Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

The annual Slkno v Siete awards, recognizing the best in Slovak cinema were recently handed out. Ben Pascoe brings you interviews and sounds from the gala event.

Daffodil Day is one of the world’s most iconic and widely supported annual campaigns, raising both funds and awareness for cancer. In Slovakia, it is organised by the League Against Cancer and represents the country’s largest public fundraising initiative, promoting solidarity with cancer patients. This Thursday, April 16, volunteers wearing the signature yellow daffodils and carrying donation box...

Or Happy International Romani Day! 8 April, dubbed International Romani Day, has been around since 1990—but the story starts earlier. Back in 1971, Romani representatives from across Europe met near London for the first World Romani Congress—bridging divides, even with the Iron Curtain still in place. Since then, it’s been about language, identity, culture—and being heard. And right now, that voic...

REPRÍZA: In this show, we explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping education in Slovakia through the official AI in Education initiative (ai.iedu.sk). While AI tools are increasingly present in classrooms and at home, their use raises important questions about teaching practices, fairness, and the role of human educators. We speak with two experts: Miron Zelina, a psychologist and universi...

A father sets out on a journey across Slovakia, walking from Košice to Bratislava - not for sport, not for adventure, but to try fundraise money to help save his two-year-old son, William. The boy suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare and devastating disease, and the family is racing against time to access experimental gene treatment. This radio piece follows a father’s determination, l...

Ben Pascoe finds out about the Engerau camp that was located in Petrzalka at the end of the Second World War. This forgotten chapter of Bratislava's history was commemerated at the Petrzalka cemetary on the 26th of March.

What traditions are linked to Good Friday and Easter in Slovakia? Ethnographer Zora Mintálová Zubercová shares insights from her book "Annual Holidays and Customs", while music ethnologist Miroslava Záhumenská highlights the traditional sounds of Good Friday in the region.

On behalf of the World Autism Awareness Day which anually falls on April 2, we prepared a special feature dedicated to people with this diagnosis. This programme explores what it means to live with autism in Slovakia today. Despite growing awareness, many families still face limited support and challenges in everyday life. Our guests include special educator Eva Turáková, founder of a specialised...

As International Women’s History Month came to a close, events across Slovakia highlighted women’s contributions to society, from science and politics to art. In Trenčín, the Hviezda Cultural Centre hosted a four-day Women in Art Festival, featuring discussions, exhibitions, workshops, and performances. Our report features interviews with festival organizers, local artist Natália Okolicsányiová, a...

The annual RadioHead awards are handed out by RadioFM to recognize the best in Slovak alternative music. The 2025 edition was a celebration of the vibrant, thriving, Slovak music scene. Ben Pascoe brings you all the highlights from this year's gala evening.

Teacher’s Day has been celebrated in Slovakia and Czechia on 28 March since 1955, marking the birth anniversary of John Amos Comenius. To mark the occasion, we speak with Alena Rapčan Štrompová — winner of the Teacher Personality of Slovakia 2024 award — about her unconventional path into teaching, the state of education, and the status of teachers in society. A Slovak language and media education...

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

Radio Slovakia International is turning 33 at the end of March. Radio Prague is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Discussing their shared history is the Editor-in-Chief of Radio Prague, Klára Stejskalová. Radio journalists David Vaughan and Ingrid Slaninková will share their personal experiences of working in international broadcasting in former Czechoslovakia. At the end of the show, we...

Today’s show explores a new research project by historian Ladislav Vörös from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, titled National and political indifference? The understanding of nation and politics among the Slovak-speaking rural population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic under the Scholarship for Excellent Researchers. Hist...

On February 15th, Trenčín concluded its three-day European Capital of Culture opening ceremony — a milestone moment that transformed this historic Slovak city into a vibrant stage for contemporary and folk art, performance, and community celebration. Against the dramatic backdrop of Trenčín Castle, centuries of history met bold artistic vision, as public squares filled with light installations, mu...

Weronika Gogola moved from Poland to Slovakia more than a decade ago. Today she writes, translates and raises her family in Bratislava where she has become a local patriot. She sat down with Ben Pascoe to discuss why she chose Slovakia, what it is like being an author here and of course why she has become a local patriot.

Nearly one in ten women in Slovakia experienced psychological or physical violence in the past year. Although slightly below the global average, experts warn the real numbers are likely higher due to underreporting. This feature explores why gender-based violence persists, the factors behind it, and the support available in Slovakia, with insights from Zuzana Očenašová, psychologist and researcher...

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

Discover the poetry of Nóra Ružičková in English translation by Slovak literary scholar Ivana Hostová. How does a Slovak poet come to life in English through the voice of a fellow Slovak? This unique journey into translation and creativity is explored by the book’s editor, poet Michal Tallo, alongside translator Ivana Hostová, offering insights into the art of bringing poetry across languages. The...

In Thursday’s programme, we will focus on the latest research by the agency Intrum, presenting the results of the largest European survey on consumer payment behaviour, the European Consumer Payment Report 2025 (ECPR 2025). The survey was conducted in August 2025 and involved 20,000 consumers from 20 European countries, including 1,000 respondents from Slovakia. We will discuss the findings, consu...

Invasive species—ranging from plants and animals to insects—are a growing global threat, causing an estimated $400 billion in economic damage each year. Beyond the financial toll, they wreak havoc on native ecosystems, contributing to the decline of biodiversity and widespread agricultural losses. To better understand which invasive species have entered Slovakia, the extent of the damage they’ve c...

Former RSI team member, former head of AmCham and long time expat in Slovakia, Jake Sleger,s sits down with Ben Pascoe to discuss the state of Slovakia today and how things have changed over his 30 years here.

Can Gen Z become the generation that drives real change? That question framed the conference Generation of Change, organised by the Youth Council of Slovakia (RmS), which connects organisations working with young people across the country. The event also marked the closing of the international project We Are Here Together, implemented with the Ukrainian Youth Council. Focused on active citizenship...

A look back at the past week in Slovakia Today.

In 2026, Slovakia’s public broadcaster commemorates two major milestones: 100 years since the launch of radio broadcasting and 70 years since the start of television broadcasting in the territory of today’s Slovak Republic. To mark these anniversaries, RSI presents the special series 100 Years on the Air. The first episode, dedicated to the early days of radio broadcasting in Slovakia, was prepare...