Slovakia: Gala Spectacular Arrives in Bratislava

At 5pm on the 8th of March the Gala Spectacular safely arrived at Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, with a performance of the Chinese Spectacular scheduled for the 9th at the new Slovak National Theatre. This is The Divine Performing Arts’ first visit to a former Communist country in central Europe. A week earlier, almost 1,000 tickets were sold to eager customers. Many people who later received the news of the performance could not obtain tickets and so have to wait for the Divine Performing Arts’ next tour around Europe.

The Slovak Republic, which became independent in 1993, is a young but also ancient country. Over thousands of years of disputes amongst people of the nation, not forgetting the occupation by Nazi Germany during the Second World War and afterwards the forty years of Communist Russia rule, made the people of Slovakia understand more thoroughly about what freedom and democracy can offer. From the greetings sent by VIPs from the capital, we can see these notions clearly.

Selected greetings

Dr. Peter Osusky is the deputy head of the Comenius University in Bratislava. He loves the Chinese culture and pays attention to China’s growth in the international community. He is very glad that the Divine Performing Arts was able to visit Bratislava on their tour and in his greeting letter, talked first about the importance of culture to human society. “We need to be aware of and protect human society’s culture and the essence of tradition. Only then can they be spread on into future generations and only then can the world be a better place.” “The gross domestic product in China is currently so large to the extent that some find it shocking. However, the people of the country are being neglected. Their cheap labour has not earned them a life they deserve. The Beijing National Stadium (or “Birds Nest”) for the Olympics is being built on the basis of a painful price. On the other hand, Divine Performing Arts is showing us another China, one that can bring us over 5,000 years of Chinese culture and tradition.”

Dr. Osusky also talked about the current situation in China, and how people should not stay silent and continue to tolerate the Communist rule. “When people mention China under Communist rule, the thing that comes to mind is how they twisted the events of history, harmed tradition, persecuted religious beliefs and damaged the culture. The Communist Party cannot convince people anymore that disregarding those things is promoting a better future for China. The students who gathered in Tiananmen Square back in 1989 were the same as the youths at the Oktyabrskaya Square in Minsk and the streets of Prague. History is repeating all over again, and now Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted in China, like many before them did. Even though these people come from different cultures and countries, they are all defenders of their own faith. These people are worthy of our respect. Please remember these people, remember them when we turn ourselves away when faced with unfairness and violence, we are sacrificing the hope and happiness of a stranger.”

The President of the Slovakia Green Party, Mr. Pavel Petrik, mentioned in his greeting letter that, “The Slovak Green Party respects the contributions of the Chinese people to world culture. Similarly, I also support human rights for the people of China and those who oppose the Communist Party’s violation of human rights. Therefore, I would like to pay my respects to those who have managed to keep their compassionate and the unique traditions of China during terrible times.”

“What the Divine Performing Arts gives to us is built on the basis of traditional Chinese culture, with deep meaning and spirit. It is a shining and bright light illuminating the arduous path the Chinese community has to walk. I sincerely hope that the thoughts of freedom and democracy within the Divine Performing Arts performances and hidden within the hearts of the Chinese people can become reality soon.”