Cultures unite across borders

Undeterred by the loss of key funding, the 12th annual Czech-German Days of Culture kicks off Oct. 29 on both sides of the border with concerts, readings, theater performances and art exhibitions.

"When the Czech Center in Dresden closed, we decided to step up and help fill the financial and organizational void that was created," said Blanka Mouralová, the director of Collegicum Bohemicum, one of the festival's key organizers. "So we are glad that we were able to secure additional funding from the Czech Culture Ministry."

Along with Collegium Bohemicum, a Czech organization promoting Czech-German relations, Brücke/Most-Stiftung, a German foundation with a similar mission, has teamed up on the project.

In 1997, the Czech-German Days of Culture started out presenting the cream of Czech cultural life in Dresden and throughout Germany's Saxony region. In 2006, the festival expanded into the Czech Republic. This year, the majority of events take place in Ústí nad Labem, along with other locations throughout northern Bohemia, including Děčín and Liberec. The motto for the 12th incarnation of the event is "Grenzgänger," German for "border crosser," which expresses the festival's emphasis on the display of German culture in the Czech Republic and vice-versa.

"One such example is the Czech-German culture brunch, which will take place in Řehlovice in late November, where Czechs and Germans can explore their countries' culinary heritage together," said Reinhard Heßlöhl of Brücke/Most-Stiftung. "We also organized a walk through deserted Bohemian villages near the German border, which actually sold out."

A night dedicated to Czech authors who write in German, like Ota Philip or Michal Stavarič, is also on the agenda in Ústí nad Labem, which will also host a poetry slam, a modern spin on traditional poetry readings in which participants compete for the audience's favor. The element of competition has been removed due to the bilingual nature of the event, but the genre's strong emphasis on performance and stage presence are bound to thrill in either language.

"Once they saw how phonetically interesting the performances were, and that they really put on a good show, the audience really got into it, even though some of them didn't understand a word," said Jaromír Konečný, a Czech author who lives in Germany and organizer of the slam event both this year and in the past.

Czech-German Days of Culture runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 14.

"A festival like this is a beacon and offers events from all areas of culture over several weeks, from jazz to theater to rock, and even history and politics," Heßlöhl said.

Sarah Borufka can be reached at
sborufka@praguepost.com