the days when they made secret tapes and toured the country with the secret service dogging their steps. After 14 years of being a band -and highlighting the dissident cause -they finally broke up as a result of the constant pressure - after a major row over whether to tour as an anonymous Prague band -since that was the only way organizers could invite them. It was a concession some of us were not prepared to make - Hlavsa says and we said a lot of hurtful things to each other in that row. After 15 years of going their separate way -and playing in separate band - it was one time dissident leader- today President Havel who brought them together. In a way I can't imagine anyone else being able to do so, Hlavsa told the weekly. Just getting back together opened our eyes to what we were throwing away. Initially the band had some misgivings that their stuff -some songs dating back 25 years - could sound naive to today's audience- but public response has been overwhelming and reviews are excellent. "We are putting more into it than ever -just having fun with the music - without fear of reprisals, Hlavsa says in conclusion. Their music is soon to be available on a collection of compact discs. As I said -its a mix of the old and the new and although The Plastic People are big - newcomers born of the country's new found freedom are bigger. And so it comes that it is not the Plastic People who look out from the cover of Mlady Svet - but Czech born super-model Eva Herzigova -for whom freedom -and open borders -came just in time to bring the world to her feet. Herzigova -for whom the Gianni Versace fashion show was a Prague premiere - is quizzed about everything from her recent marriage to her taste in Czech food. Herzigova -who has been generous with her time and answers -says she want to prove to her home audience she deserves her fame. But I'm still glad I am a star internationally -because Czechs have this quirk - they are rarely ready to applaud you until the world does, Herzigova says. Which may be closer to the mark than we are prepared to accept -for although the weekly features a two page interview with current triple-jump world champion Sarka Kasparkova - she was not rated cover page material either -at least not in competition with the likes of Eva Herzigova. Mind you Sarka is an undisputable beauty too - but being an athlete -even a world champion - is harder going in local conditions. Kasparkova, who as world champion is now reportedly worth 5 million crowns - is still waiting for the luxury of a flat of her own -living in a rented two rooms and kitchen flat. Foreign offers have come in - but her home club is still dithering over whether to let her go..... Meanwhile, on a rather more serious topic, the Central European Business weekly comments on increased social tension in the Czech republic and slams Premier Klaus for not facing up to the resentment disappointment and anger of the 70,000 people who held an anti- government demonstration on the Old Town Square. The premier reacted with typical cynicism and arrogance saying that he would have been there himself if it had not been raining, the weekly notes and concludes " he ignores such an event at his peril, prompting us to wander if he has not already decided that the end is nigh, if not for his own comfortable prospects, at least for his shaky coalition". Meanwhile, the Prague Post carries an article which partly explains the coalition's slide in popularity. The middle class is commonly recognized as the basis of a society's stability -and the Czech middle class is shrinking, the paper notes. The upper class top executives and successful businessmen remain untouched but young educated professionals are finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet. Poorly paid doctors, teachers and scientists see their salaries outpaced by taxi drivers and 20 year old salespeople for Coca Cola, the Prague Post says. This is slowly creating a gap between the highest and lowest social classes -without the middle class bridge. Until 1995 it looked like the middle class was crystallizing- with 66% of respondents polled considering themselves "middle class" . The figure dropped to 43% last year and this year it's down to 39%. A disquieting trend which experts feel the Cabinet should do well to consider...... © Copyright 1997 Radio Prague All Rights Reserved Please send us your comments. RP Home / Radio Prague in English / Press Review |
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