Life

Until recently Vladimíra Dvořáková was known mainly as a political scientist. Now the nation knows her especially as that courageous woman who disclosed corruption at the Law Faculty of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň and even said that there are mafia structures dealing with university degrees.

Both men had an important impact on 20th century Czech photography, Sitenský during World War II, and Reich during the 'Normalisation' 1970s.

November 17 is the anniversary of the start of Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution. But what is less well known is that six days earlier it was preceded by what has been described as the “smog revolution”, when hundreds of people – angered by the appalling state of the local environment – took to the streets in the north Bohemian city of Teplice.

Activism makes art for the winners of a civil society photography contest.Check out audio slide show featuring the winning entries in the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe’s photo competition.