An exhibition commemorating Romas Kalanta and other dissidents
An exhibition called “Kaleidoscope of Opposition to the Soviet Government” opened on May 3, 2022, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the self-immolation of Romas Kalanta, and the sacrifices of other dissidents and the underground press, or “samizdat”. The Andrei Sacharov Centre for Democratic Research at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas is the organizer of the exhibition, being held until the end of May at the Vytautas Magnus Military Museum.
One of the most important tools used in defense of human rights was the dissemination of information regarding the arrest of political prisoners to local citizens and the West. This was done through independent publications, newspapers, photos, tapes and other means of communication.
Before Kalanta, there was another young man who sacrificed his life in protest against the Soviet invasion – Jan Palach in Prague, 1968. In 1969, Eliyahu Rips of Latvia tried to follow Palach’s example, but survived and was jailed. Their opposition will be discussed at the annual Andrei Sacharov conference which will take place on May 13-14 in Kaunas, with guest Eliyahu Rips himself.
Because the fight for freedom has not ended, there will also be exhibits from the protests nine years ago in Kyiv, in Maidan Square, equipment used in the underground press in Czekhoslovakia and Hungary, and a section on the Solidarność movement which originated in Poland.
Artifacts in the exhibition were borrowed from the Libri Prohibiti Llibrary in Prague, the European Solidarity Centre in Gdans and the Bremen University Archives. Alkas.lt
