Category Archives: Slovakia

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Slovakia: Romani School

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Slovakia: Romani School

According to the articles, many children from the Podtatra  Roma community speak exclusively Romanes at home. When they start school, they may therefore have a problem with understanding the Slovak language. This is already a false premise, Roma are dual language speakers from early on.

The pilot project in the village of Rakúsy aims to improve this situation thanks to the first national school, where teaching will also be in the Romani language. In the village, 74 percent of the over 2,000 inhabitants claim to be Roma. The most used language is Romanes.

Well, this will result in a segegrated school, whose standards will drop, and will contribute to further marginalisation.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Museum of Roma Culture

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Slovakia: Museum of Roma Culture

The Museum of Roma Culture in Slovakia has been actively involved in research, documentation and presentation of the rich cultural heritage of the Roma since 2004. “The exhibition will introduce visitors to the history of the museum and its predecessor – the Documentation Centre of Roma Culture, its development and professional activities, as well as the importance of preserving the cultural identity of the Roma through museum activities,” said Kiripolská.

The Exhibition is titled “Hin amen museum!” –[We have a museum].

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovenia: New Centre

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Slovenia: New Centre

In the Roma settlement of Dobruška Vas in the municipality of Škocjan, the new premises of the multi-purpose Roma centre, which also includes a kindergarten, were officially opened today. The centre was burned down in March this year, and the municipality decided to replace it with a new one. “Especially in the desire to help children,” said Mayor Jože Kapler.

According to the mayor, the new center is built out of three new containers that the municipality rented and remodeled. The municipality also provided water and electricity for the center, and built playgrounds next to it. The entire investment cost around 70,000 euros.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Interview

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Slovakia: Interview

An interviw with MP Viliam Tankó, who also represents Slovakia in boxing and, who in is own words says that had to live with my mother near a garbage dump. He also explains why he recently left the movement of Matovič who scored high within the Roma population in Slovakia. Since then, he worked as a non-affiliated member of parliament until, together with Michal Šimeček, he announced two weeks ago that he was joining the club of the strongest opposition party, Progresívne Slovensko.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

80 Years Ago

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80 Years Ago

80 years ago, the Nazis massacred 24 Roma in the settlement near Žiari nad Hronom. They herded people into houses and set them on fire.

Of all the men, women and children, only a 14-year-old girl was saved from death by fire. She managed to jump out of the window of the burning house and hide. After a few days, the locals took her to the hospital, but they were detained by a military patrol and the girl was shot on the spot, ethnologist Arne Mann describes the event.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma Settlements and Waste

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Roma Settlements and Waste

An article about the issue of waste from a Roma settlement in Slovakia (an ‘Osada’) which washes down in a water reservoir below. Of course, the blame is on Roma who dump garbage and more behind their houses.

But …

There is no garbage collection, there are no sewers, and in many of those settlements, there is no runnign water. Now, who’s to blame?

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and the Persecution of Roma

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Slovakia and the Persecution of Roma

An article about a book on the persecution and deportation of Roma during World War Two in Slovakia. It unfortunately centres on “nomadism” and puts a caravan as an image. That there had never been nomadic Roma in Slovakia is not mentioned.

So, with good ntentions, this cements stereotypes.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Culture

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The trio known as Rudeboys Radio, consisting of Otec Mirec, Spunkey and Romski, are known in club culture for their dynamic performances. In their sets, the guys combine several musical genres such as hip-hop, baile funk, R’n’B and house.

Father Mirec, Spunkey and Romski also told us about their DJ career, which brought them to the forefront of the club scene not only in Slovakia, but also abroad. They revealed their view of the current situation in Slovak culture, which has recently faced many challenges. They revealed how they perceive the change in atmosphere and control by the authorities, which often interfere with the freedom of the club scene.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Forced Sterilisations

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Romnja, who were sterilized in the past in present day Slovakia, are demanding compensation. This initiative has been going on for more than twenty years and is still not fulfilled. It is possible that, like other problems, society in Slovakia will “avoid” this issue. Promises will remain at the verbal level, but we will not receive real compensation.

Czechia introduced a law to compensate women a while back, but are still dragging their feet in actually compensating the victims.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Obituary

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Several articles in the Slovak press commemorate the singer L’jubo Virág who died at the age of 68.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Special Schools

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“Every teacher should teach at least one year at a special school. It will significantly affect his life both personally and professionally. It will acquire important values.” This is the advice for all teachers from the Slovak woman of the year 2021 in the field of education and the director of a unique school in Kežmark.

Unfortunately, this is a segegrated Roma school, and a pilot in Slovakia. This is not how integration is done.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia Obituary

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“Slovak singer, musician, composer and lyricist Ľubo Virág died yesterday,” reports Roma television TV Romana. The singer has been struggling with serious health problems for the last few years. Ernest Šarközi from Gypsy Devils sent him a message to heaven: “Ľubka, rest in peace.”

Te ovel o drom anda leste puterdo.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Roma Museum

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For the last twenty years, the Slovak National Museum in Martin has been dedicated to the second most numerous Slovak national minority through the Museum of Roma Culture in Slovakia.

A new exhibition “Hin amen museum! / We have a museum!” maps the activities of this specialized museum, which has been actively involved in research, documentation and presentation of the rich cultural heritage of the Roma since 2004.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Concert in Slovakia

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The Žilina State Chamber Orchestra led by conductor Adrian Kokoš, the Sendreiovci band and the Čerchenóra choir will meet on stage in the program Sláva Solovica: Roma Songs. This is a mix of classical music and Roma tunes and improvisations.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Extremism in Slovakia

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Extremist ideologies mostly consider Jews, Roma, liberals and LGBTI people to be enemies. This is highlighted in the Report on monitoring on the state of extremism in the Slovak Republic for the period of 2022 and 2023, which the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) of the Slovak Republic submitted to the interdepartmental comment procedure.

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Berlin Ake Dikhea Festival

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The successful Slovak series Iveta was among the selected film productions at the well-known international Roma festival Ake Dikhea?, which takes place every year in Berlin. This festival, which has been appealing to a wide international community for several years with its uniqueness and cultural significance, focuses on the presentation of Roma films that reflect the diverse stories, lives and perspectives of Roma around the world.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Poltics, and Roma

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Roma MP Viliam Tankó, a defector from Matovič’s Slovensko movement, joins the Progressive Slovakia parliamentary club. The progressives will thus have 33 deputies in the parliament. The leader of the progressives, Michal Šimečka, presented Tankó on the press as a “long-term sports representative of Slovakia in Olympic boxing”.This prompted discussions as to whether Matovič’s movement is merging with the progressive.

All politics …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Education and Minorities

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An article about the issue of seggregated schools versus the right to being taucht in one’s language. Background is the current drive by the Fico government to set up a school in Eastern Slovakia where teaching will be done in Romanes.

This is a false debate. All Roma who speak Romanes are dual language speakers. They speak the local language and Romanes. Desegregation is thus the key here, together with some courses about Romanes. Segregation and Romanes only schools will certainly no solve any issue.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovak R&B

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On her debut album, Slovak R&B and pop singer Erika Rein teamed up with producer Jonatan Pastirčák (Isama Zing, Pjoni). The Kamibe album features thirteen songs in three languages ​​– English, Roanes and Slovak – and combines experimentation with global pop, soul or R&B. The release of the album Kamibe introduces the single Toxic on 9/13, the entire collection is then released on Friday 27 September in cooperation with the labels Full Moon Forum and Ruka Hore.

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