The Great Hungarian Silence in (Czecho)slovakia
Saturday evening we have witnessed a great performance in the Hungarian Community Centre. Géza Benkő made us reflect but also gave us opportunity to laugh. Many of us can remember the forced relocation of our parents – grandparents from the Highlands – I am among those. Tens of thousands of Hungarians were forced to leave their homeland with only 50 kgs of their belongings. They were deprived of not only their life savings but also their human dignity. It is sad that the perpetrators never apologized for this. The Benes doctrines are in force ever since. The tragedy is always present in the performance but through the glass of humor it seems less serious than it was in reality. Nevertheless, the one-person drama makes us think and at the same time glues us to our seats. The performance of Géza Benkő fascinates the audience. I have not heard such an entertaining and also saddening production for a long time.
| The full performance |
(Video by Gábor Finta, audio by István Koleszár)
Due respect has been paid to Attila József, one of the emblematic poets of 20th Century Hungarian Literature. The performer, Mr. Péter Lóránt Tóth, proved to be the quintessential modern-day interpreter of a worthy poet that has defined an era in our literature. 
