Organization
Post Bellum is a non-governmental non-profit organisation documenting the memories of witnesses of the important historical phenomenons of the 20th century and trying to pass these stories on to the broader public. It was founded in 2001.
In 2001, a group of Czech journalists and historians, who had been hitherto meeting at various press conferences or annual commemorative acts, founded the non-profit organization Post Bellum (from Latin “after the war”). They were led by their conviction that witnesses of historic events need to have an opportunity to tell their stories in detail and in their entirety. These memories bear precious testimony not only about modern history, but about the character of the Czech (and other European) people as well. If they are not preserved for the present-day and future generations, the society will hardly be able to cope with its history of totalitarianism. Their aim is to form a collection of interviews as extensive as possible – a collection of authentic personal stories and testimonies.
Post Bellum tries to pass on their stories to the broader public. They prepare exhibitions, publish books, comic books, organise social events. They continuously search for new ways of getting people interested in the topic, of stirring up a society-wide debate on democratic values.
Project
Their goals are to:
1) Establish an official network of organisations willing to conserve the intangible cultural heritage of Europe as already stated in the Memory of Nations network called COMMUNITY OF EUROPEAN MEMORY.
Specifically they want to:
1) Upgrade the existing network tools, esp. the medias used or to be created as – a) common website, b) common on-line archive, c) exchange network of common education tools – to be created, d) translation tools – to be created etc.
2) Enable creation of sub-networks in order to exchange i.a. methods of conserving, promoting, educating, research, professionalisation etc.
3) Learn/improve fundraising esp. between individual and corporate organisations but also from public (EU, national) resources.
4) Establish new Awards for a) Heroes of recent European past and b) for the best creative modes of media promotion (eventual), including reminding key years as 1918, 1938, 1939, 1956, 1968, 1977, 1980, 1989, 1991, non-freedom regimes, occupations, walls/fences etc.).
5) Secure necessary IT and media equipment (SW and HW) for conserving the intangible cultural heritage we either have or want to gain in future (on-line archive etc.)
6) Avoid potential deliberate misinterpretations of recent (not only) European history as, for example todays Russia, seems to do.
W: http://www.memoryofnations.eu/ in https://www.postbellum.cz/
Contact:
Mr. Martin Petrtyl
Post Bellum, o.p.s.
Snemovni 174/7
118 00 Praha 1 – Mala Strana
The Czech Republic
E: martin.petrtyl@postbellum.cz
T: +420-608176370
Please find more about the project in the appendix.