events 2008

You can find more details about the movie here

Eve of Cuba Solidarity Day: Screening of  "Damas de Blanco"  and Discussion at the American Center

When: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Where: American Center

The American Center in cooperation with People in Need (PiN) would like to invite you to a screening of the documentary "Damas de Blanco"  followed by a discussion with Pavla Holcová, PiN´s coordinator of Cuban projects.

One month ago, on April 21, 2008, the Cuban government violently ended a peaceful demonstration of  "Damas de Blanco", an organization of mothers, wives and sisters fighting for the release of 75 political prisoners jailed mostly in spring 2003. Damas de Blanco met in Havana near Revolution Square to demand that their relatives are freed. The American Center is organizing this screening in cooperation with PiN on the eve of Cuba Solidarity Day as a way to express support not only for the Damas de Blanco movement, but for the entire Cuban opposition.

The 2008 documentary by Bosnian-Czech director Ivana Milo ševič  shows women meeting every Sunday and holding silent protest marches as an expression of their demand for the immediate freeing of their family members. They do not regard themselves as a political movement, as they have not overthrown a government or brought  about any reform. Miloševič lets the women tell their own personal stories openly and discuss what it means to be a woman in Cuba.

The European parliament gave the Damas de Blanco the Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in acknowledgement of their peaceful but determined campaign, which will not end until all of the men have been released from prison.

Pavla Holcová works for People in Need as Cuban coordinator, currently focusing on independent Cuban journalists. She has studied journalism and Iberoamerican studies at the Charles University.

When: Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 18:00
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1, 1st floor (approx. 50 m below U.S. Embassy)

The movie will be screened in Spanish with Czech subtitles. The discussion will be held predominantly in Czech with the possibility to ask questions in English.

Please RSVP at acprague@state.gov or tel. 257 530 640.