‘Check your fruit’: Prague exhibition puts men’s health in the spotlight

Prague’s Na Příkopě street will host an outdoor exhibition with an unusual message this November: “Check your fruit.”

The slogan is part of a student-designed Movember campaign encouraging young men to pay attention to changes in their testicles and seek medical advice. Selected designs will be displayed throughout the month, bringing men’s health awareness to one of the capital’s busiest shopping streets.

City Hall employees will also take part through their returning “Magistrátní Movembeři” team, growing mustaches and raising money for projects supporting men’s health.

This year, Czech Movember organizer Muži proti rakovině partnered with students at the University of West Bohemia’s Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Plzeň.

Their task was to find a way to reach younger audiences with information about testicular cancer and the importance of noticing potential warning signs. Alongside “Check your fruit,” the resulting campaign uses messages such as “Waiting won’t solve it.”

Campaign coordinator Jiří Hofreitr said the collaboration was intended to bring younger people’s perspectives to an issue particularly relevant to men ages 15–40.

Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, a physician, welcomed the students’ use of humor to address a serious subject.

“A mustache is a beautiful symbol, but the real meaning of Movember is much more important: reminding men that courage sometimes means making a doctor’s appointment in time,” he said in the city’s announcement.

The student work will be presented alongside a new educational documentary at the Mayor’s Residence on Nov. 2, ahead of its use in schools.

The 26-minute documentary expands Mimo hru, a nationwide educational program that uses a patient’s story to explain testicular cancer to schoolchildren.

The project already includes a book and audiobook. Its new film is intended for teachers and school prevention specialists, with the program offered free to elementary and secondary schools.

Movember’s broader Czech campaign addresses prostate cancer, testicular cancer and associated mental health concerns. Its name combines “mustache” and “November,” reflecting the facial hair participants grow to start conversations and encourage donations.

For readers, the distinction between awareness and prevention matters: self-examination does not prevent testicular cancer. The U.S. National Cancer Institute says there is no standard routine screening test for the disease, although many cases are first noticed by men themselves. Earlier detection may allow less intensive treatment.

Prague City Hall’s participating employees will again raise funds alongside their mustache-growing efforts. According to the city, money collected through the Movember Foundation returns to the Czech foundation Muži proti rakovině to support its work.

Further information about the campaign, educational resources and ways to participate is available through the Czech Movember organizer’s website.