Category Archives: Slovakia

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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Slovakia and Culture

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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Slovakia and Forced Sterilisations

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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Slovakia: Obituary

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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Slovakia: Special Schools

“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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Slovakia Obituary

“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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Slovakia: Roma Museum

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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Concert in Slovakia

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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Extremism in Slovakia

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.

Germany News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovakia

Berlin Ake Dikhea Festival

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Berlin Ake Dikhea Festival

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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Slovakia, Poltics, and Roma

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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Education and Minorities

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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Slovak R&B

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.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Politics, and Vulgarity

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Slovakia, Politics, and Vulgarity

Rudolf Huliak was responsible for a recent vulgar incident that outraged a large number of Slovaks. At Wednesday’s (September 25) session of the parliament, the vice-chairman of the National Council, Andrej Danek (SNS), was bothered by the fact that deputy Lucia Plaváková (PS) had stickers on her computer. He was bothered by the fact that these were stickers with an LGBTI motif. Plaváková did not respond to calls to remove them and objected that she did not violate the rules of procedure.

Danko kicked her out of the hall. Huliak subsequently called Plaváková a “bitch who he does not consider a woman” at a press conference.

He also took the opportunity to insult Roma …

Slovakia

Slovakia and Discrimination

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Slovakia and Discrimination

Another article about Roma being refused services in a café. The cafe in the Mlyny shopping center in Nitra made a very bad headline a few days ago. A video on social networks captured the discrimination “live”. The author of the video was Marcel, whom the waitress refused to serve because he is Rom.

He came to the cafe with his friends, but they refused to let them in and order. As the waitress also said on camera, Roma are not allowed to enter the cafe because they “shout and don’t pay”.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia Ukraine

Babyn Yar

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Babyn Yar

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commemorated the 83rd anniversary of the massacre of more than 30,000 Jews by the Nazis and their Ukrainian collaborators in the Babyn Jar gorge near Kyiv in 1941.

“Babyn Jar is a terrifying symbol that shows that the most heinous crimes occur when the world chooses to ignore, remain silent, be indifferent and lacks the determination to stand up to evil,” Zelensky, who is of Jewish descent himself, said on the X social network.

According to official data, 100,000 – 150,000 people were killed in the Babyn Jar gorge in 1941 and 1942 during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine. The primany targets were Jews and Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Roma Culture

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Slovakia and Roma Culture

The Documentation and Information Center of Roma Culture (DICRK) of the State Science Library (ŠVK) in Prešov has made available an extended virtual gallery of Roma fine art. Visitors can meet 40 personalities from the fields of literature, visual arts, film and music. The resources can be accessed via mobile phone, tablet or computer.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Racism

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Slovakia and Racism

In Nitra, Slovakia, a group of young Roma, including a well-known activist and athlete, experienced being refused entry to a cafe just because they are Roma. One of the men shared his experience on social media, detailing what happened, adding videos and later a photo of another encounter.

When they arrived at the cafe, the waitress warned them that Roma were not allowed to enter. The young man expressed his shock and disappointment at this approach. He stated that he did not understand why all Roma should be judged by the behavior of a few individuals.

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