Centering the Cultural Dialogue: An Interview

Maly, Ivan, The New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs

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SIXTEEN YEARS AFTER THE FALL OF COMMUNISM, THE CZECH REPUBLIC JOINED THE EUROPEAN UNION; NOW, FIVE YEARS AFTER EU EXPANSION, THE FORMER SOVIET STATE HAS JUST COMPLETED ITS FIRST RUN AT THE HELM OF THE 27-MEMBER ORGANIZATION. THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW--CONDUCTED WITH PETR POLIVKA, THE DIRECTOR OF THE CZECH CENTRE IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM--CONVEYS HOW THE COUNTRY'S ACCESSION INTO THE EU HAS HELPED BREAKDOWN CULTURAL BARRIERS AND INITIATE A SHARED CULTURAL DIALOGUE OF MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN THE CZECH NATION, BELGIUM, AND THE REST OF EUROPE.

You are the director of the Czech Centre in Brussels. The aim of the Centre is to promote Czech culture in Belgium, which has about the same number of inhabitants as the Czech Republic. Is this ratio an advantage or have you had better experiences in other countries?

I am not sure whether this ratio has any effect on our work. Nevertheless, I can say that Belgian society is quite receptive to our activities here. Belgians like the Czech Republic, and oft en visit it. Large numbers of people frequently view our projects, and some even surprise us with very decent Czech language skills. …

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Publication information: Article title: Centering the Cultural Dialogue: An Interview. Contributors: Maly, Ivan - Author. Magazine title: The New Presence: The Prague Journal of Central European Affairs. Volume: 12. Issue: 3 Publication date: Summer 2009. Page number: 52+. © 2009 Martin Jan Stransky. COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale Group.

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