00:18I'm from Slovakia. My mom's from Slovakia. My dad's from the Czech Republic. That's why I came here, to see
00:25what the rest of us are doing out here.
00:28I saw it on Instagram and it spoke to me because Slovak society brought it together.
00:37The first thing that really left out of me was the quality of the photography.
00:44It was just fantastic. I feel like you have so many really talented people of Central and Eastern European heritage.
00:51And the most important thing is to do them justice.
00:58I think it's really important to showcase the experiences of Czech and Slovak people who have moved here.
01:05Especially how they talked about the lady who wrote the books that inspired the exhibition. I found it really moving.
01:15Everything from start to finish was a dream relief.
01:17It's very touching.
01:20Above all, thank you.
01:38Dear guests, dear friends, welcome! My name is Trivona Raptuva I am a director of Slovakia Theatre London and a
01:46curator of this exhibition.
01:50My name is Rebecca Jurčackova. I am the curator of the exhibition as well and I'm also the
01:57manager of Slovak Theatre London. It is truly an honor to have you all here to open portraits of
02:04Slovak and Czech Britain with you tonight. This exhibition is our tribute to the resilient
02:12creativity of Slovaks and Czechs in Britain.
02:23It is more than just portraits. It is about identity and legacy.
02:31It is also a reminder that the streets are not paved with gold.
02:35We pave them ourselves with courage, love and community.
02:43We are not usually very proud but we have something to be proud of.
02:48And better said, we have someone to be proud of.
02:54The streets of London are paved with stories, lots of stories and these stories need to be told.
03:17Thank you so much guys.
03:19Thank you so much guys!
