Apparently, John Lennon has never visited Prague – so what is a Lennon Wall doing in that city? It is in the Mala Strana area, close to Charles Bridge, a wall covered with graffiti – words and images – inspired by Lennon. In the 1980s, he was a hero and an inspiration to the young and the restless of Prague – especially after his death in 1980. And scribbling on this wall was their way of opposing the Communist regime and everything it stood for.
So scribble they did, in the face of harassment from the police who jailed these wall artists for their “subversive activities”. Even as the authorities kept white-washing the wall and placing sentries in the area, the messages kept appearing – the wall, a symbol of peaceful protest.
Even today, there are people with paint brushes and stained clothes and that gleam in their eyes painting their two bits on the Lennon Wall – the flower children of the new millennium. And of course, some of them seem to use it as a free space to discuss the state of their current relationships, as you can see from the last photograph. But then, you know what these flower children were like…
And oh, two things: this is my 250th post on this blog, so pat me on the back virtually and make a wish that the next 250 is as interesting and varied and comes up much quicker. And my photography page is up on my website – check it out.
I wondered what you meant by a ‘Lennon Wall’.. had never heard of the term before… but now i know
and congrats!!!! its a milestone indeed!
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