On November 17, 1989, the communist police violently broke up a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration and brutally beat many student participants. In the days that followed, Charter 77 and other groups united to become the Civic Forum, an umbrella group championing bureaucratic reform and civil liberties. Its leader was the dissident playwright Vaclav Havel. Intentionally eschewing the label "party," a word given a negative connotation during the previous regime, Civic Forum quickly gained the support of millions of Czechs, as did its Slovak counterpart, Public Against Violence.
Faced with an overwhelming popular repudiation, the Communist Party all but collapsed. Its leaders, Husak and party chief Milos Jakes, resigned in December 1989, and Havel was elected President of Czechoslovakia on December 29. The astonishing quickness of these events was in part due to the unpopularity of the communist regime and changes in the policies of its Soviet guarantor as well as to the rapid, effective organization of these public initiatives into a viable opposition.
A coalition government, in which the Communist Party had a minority of ministerial positions, was formed in December 1989. The first free elections in Czechoslovakia since 1946 took place in June 1990 without incident and with more than 95% of the population voting. As anticipated, Civic Forum and Public Against Violence won landslide victories in their respective republics and gained a comfortable majority in the federal parliament. The parliament undertook substantial steps toward securing the democratic evolution of Czechoslovakia. It successfully moved toward fair local elections in November 1990, ensuring fundamental change at the county and town level.
Civic Forum found, however, that although it had successfully completed its primary objective--the overthrow of the communist regime--it was ineffectual as a governing party. The demise of Civic Forum was viewed by most as necessary and inevitable.
In 2009 the Czech Republic will become the president of the European Council in the middle of 2009. During half-year every month is going to be spent with the exhibitions, conferences, and perhaps this project of the photography can be a good form of expression to find new ways to avoid the borders and to try to approach much more other cultures being given to know the daily life in the Czech Republic.The project is a book with 100 photographs and a one big exhibition, and workshops with the photographers that will travel around the country, and perhaps by other members of the European Union, like interactive method of participation between the subjects and the actors who will be involved.
The basic lines
The basic lines and the synopsis of the project are to create diverse points of view through the photography with the participation of the Czech photojournalists and a selection of Magnum photo agency. In 2009 the Czech Republic will become the president of the European Council in the middle of 2009. During half-year every month is going to be spent with the exhibitions, conferences, and perhaps this project of the photography can be a good form of expression to find new ways to avoid the borders and to try to approach much more other cultures being given to know the daily life in the Czech Republic.
The project want to be a book, exhibition and workshops, that will travel around the country, and perhaps by other members of the European Union, like interactive method of participation between the subjects and the actors who will be involved.
Objectives of the project
In order to promote the tourism and the culture of the Czech Republic, like part of this family of the European Union. Also to create a network of concerned photojournalists. The project is a declaration defined as participating work group between people and the communities, that really want to be the soul of the project. The objectives are very clear: to try to find a channel of the intercommunication between the photographic spaces and the public.
Photographers
We want the implication in the project of concerned photojournalists and also students of photography of the Czech Republic to give an opportunity to new artists who need an impulse. Photojournalists will work catching images during five days in all the Czech Republic. The book tries to be a personal vision of each author on the daily life of the Czechs. These images will serve to perhaps understand a little more about we ourself.
Writers
They will write the texts in cooperation with photographers.
Finances&Budget
Local partners from Czech Republic and funds from European Union. The final project budget depends from codifications of project idea and number of books and exhibition places.
Each photographer will have professional honoraries between 7,500 Euros when the organizers cover the expenses and 10,000 Euros if the photographer must pay them. The costs are roundtrip flights to the Czech Republic, hotels, car of rent or transport and meals. A draft agreement signature between the authors and the organization will have two ways of payment.
The photographers decide the payment the honoraries by the organization of the project to yield the rights of impression and exhibition of the photos in a book and one or more exhibitions during the time that lasts the project. This point must be very clear in the agreement or contract. The photographer will be always the owner of the copyright..
Workshops
Photography workshops and seminars, involving students, and photographers.
Photographers
Confirmed participation of photographers from Magnum and Galicia: Ian Berry, Bruno Barbey, Richard Kalvar, Hiroji Kubota and Chang Chien-Chi, Tino Martínez, Delmi Álvarez, and glad that local photographers of the Czech Republic can join us.
The Magnum photographers mentioned have been working and invited in www.vienadiena.lv by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia coordinated by the author of this project in cooperation with Ilmars Znotins, project manager in Latvia Republic and even a few of them working in two projects more in Galicia in coordination with Delmi Álvarez.
We wish to give the opportunity of participation to nonprofessional photographers sending an image caught by them to add to the project in the web site. The selection of the images of these photographers will be in charge of the organization and representing of sponsors.
Writers
We wish to invite to the writers of the Czech Republic being contributed texts that they will write about the images caught by the photographers. Their works will be published in Czech language and English.
Area of influence
Czech Republic and regions of the state.
Book
The book is a memory of photos and texts of the project and and it will be used to show de daily life from the look of photographersduring five days. Expecting 400-500 pages with photographs in color and black and white. The edition of the pictures will be delivery for each photographer in a DVD where will be two folders: one with TIFF files to be print in book and pictures and other folder with jpeg files as fast views. Other technical characteristics will give.
Exhibition
About one hundred photos of the photographers free spaces or places in Prague and other cities will be exhibited in. This one exhibition is conceived to cross other cities of the Czech Republic and the European Union. The photographies will be printed in special material to resist the water, the sun, the heat and the wind. In addition the exhibition will have a civil insurance that will cover any incidence. Open-air exhibition itinerancy in the centers of capital city and towns during spring and summer, the exhibition take the attention with (1) how foreigners see the country (2) where our photographers have been and seen.
Website
Website of the project will be created in English and czech languages with photos and descriptions of the project and photographers participants. There will be a page in Internet showing the information and itinerancy of the project. There will be administrator of the site. The content of the Web site will be on the activities of the project including a forum of the members to generate ideas and a collective participation. The site will be: www.photoCzechs.org
Partners
From Czech Republic and UE are welcomed, City Councils, tourism agencies or National tourism boards, Visual education-photography universities, Academy of Art.
Project timeframe
Project would to be approved in 2008 and then start to run. The photographers will work during 5-7 days in all Czech Republic with or without assistants or fixers.
Presentation to the Press&Media
Clear and transparent information with the general public. Journalists, photojournalists, TV crew and radio will be invited to look and have the experience in our project to be transmitted to the public for free and in the same equal conditions.
Bio of the author
Delmi Álvarez is a photojournalist born in Vigo, Galicia, Spain, dedicated during many years to the photojournalism and workshops in photography. In his career he got the recognize in several times the labor of his work with prestigious prize Fotopres in Barcelona.
Actually he is based in Riga, Latvia, and leading projects of photography with Galician Government Xunta de Galicia, involving photographers of EU and Magnum photos agency. Exhibition and book about Camino de Santiago -one of the projects- are actually running and in June will be in Prague.
Further info about bio www.delmialvarez.com/bio.html
Contact GSM: +371 2974 79 11 and +34 649 859 882 (international)
Riga, June 30th 2008
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