Ben Pascoe speaks with Fero Sebej about Slovakia at 30. (3.1.2023 16:00)

What does humanitarian aid really mean, and who are the people behind it? On World Humanitarian Day, we look at the different forms humanitarian work can take – from helping people affected by war and natural disasters to supporting children and vulnerable communities. The programme features among others Stanislav Bielik, Director of ADRA Slovakia; Dominika Gablíková, Head of International Humanitarian and Development Programmes at Caritas Slovakia; Zuzana Chudobová, Chair of the Board of the Slovak Foundation for UNICEF; and Katarína Barošová, Communications Manager at People in Need Slovakia.

The first Vietnamese migrants began arriving in what was then Czechoslovakia nearly seventy years ago. Today, around 10,000 Vietnamese people live in Slovakia, yet their journey toward recognition as an established and valued part of Slovak society has been a long one. One group working to strengthen that recognition is Vietnamske Korene, or Vietnamese Roots. Led largely by members of the second generation, the organization created Vietnam Day—a festival celebrating Vietnamese culture and the ties between Vietnamese and Slovak communities. In this program, we visit this year’s festival to meet organizers, participants, and attendees and explore how the event is introducing Vietnamese culture to a wider Slovak audience, building bridges between communities, and bringing together generations of Vietnamese living in Slovakia.

In September, Bratislava region will host Shalom Chaverim, the 3rd edition of the Jewish Cultural Festival. Concerts, exhibits, events and even a festival celebrating the traditional Slovak Jewish cuisine will be held from the 2nd to the 9th of September in Bratislava, Cunovo, Senec and Svaty Jur. Today we will talk to talk with one of the organizers Petra Barkanyi, Rabbi David Adri and Samo Alexander from the Pressburger Klezmer band.

The third edition of our summer series HerStories from the Capital: Remarkable Women of Bratislava shines a light on three extraordinary women whose lives were shaped by courage, creativity and a deep connection to Bratislava. Together with Bratislava tour guides Ľubomíra Černáková and Katarína Blšták Čatlošová, we meet Hana Gregorová, one of Slovakia’s earliest and most outspoken advocates of women’s rights and education; Alžbeta Güntherová-Mayerová, a pioneering art historian who helped preserve Slovakia’s cultural heritage; and Beatrix “Trixi” Čelková, an anti-fascist resistance fighter whose courageous work in Bratislava contributed to the Allied bombing of the Apollo refinery during the Second World War. In the latest colourful episode of Slovak Sound Check, we explore the names of common colours and learn how to describe different shades.

Weekly digest of the news and features aired on Radio Slovakia International. Patrícia Lucia Balajová takes listeners on a journey through the House of the Albrechts and Romer House in Bratislava, Patrícia Polakovičová explores the Slovak Central Bank's take on crypto assets and Veronika Ščepanová is introducing fruit vocabulary in another part of the Slovak Sound Check series.

In this interview, conducted on the occasion of the centenary of radio broadcasting in what is now Slovakia, former RSI English Section member Warren Turner brings to life his memories of the station. As part of our tips on Slovak culture for foreigners living in or visiting Slovakia, P. M. Bohúň Gallery director Richard Gregor invites you to a unique exhibition tracing the development of tapestry in Slovakia throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. And there are several more tips waiting for you too!