Fifty years ago, the remarkable Prague Spring temporarily broke down the chains of Communist censorship and enabled the flowering of freedom for the press, radio, TV and literature. The Czech Centre London in partnership with Dash Café looks at the remarkable bravery and tenacity of Czech Radio and its journalists particularly during the Soviet invasion in 1968. We’ll explore the stories through conversation, film and sound recordings featuring radio journalists from the time, film-makers and activists focusing on the power of media to ferment protest back in 1968 and still today.
Plus we’ll have live performance from the British musique concrete group, Langham Research Centre who give authentic performances of classic electronic music, and compose new music from an instrumentarium of vintage analogue devices. Founded in 2003, LRC employ open-reel tapes, oscillators and homemade instruments to conjure an extraordinary soundworld. Their performance for the Dash Café will feature a selection of archive Czech radio broadcasts from the time, together with new material inspired by Czech Radio; re-mixed versions of Communist party speeches; and new soundscapes which draw on secret Soviet coded messages and space transmissions.
Special guests for the evening will be the legendary Czech radio and television host Kamila Moučková, journalist and media analyst Filip Rožánek and journalist, author and TV producer Peter Pomerantsev.
Free entry-Booking essential here.
