An article in the Slovak press about successful and rich Roma (they say there are more and more of them) and their lavish Christmas celebrations.
More than 80 Roma from Žarnovica and its surroundings took part in infoseminars aimed at starting their own business. The Black and White civic association organized these free seminars for Roma people interested in starting an independent business in the region.
“In total, we conducted 12 seminars on the topics: Legal forms of business (starting/restarting your own business), Economic aspects of business and Basics of marketing for small entrepreneurs. 84 interested people took part in these, a quarter of them were women, which makes us very happy.” said Andrej Kováč, chairman of the civic association.
An interview with a Czech activist living in Slovakia. She speaks about the prejudices that Roma are facing there. About stereotypes, she says:
“That Roma don’t want to work, they are just a burden and if they wanted to, they would get out of that situation right away. That’s a narrative I don’t agree with because social problems can’t be solved quickly. And people feel that it is everyone’s personal fault when they live in poverty. But often it may not be the fault of the person and his family, but the fault of the system. Especially if a person is already born into generational poverty and is not to blame.”
Another article about the 500 Euro promise made by O’lano and Roma. The articles in the Slovak press are pretty unanimous: Without this promise, the party would not have made it above the 5% threshold. It is now very convenient that a Roma organisation is suing this party for false promises.
Effectively, the narrative is that all Roma votes have been bought. While in some places this may hav been the case, it still needs to b proven…
Members of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic for the Slovakia movement Peter Pollák Jr., Lukáš Bužo and MEP Peter Pollák Sr. reject the accusations of the Union of Roma in Slovakia that they deceived the Roma before the elections in connection with a 500-euro allowance for participating in the elections.
Former president Andrej Kiska launched a new philanthropic project called ROMADE, which aims to provide permanent work and income to Roma men and women, but also to be inspired by their culture and traditions.
The OĽaNO party promised in its Agreement with Slovakia that “we will pay a reward of 500 euros in cash to all honest people who come to vote on September 30, 2023”. This is how the representatives of the Pačivale Roma movement also presented it at pre-election meetings in the settlements, and people flocked to them.
According to the article, the prospect of a financial reward for participating in the elections was a very strong. So strong that in many settlements they voted en masse for OĽaNO. In some of them, they even got up to 90 percent of the votes.
Well, this is not proven, but the Union of Roma in Slovakia, as this was not paid, therefore filed a criminal complaint against Igor Matovič and the Pollákovs last week.
The Union of Roma in Slovakia filed a criminal complaint in connection with a 500-euro payment promised for voting for Matovič and Pollák party. According to the chairman of the civic association František Tanko, Roma were deceived.
“These days, a number of residents of Roma settlements contacted us with a problem that is a consequence of the promises of Matovič and the Pollák family of deputies. It is a promise that if they vote for them in the elections, they will receive 500 euros. People who believed them borrowed money from loan sharks and are now in big personal trouble. Matovič and the Pollákovs grossly deliberately deceived and abused the poor Roma. They knew that they could not accurately understand their misleading promises and that they would get their votes in the vision of quick and easy funding,” said Tanko.
Slovakia has not yet made a commitment to protect the right to housing and end homelessness. In addition, the report states that “a disproportionate number of Roma in Slovakia still live in segregated, environmentally dangerous dwellings with insufficient access to water, sanitation and electricity in 2023.
The world’s first complete Bible in the Romani Carpathian dialect was presented on Sunday in Sabinov, Slovakia. Dozens of people worked on the translation for a total of 15 years. TASR was informed about this by Patrik Sýkora from The Word For The World organization.
An article in the Slovak press that says more than it intends: A Romani grandmother saved a new-born in a Roma settlement in Slovakia, even though she has not medical education. Fact is, if you live in a Roma settlement in Slovakia, you can write off health case, and no doctor or ambulance will go there.
Director Peter Záchenský made a documentary on the small village Bôrka, about 20 km from Rožňava (Slovakia). Similar to elsewhere – Slovaks, Hungarians, Roma together on a small piece of land, mostly out of work. He explores and portrays the situation from several angles.
When a Rom complains about police’s actions, the truth is difficult to uncover. In Slovakia, the police need not fear any punishment, according to Amnesty International director Rado Sloboda.
He went to a regular work dinner but ended up in handcuffs at the police station. He claims that they pressed his head against a table, beat him and kicked him. Roma activist Zoltán Sztojka draws attention to an incident at the regional police department in Trnávka, Bratislava, where, according to his own words, he was beaten. He talks about slaps, kicks and racist insults.
The former and fourth president of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Kiska, presented a fashion brand in Bratislava that changes the lives of Roma. The unique ROMADE project was created with the aim of systematically helping people from Roma communities in Slovakia. It provides them with permanent employment, regular income and professional advice. The ROMADE fashion brand is represented by original collections that were created by combining Roma culture, the talent of Slovak designers and the work of Roma.
A positive article in the Slovak press on the Roam Spirit awards. For the fifteenth time, the Roma Spirit awards were given to those who participate in improving the lives of Roma men and women and coexistence in Slovakia.
The 2023 Roma Spirit award nominated its laureates on Saturday (November 25) evening. They were announced at the National Theater in Košice. The prize was awarded by an expert jury in eight categories.
Šukar Dživipen from Banská Štiavnica won in the NGO category.
Zdravé regióny – a state organization won in the category Company and employer.
The city district of Košice – Luník IX won in the the Town and City category.
Paulína Slepčíková from Košice won in the in the Personality category.
The project Stories without Borders won in the Media category.
Barbora Botošová from Bratislava won the award in the Culture category.
Natália Gažiová from Košice won the Act of the Year category.
The special prize of the jury was awarded in memoriam to Daniela Hivešová Šilanova, a Slovak writer, dramaturg and screenwriter, co-founder of Romathan Roma Theatre.
The director of the Filakovo school is a finalist in Roma Spirit. Ildikó Kotlárová, a Romni, has been working in education for 36 years. “When pupils see that the principal is a Roma woman, it can inspire and motivate them,” she says.
Folklorist, civic activist and community worker Marie Oláhová, sociologist Zuzana Kusá and mayor of Toporec Gustáv Pompa won the Luč z tmy (Ray of Darkness) award this year. The prize was awarded for the sixth time to people who have long been advocating for the improvement of the position of the Roma in various areas of life.
The Roma spirit finalists are announced. The Roma Spirit prizes are given to organisations and individuals who have contributed to the integration of Roma.
Among them are, for example, the non-governmental organizations Detstvo deťom from Dobšina, Šukar Dživipen from Banská Štiavnica and Spokojnost – a center of social services from Prievidza. The gala evening with the awards will be on November 25.
An editorial on the newly published government program on education. In the case of Roma, the government “hid” the entire extensive topic of their inclusion in education under the concept of generational poverty. According to the editorial, this is the proof that the current government is not sincerely interested in solving the inclusion of Roma on a human rights and respectful approach.
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