Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

The Chair of the Board of the Slovak Arts Council Dusan Buran explains the situation in Slovak Arts Council shortly before the last chance for the board to convene and decide on distributing financial means to cultural projects of non-state-run entities all across the country. Interview with Sona Gyarfasova, the author of a book collecting stories of political prisoners who suffered during both to...

Trenčín, a charming city in Western Slovakia, is gearing up to become the European Capital of Culture in 2026. However, planners have identified a significant gap in participation among residents of different generations. To bridge this divide and ensure that every voice is represented, the 2026 team launched an innovative initiative called Generácie spolu (Generations Together). RSI visited Trenč...

Ben Pascoe visits local mushroom farm Drz Hubu and talks with founders Juraj and Veronika about growing mushrooms and some of the suprising facts and uses of mushrooms today.

Latest data from Intrum survey about spending in Slovakia shows, that Slovaks are among the top 5 countries ranking the highest in excessive impulse spending. This problem gets even more severe with the upcoming Christmas holidays. We will shine a light on this topic, including expert opinions from the sociology institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Intrum research agency and economy analyst.

Sunday Music Selection: Meky Žbirka.

News overview. Tribute to Eva Mosnáková. Christmas charity bazaar.

Week in review: In our Friday newstalk show, we discuss the biggest headlines of the week.

Slovak Oscar nominee for the year 2024 is "The Hungarian dressmaker". At its screening in Hungarian capital Budapest, Martina Šimkovičová Greňová talked to Alexandra Borbély, a Slovak-Hungarian actress in leading role. Regular Thursday culture news have always included tips suitable for all English speakers. Get ready for James Judd inviting to two concerts he is going to conduct at Slovak Philhar...

In this edition of the Slovakia Today programme, we introduce Professor Martin Javor in the interview about the Kasigarda Museum of Slovak Immigration to North America. Želmíra Beková-Kucharovic shares her experience with living in New York as a Slovak expat for more than fifty years. Our colleague Zuzana Botiková interviewes His Excellency, Swiss Ambassador Peter Nelson, and Denise Duran, Head of...

Ben Pascoe visited the Error Theatre festival and talked with organizers and participants about what homeless theatre is and how it can be very helpful to an ever growing part of society.

The problem of lack and unaffordability of housing, especially for young people, has grown in Slovakia in recent years. According to statistics, Slovakia is one of the five countries in Europe where young people leave their parents' homes at the latest. In this Monday's show, we will talk about this problem with several experts -- about its causes, possible solutions, and also about visions for th...

Sunday Music Selection: Saint Nicholas' Day

News overview: Parliament debates the state budget while coalition has difficulties voting for laws because of tight majority. School staff protest while healthcare workers started to leave abroad while talks with Health Minister still unssuccesful. Prime Minister accepts the invitation by Vladimir Putin to Moscow. Interview with Peter Kerekes, Slovak documentary filmmaker.

Ben and Patka discuss the past week and look ahead.

First, we’ll chat with Jakub Drbul, fresh from his inspiring experience at the World InterUniversities Championships in Rome. Next, the Editor-in-Chief of Slovenské Pohľady will share exciting insights into the magazine’s future vision. Finally, we’ll meet Daria Kimuli, whose incredible work is changing the lives of children in Kenya.

Public education in Slovakia has become stagnant in recent years. High school graduation rates have remained low as compared with other OECD countries. As well, Slovakia's performance in the international PISA exam has steadily deteriorated over the past 15 years. To remedy these issues, the Ministry of Education has rolled out a series of reforms. However, some are taking matters in their own han...

Ben Pascoe reports from the 17th Biela Vrana (White Crow) awards which recognize courageous civil actions in Slovakia.

In this Monday show, Patka is going to talk to the general director and headmaster of the newly opened high school Skyro, that is the first one in Europe focused on AI technologies. You are also going to hear an opinion of experts from Národný inštitút vzdelávania a mládeže about incorporating the AI into the education as we know it.

Sunday Music Selection: Music with environmenta and social impact on the occasion of the 'International Vegetarian Day’.

News overview. Zuzana Wienk about Biela vrana Award. Interview: Patrícia Klamárová, cancer awareness campaigns in Slovakia.

Ben Pascoe recaps the past week and looks ahead to what is happening around Slovakia. This week we prepare for winter by dicussing Christmas markets and skiing.

In this Thursdays show, we will dive into discussions with publishing house Matica slovenská as they reveal the behind-the-scenes of their work and share their thoughts on participating in the prestigious Bibliotéka book fair. We’ll uncover what drives them to attend, their expectations and ambitions tied to the event, and how such gatherings influence their work and interactions with readers. Thi...

In this episode of the Slovakia Today programme, we bring you an interview with Aneta Bolvanová from Secondary Vocational School of Pedagogy and Social Sciences in Košice about education of Romani elementary and high school students. Next is Maroš Brojo, the executive director of the Slovak Game Developers Association, about Slovak video game industry, its evolution and future perspectives.

Ben Pascoe talks with best selling Slovak author Jozef Banas, about the Slovak book market and about his series of inspirational books about Slovak heroes from the past. This time we discuss Aurel Stodola and Milan Rastislav Stefanik.

In this Monday show, Patka is going to talk to Monika Prikkelová, dance teacher at Mondance dance school but most importantly, she is the pioneer of dance style called voguing and ballroom culture in Slovakia.