Prague Journal

Monday, March 21, 2005.

Today is the official International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, marked by the Orange Band anti-racism campaign in five Czech towns: Prague, Brno, south Moravia, Usti nad Labem, north Bohemia, Liberec, north Bohemia, and Olomouc, north Moravia. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966 to mark a massacre of a peaceful anti-racist demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa on March 21, 1960, during which 69 people were shot dead by the police. In the Czech Republic, volunteers distribute orange bands and leaflets among passers-by and discuss their views on racism with them. Non-profit organizations also mark this day in information stalls where projects of civic associations designed to contribute to building a tolerant society will be presented as well as publications on racism. We didn’t see any demonstrators or arm-band distributors, but we saw lots of police strolling around town.
Charles and Claudia arrived on an afternoon train and we spent a few hours before dinner wandering the streets of Old Town and walking across the Charles Bridge. They are only here for two days, having spent only a short time here two years ago, so I hope we can show them some of Prague’s more interesting sights.
Dinner was at Pivovarsky Dům, the brewpub we had discovered last Friday, with Jitka and Ales. Unfortunately, Jitka is under the weather, so there were only five of us. But we had enough enthusiastic beer drinkers to warrant ordering the žiraf (giraffe), which is a 4-liter glass tube set in a shiny brass foot with a tap. Dinner conversation was lively, continuing on the way home, long into the evening.

posted by JWinn @ 8:35 PM