By Menkiti Onyebuchi Bernie, Editor
On Thursday, 28th November, 2019, the Slovak Embassy in Nigeria held a cocktail at Ikoyi, Lagos to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution at the behest of the Honorary Consul, Mr. Ramesh Hathiramani and the Ambassador Peter Holasek.
The event which began at 6:30pm local time lived up to expectation with guests excited at the ambience of the well lit expanse room inside the residence of the Honorary Consul of the Slovakia Republic.
The event exclusively covered by www.diplomaticwatch.com took off with a brief moment of words read out from a concise speech delivered with deep sense of excitement by the ambassador to elated guests who listened with rapt attention.
Central Europe has been a basket-full of rich historical realities, most times violent than comical anecdotes. The countries within this geographical sphere are dotted with remarkable events, each of them unique and impactful in the turn of events that shaped the regions political landscape, ushering in new found ideas, nascent sovereign states and rekindling hope for economic prosperity and political stability.
In Czechoslovakia Republic, the Velvet Revolution as its known was one of such historical events; and till today holds a sacred place in Slovakia Republic’s national calendar.Making his opening speech, the ambassador ceased the moment to explain the tenet of the revolution, and also explored the historical definition of the revolution by highlighting its gain for the republic. He said, ‘these days we mark the 30th year anniversary of the Velvet Revolution which brought down communism and restored open democracy in Czechoslovakia.’
He continued, ‘we call it Velvet Revolution because the fall of the regime was conducted in a relatively peaceful way after student demonstrations which pushed communist government to step down and create a temporary mixed rule that was dealing with handing over the political power to democrats headed by writer Vaclav Havel.’The bloodless nature of the revolution attracted applause as Ambassador Holasek narrated how warfare was ditched for a gentleman devolution of an existing country. To this effect he said, ‘the fall of communism led not just to the Velvet Revolution but also to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia which proved that States can divide peacefully and that new states can form without the need for warfare.’
According to the Ambassador, the revolution was greatly remarkable having been responsible for the relative peace that greeted the larger part of Central Europe in the period post the revolution. To buttress this point he read; ‘..the Velvet Revolution and divorce..side stepped what would have been a period of intense legal and political wrangling and cultural tension, and instead focus on state building.’According to historical records, Czech and Slovakia Republic had existed independent of each other with economic progress, political stability and integration into Europe’s political, economic and security structures the bane of the two states.
Ambassador Peter Holasek concluded his speech by extolling the positive virtues of the peoples’ of both countries by defining them courageous, especially as they conducted themselves in the height of the revolution.The cocktail attracted creme de la creme from diplomatic circles, corporate and business. In attendance were; Honorary Consul Jacky Hathiramani, Consulate of Iceland; CRS Manager, Health Total E&P, Mrs Uche Ojomo; Amb. Dr. Prince Kazeem Eletu, CEO Kareem Royal Properties; Lady Evelyn Atiyio, Italian Consulate General; VFD Microfinance Bank Managing Director,Emodi Azubike; Chizhim Adikema, Lead Legal Eterna Oil and Gas; Edmond Okelue Senior Accountant Manager, Vodacom Africa; Stanislaus Igweonu, Project Co-ordinator Vodacom Africa; Miss, Amara Ezeokeke, CEO Pearl Collections; Amedeo Golfeto, Managing Director, Hitech Electro Mechanical Company Ltd; Emilio Poloni Managing Director ENPTECH Nigeria Ltd, Abraham Tamrat DESTA, Program Manager, Migration Management International Organisation for Migration, United Nations; Andrej Pavlo Doxxbet and a host of others. Also present were members of Diplomatic Watch led by the Editor.
Guests were treated to a melodious experience of old soulful music -made in Slovakia-. They also had swell time bonding, exchanging pleasantries and taking photographs with the hosts. There was buffet, wine and interview sessions. The event came to an end at exactly 10:30pm as guests began to leave in trickles until 11pm.ADVERTISEMENT
