Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

Ben Pascoe looks into modern Slovak Christmas traditions and how western culutre is influencing Slovak Christmas. He sits down with pop culutre theorist Juraj Malicek for a different point of view of local traditions.

Ježiško 999 99. This is an address that has been known to both kids and adults in Slovakia for decades, more specifically, for 26 years. Slovak Post annually receives thousands of letters from all around Slovakia and even the world from children, who are reaching Ježiško with their biggest Christmas wishes.

News overview. Topic: Accessible Christmas. We present a charitable project that provides Christmas Eve dinners to those who cannot afford it and we look back at the production of a fairy tale in Slovak sign language that will be aired by Slovak Television during the Christmas holidays.

Ben and Patka discuss Slovak Christmas and look ahead at events taking place between the holidays.

Martina Šimkovičová Greňová talks to Professor Katarina Gephardt about the compendium "Home and the World in Slovak Literature. The Literature of a Small Nation in Context". The promoter of Slovak literature in English translation, Julia Sherwood, provides information about the Slovak authors included in the 2024 Seagull's Books catalogue and answers the question of how the situation of publishing...

The festive season is upon us, and preparations for the Christmas holidays are in full swing. This year, Radio Slovakia International invited students to write Christmas-themed stories and reflections for our broadcast. We are delighted to present, through the English service of the national public broadcaster, the creative works of talented students from the Bilingual Grammar School on Konštantín...

Ben Pascoe looks at the situation with Mental Health in Slovakia today. His guest are League for Mental Health in Slovakia Executive Director, Andrej Vrsansky and Co-founder and Director of Calma Mental Health Clinic, Andrej Glezl. (Rerun)

In this Monday show, Patka is going to walk you through two topics. Recent survey by research company NMS showed that over a quarter of Slovaks have faced sexual harassment in public transport. In the second part of the show we re going to talk about how tourism in Slovakia can be more ecological and sustainable.

News overview. Slovak Culture Torch protest series: A report by Jeremy Hill. Women in Science Pt. 3: Computer scientist Mária Bieliková. Ski season in Slovakia. Spending of Slovak consumers.

Ben and Patka have a special show dedicated to giving you all the info you need about winter sports in Slovakia today. They also look back at the past week and ahead at some events that might interest you.

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.

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...

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.