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Opening of the exhibition on Václav Havel attracted hundreds of visitors

On October 27, 2016 the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ethiopia, H.E. Karel Hejč, opened an exhibition entitled Václav Havel: Politics of Conscience and Responsibility commemorating the 80th anniversary of birth of the late Czech and Czechoslovak president. The event was accompanied by a public lecture by Ivan M. Havel, brother of Václav Havel, and screening of documentary feature film Citizen Havel under the auspices of European Film Festival. The exhibition is open in the premises of Alliance Ethio-Francaise in Addis Ababa until November 16.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of birth of Václav Havel, one the most prominent political figures of the 20th century, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Addis Ababa together with Library of Václav Havel in Prague prepared a photo exhibition titled Václav Havel: Politics of Conscience and Responsibility that follows the often complicated life journey of late Czech and Czechoslovak president from the events of Prague Spring in 196, Velvet Revolution in 1989, three presidential mandates to Havel’s death in 2011. The installation comprises of forty black and white of four leading Czech photographers – Alan Pajer, Oldřich Škácha, and Ondřej Němec.

The formal opening of the exhibition was symbolically joined with the celebration of the national day of the Czech Republic and was attended by some 250 visitors, mainly coming from Ethiopian administration, diplomatic corps, civil society, media, and students of local universities. The importance of the events was further underlined by the personal visit of Ivan M. Havel, brother of the late president, and his wife, who agreed to commemorate together the legacy of Václav Havel in Addis Ababa. The opening was also joined by H.E. Teferra Shiawl Kidanekal, former Ambassador of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Prague during the first presidential tenure of Václav Havel.

The celebrations were preceded by a press conference during which Ivan Havel gave a few interviews to local press.