In 2023, we opened the Meeting Brno festival with a public discussion between the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and the President of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová, symbolically at the place where the division of Czechoslovakia was announced. The discussion was followed by more than 13,000 people, with around 2,000 attending directly in the gardens of the Tugendhat and Löw-Beer villas.
Our city not only lost a significant part of its Jewish and German-speaking population, but also lost its unity with the division of the Czechoslovak state, which marked 30 years in 2023. However, Slovaks continue to come to us: they study at our universities, find jobs, and start families. Brno is often referred to, not just in exaggeration, as the capital of Slovaks living abroad. So, do we still belong together?
During the 11 days of the festival, we reflected on the relationship between Czechs and Slovaks and asked the question: Do we belong together? We presented two world theater premieres written specifically for the Meeting Brno festival, focused on the role of women in the church, and through the conference Czechia as an Education Village, we focused on education.
