When the world around us begins to fracture – through war, fear, and the speed with which certainty disappears – the word home becomes more urgent than ever. Not as an address, but as a question: Where is home when the world is falling apart? We will listen to people who, in moments of trial, chose not to stand aside.
The past can seem distant – until we recognise it in the present. We often associate the legacy of Nicholas Winton with history, yet today we see how urgently it belongs to our own time. Alongside his son, we will hear from those who, during the war in Ukraine, helped bring the most vulnerable to safety. And then from Russians for whom the courage to speak out has closed the doors of home.
In the first part, Nick Winton, son of Nicholas Winton – who saved hundreds of Czechoslovak children from the Holocaust – will speak. He will be joined by Konstantin Gudauskas, known as the “Angel of Bucha”, who helped rescue more than 200 women and children during the war, and by Elena Mazzola, who evacuated children with disabilities from Ukraine. Both intervened directly in Bucha, a place that has become a symbol of how far violence can go – and of how crucial it is when someone chooses to act.
The second part will turn to memory, truth, and what fear and repressive power can do to individuals and to society. Boris Belenkin and Irina Scherbakova of the organisation Memorial – awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize – will speak. Both now live outside Russia, as return is impossible for them. The question of home is therefore not merely a topic for reflection, but a painful personal reality. They will be joined by Markéta Pekarová Adamová, who offered them temporary refuge after they left Russia.
The evening will be hosted by David Macek and Martina Viktorie Kopecká.
The event will be simultaneously interpreted from English, Ukrainian and Russian into Czech.
The general partner of the event is Hodinářství Bechyně.
