Appendix 5

Country report - the Czech Republic

(February – October 2002)

Since the last meeting of the Steering Committee in Grainau in February 2002, the main Canadian Studies related activities in the Czech Republic have been as follows.

1. FEP and FRP grants

Of the sixteen grants awarded in CE in 2002, four were for Czech academics.

FEP Lada Bosakova (Charles University, Prague)

Katerina Prajznerova ( Masaryk University, Brno)

FRP Lenka Rovna (Charles University, Prague)

Petr Kylousek (Masaryk University, Brno)

2. New CS courses were opened at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (Karel Foustka), Masaryk University, Brno (Katerina Prajznerova, Petr Kylousek), Palacky University, Olomouc (Jarmila Petrikova, Jiri Flajser)

3. Grants were received from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic for the introduction of new courses dealing with Francophone Canadian literature and culture at Palacky University, Olomouc, as well as for the preparation of a publication on the history of Francophone Canadian literature by a team at Masaryk University, Brno.

4. In March Don Sparling went on a five-day visit to Zagreb on the invitation of the Canadian Embassy there to help (re)introduce Canadian Studies in Croatia. He met with embassy officials, held meetings with University of Zagreb academics and officials, gave a lecture to students, met with publishers and was interviewed for Radio Zagreb. After the visit, he prepared a report evaluating the visit and making a number of recommendations. Since then he has kept in touch with the local embassy and teachers, and is hopeful that things are developing positively

5. Cultural events

a) Canadian Season in Prague

The largest cultural exchange project between Canada and the Czech Republic in the history of the two countries, involving eight theatre and dance groups, film workshops, a critical seminar led by theatre and dance critics, and a number of lectures was planned for October 2002. Unfortunately, the disastrous floods in August put the main theatre where this was to take place out of commission. Nevertheless, the season has been taking place, though in a severely reduced form, with one theatre and three dance groups, including Montreal's renowned La La La Human Steps, which presented the world premiere of its newest production, Amelia, in Prague on 20 October. As part of the season, Robert Wallace, head of the drama studies programme at York University, gave lectures to students in Prague, Brno and Hradec Kralové.

b) Translations

Margaret Atwood - Bluebeard's Egg, Life Before Man

Michael Ondaatje - Anil's Ghost