Photo: Štěpánka Ptáčková
ŠTĚPÁNKA PTÁČKOVÁ
Štěpánka Ptáčková is a student with a clear idea of what she wants in life, and this is already reflected in her studies. She is a student who is not just a sedentary learner, but above all an inspiring one. In parallel with her studies at the Faculty of Medicine of the UP, Štěpánka is studying addictionology in a combined form at the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University. In the future, she would like to pursue clinical psychology, ideally in the context of addiction care. During her practical internship in South Africa, she collected suggestions for the preparation of her master thesis, in which she would like to focus on the theory of systematic anchoring of psychiatric and psychological services for patients with adictological and dual diagnoses in different countries of the world.
Her internship was financially supported by FF UP from the Freemover programme. Come and "breathe" the African air through Štěpánka's photographs. Štěpánka Ptáčková and the Foreign Department of the Faculty of Arts of UP cordially invite you.
The exhibition is on view from 17 February to 15 May in the basement of Křížkovského 10 street, building C (near the study room of the Department of Czech Studies).
THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Internship at South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre & Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, WS 2024/2025
The Republic of South Africa is a country where a painful past echoes in the present struggle for unity. It is a mosaic of cultures, languages, scents, and colors, where every city and every neighborhood tells a different story. It is a land of contrasts between rich and poor, where the remnants of the horrific apartheid era are still visible at every turn. A country where a joint costs less than bread, and a girl for the night costs as much as a cheeseburger. Yet, it holds immense beauty – in its people, nature, cultural heritage, and national pride.
Cape Town, often called the "Mother City" by South Africans, was my home for three months. The aim of my internship was to combine research and clinical practice in the field of mental health and psychoactive substance use – the latter being particularly fascinating in South Africa. It led me to places hidden from the eyes of tourists flocking to Cape Town from all over the world – neighborhoods where unemployment hovers around 70%, HIV/AIDS prevalence reaches up to 30%, and gang activity shapes daily life.
For this very reason, I treasure every moment spent with the people I met, every story they shared, and the care they showed me at every step. To me, Cape Town is a place where a stranger stops you in the street just to warn you which areas to avoid for your safety – and then adds a prayer for you. It is a place where we must understand the past to create a better present. And South Africa is a country of breathtaking natural beauty, a place I know I will return to one day. (ŠP)