Stefano Velaska

Transcript from the news article below. Much thanks to
Stefano himself for access to the article.

"Stefano Velaska was only eighteen years old
when he literally walked away from Czechoslovakia
in 1968. Forced to defect to Italy by an oppressive
communist regime, it took him three tries to
successfully escape. During the first attempt he was
rewarded with a bruised body and broken nose; the
second brought him to death's door after an ill-fated
river crossing in the harsh Bohemian winter. Resisting
tyranny, he left behind his parents, friends and a
twenty-seven year prison sentence for treason. Hard
labor seems a bit extreme for a teenager just doing
what all of his friends are doing: sitting in, speaking
out, throwing the occasional Motatov cocktail at
Russian tanks.

"So he came to New York City with freedom on his mind
and three words in his vocabulary. "I wash dishes."
Homeless and alone for more than a year, left to wander
as a penniless vagabond in an alien country, he eventually
picked up a dictionary and hitchhiked to sunny-gay Miami.
From there he journeyed to New Orleans, where he met his
wife on his first job, at Kolb's restaurant.

"Once he had a grasp of the English language, he knew it
was time to talk about his experiences so anyone within
earshot could learn about the atrocities he and his
countrymen endured at the hands of the Warsaw pact
countries that had invaded his beautiful homeland. How
could communism provide a better way when he had to
stand in line for a sack of meal to drag three miles to feed
his family? When he had to rearrange street signs to
prevent hostile invaders from dragging away his friends to
interrogate, imprison, and torture? When everyday he had
to stare into the dull, numb eyes of his neighbors under
leaden skies and hearts?

"Sickened by the lies and angered by the years of
estrangement, Stefano took part in over forty radio talk
shows, including a three year stint on Wake Up America.
It was while doing an interview for WWL that Stefano
met a member of a prominant New Orleans family. He
and this man had similar interests, to say the least.
Together they became embroiled in the Iran-Contra
scandal, smuggling supplies and doctors to Honduras in
an airplane provided by a wealthy benefactor in Atlanta,
GA. In the steamy jungle nights they would covertly
cross the borders into Nicaragua.

"So just what does a man do in the wake of something
so historically fascinating? Explore the joys of capitalism,
of course. Stefano enjoys local notoriety for his skill in
jewelry and metal-working. He can be found displaying
his artistry at the French Market on most days. He's also
recently been commissioned to create the commemorative
pins for the Tennessee Williams Festival at Le Petit
Theatre. It's really not so great of a change as one might
suspect. If Stefano had not been born with the heart of
an artist, he may never have even questioned the ideals
he was spoon-fed as a youth; he may never have broken
free from the icy gray bonds of communism, to prosper in
the colorful world that lay beyond.

"Stefano has not left Czechoslovakia for good; he was able
to return after the "Velvet Revolution" a few years ago,
but the impact of the prolonged occupation still clings here
and there like the traces of a wretched dream. The
discolored patches that fill the holes in the National
Museum where Russian bullets ripped through the walls
look more like scars than repairs. The three weed-choked
and neglected monuments he discovered stir his soul to
passionate anger. All are memorials to American soldiers
who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of his people
during WWII. He has made it a personal project to see
that they receive the attention and respect they deserve.
If Stefano Velaska has his way, they will get just that.

by Ashley Kennedy"