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Jan Sibik has long been considered one of the Czech Republic's most important photojournalists, a photographer who has worked in some of the world's most tortured areas. Futility, pain, loss and injustice all come to the forefront in Sibik's work - whether his focus is on the human actors and victims in war-torn parts of Africa or the former Soviet bloc. The subject matter - at times - is shocking. As Prague's Lord Mayor Pavel Bem said at the opening of Sibik's newest exhibit "Stories" at the Old Town Hall this week, the photographer allows us to

In this week's Arts we look at two stories: recent developments in the Czech film industry and student discontent, followed by a preview of the 16th Prague Writers' Festival which begins on Sunday, June 4th.

A unique festival of Jewish culture was held last weekend in the South Moravian town of Mikulov, part of the Year of Jewish Culture in the Czech Republic. Mikulov was once a major centre of Jewish religious and cultural life - but today all that's left is a handful of historic monuments.

In this week's edition of the Arts a curator of a new museum of puppets and the circus in south Bohemia tells us about the history of puppetry in the Czech Lands. And the leader of the English rock band Stereolab explains why a track on their new album has the Czech name Kyberneticka Babicka.

This Thursday saw the start of the famous Prague Spring Festival opened by the Czech Philharmonic performing works by J. B. Foerster, Otakar Ostrcil, and Antonin Dvorak, conducted by Zdenek Macal. The repertoire echoed the first historic concert in 1946, while Friday will see a performance of the more traditional "Ma Vlast" - Bedrich Smetana's "My Country". The festival - as always - is taking place at a number of important and architecturally stunning venues including Prague's Rudolfinum Concert Hall, the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre,

The Tam-Tam Orchestra is the Czech Republic's only samba band. All three founding members of the band are native Czechs, and though none have ever been to South America, they've dedicated their lives to performing Brazilian and African music in Central Europe.

In this week's Arts we look at two new separate exhibitions opening in and around Prague. The first, at the Hollar gallery on the banks of the Vltava in the Czech capital, opened Wednesday: it brings together work by many of the country's best known graphic designers - who first made their mark some forty years ago. The second exhibition, held just outside of Prague at the Museum of Central Bohemia in Roztoky, also looks at the 60s. It takes something of a playful approach, combining not only a look at Czech glassware and jewellery, but lifestyle

Visitors to the chapel of St. John of Nepomuk on Jungmann Square in Prague will find an exhibit featuring "The Faces of Havana." Photographer Helena Wilsonova's images were captured in Cuba during a 10-day visit in March 1995, and they will be on display in Prague until May 5th. I recently met with Helena Wilsonova in the chapel gallery to talk about her career as a photographer, and she began by explaining what brought her to Cuba in March 1995.

Accompanied by a jarring electrical soundtrack and a bewildering laser display, Petra Hauerova took to the stage in Prague's Ponec Theatre last Friday to present her choreographic work, Turning Machine. In a highly technological display, she threw the audience into a distorted world of humanoid forms, humbling onlookers with the sheer power of the illusions created. Hers is one of a number of performances at this year's Czech Dance Platform, now in its 12th year.

Vladimir Simek and Kamila Broulova-Simkova are a well-known husband & wife team that has been making TV documentaries in different parts of the world - from Baikal, Russia, to South America, for years. Their films air as part of the "Ceske stopy" documentary series that follows in the footsteps of famous Czech adventurers or explorers from the past.