[In the Czech Republic a "special school” is a school for retarded children to which Romany (Gypsy) children are assigned if they do not pass an examination which emphasizes skills in Czech language and culture.Maticni Street in Usti nad Labem was the location of a wall which Czech residents built in 1999 between themselves and […]
John Erwin
Who has a piece of the broken mirror?
Margita Reiznerova My father was a storyteller. When the adults came to visit, the children were sent out of the room, and the adults would tell each other stories — fairy tales. Later I realized how clever my father was: how he was using psychology. Of course the children would sneak back in and listen. My father […]
The only weapon I have is to go around telling my story
ARTS OF TOLERANCE Workshops, Performances and Discussions organized by the Stories Exchange Project 18-19 September 2000 Terezin, Czech Republic Helga Weissova-Hoskova Prague You’ve all had the opportunity to tell your stories today, or you will later this evening. And I know that the story I have to tell is not so exceptional. I am one of the fifteen thousand […]
Each one of us is a piece of the puzzle
Eva SiedtmannovaSchool of Social Studies Usti nad Labem The problem of relations between races is very complicated, especially in our country. It’s a never-ending fight of white against black and vice-versa. Czechs suppress Roma and say that Roma are rubbish no one needs, rubbish that should be cleared away! I can hear all the angry […]
I not only see the reflection: I also see behind it
Location: Stories Exchange Project 2000 Workshop #2EastWest InstitutePragueStories Exchange Project 2000Workshop IIEastWest InstitutePragueJanuary 2000Martin ZaplatilekBrnoI think the mirror is a nice symbol of the unity among the people. On the other hand maybe I’m a little skeptical. It seems to me a little naive that in the future it can be good as it used […]
We all worked together
Location: Stories Exchange Project Workshop #1EastWest InstitutePragueEva BajgerovaLocal Coordinator, Usti nad LabemMy eight-year old son Martin attends a selective school which accepts pupils of our district upon an entrance examination.Children begin to attend this school when they are eight. You would think that at this age children are equal and wouldn’t worry about who is […]
They gather like grasshoppers
Petra Richter BrnoThere’s not much to write about our family. It’s only my mother, my father and me. I have no brothers and sisters. I think it’s kind of a revenge—for no reason – by my parents. And all my grandmas and grandpas diedbefore I was born. So I have only aunts and uncles: nothing interesting. But […]
They forced me into the car and took me to the police station
This story was told and discussed in Terezin, the former Nazi transport camp in the Czech Republic, during the opening session of a Stories Exchange Project workshop, ARTS OF TOLERANCE.18 September 2000John ErwinDirector, The Stories Exchange ProjectWhat happened in Terezin during World War II continues to happen today throughout Europe and throughout the world – sometimes in […]
Using stories is the best way to educate people
Monika HorakovaMember of the Czech Parliamentin conversation withJohn W. ErwinDirector, The Stories Exchange ProjectCzech Ministry of Foreign AffairsPrague1 December 2000Jack ErwinWhat good is it, do you think, to do this: to get stories from Roma and Czechs about each other, about their experience of each other? Does that accomplish anything?Monika HorakovaFor sure. I think that […]
Romanek solved the problem in his own way
Author: Jan HorvathLocation: Stories Exchange Project Workshop #1EastWest InstitutePragueMy son Romanek is six.When we lived in Brno, Romanek attended a kindergarten. So we wanted to find one for him when we recently moved to Studenka near Ostrava. He’s used to being with other children. The rest of our kids go to school, and he has […]
Recent Comments