From 21-24 August, the Brno Buď Láska festival aims to transform Brno into an open space of understanding, sharing and cultural proximity, with a four-day program connecting art, civic engagement and social dialogue. At a time when the war in Ukraine is ongoing and its effects are also felt in Czech society, the festival will bring together voices from Czech and Ukrainian culture to meet on the streets of Brno, opening a space for compassion and connection between people.
The festival is the product of several months of cooperation between cultural and civic initiatives and is meant as a platform to establish relationships between people with different experiences, languages and stories, including artists, dramatists, filmmakers, musicians and organizations that work to strengthen community life and respect across society.
Festival director Marek Fišer said Brno Buď Láska is more than a cultural event: “The festival is primarily intended to be a meeting place. We offer a space where people can listen to each other, get to know other stories and cultures. I believe that moments like these help create a society where we can talk to each other normally.”
Art as a common language
Over the course of four days, dozens of events will take place in Brno’s public spaces and cultural institutions: exhibitions of contemporary art, screenings of documentary and feature films, theater productions responding to current events, community fairs, and musical performances in Brno clubs Fléda, Kafara, Melodka and Kabinet MÚZ. Artists performing include Mikhailov, a Brno rapper with Ukrainian roots, the band DVA, and Ukrainian groups Zapaska and PVNCH.
The program is spread across the city; venues include Káznice, the Institute of National Memory, the House of Arts, the Jiří Mahen Library, Kino Art, Moravske, Římské and Jakubské namesti, and the courtyard of the Old Town Hall.
The festival days are symbolically named – Occupation Day, Understanding Day, Flag Day and Independence Day – each with a different theme. You can find more about the program here.
Help where its needed
As part of the festival, a collection is being held for the repair of schools in the Ukrainian region of Mykolayiv, carried out by the humanitarian organization Koridor UA.
“Children in some villages have not been going to school since the Covid pandemic. First because of illness, then because of war,” said Matouš Bláha, director of the humanitarian organization Koridor UA. “That is why we decided to help with the repairs of damaged school buildings, so that children can be in the team again and have at least a relatively normal childhood.” More information about the Repair the School collection can be found here.
Partners
The event continues the long-term cooperation of the twin cities of Brno and Lviv, and the South Moravian and Lviv Regions. The festival is held under the patronage of the Czech Minister of Culture, Martin Baxa, the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, the Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková, the South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich, the Governor of the Lviv Region Maxim Kozitsky, the Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadový, and the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Vasyl Zvarych.
The organizers are the humanitarian organization Koridor UA and the production company Witte lijnen, along with dozens of partners from the artistic and civic spheres.
- Brno Daily is a media partner of Brno Buď Láska.
