Claim OwnershipSlovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio
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Listeners' Tribune. Music.sk: Since many countries in Central Europe celebrate Arbor Day on October 20, a day that encourages individuals and communities to plant trees, today's music is dedicated to songs in which trees take the leading role.
We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.
On Tuesday, 14 October, Michal Kaščák, director of the Pohoda Festival, announced the first headliner for the 30th edition of Slovakia’s largest summer multigenre event. For the first time ever, Gorillaz will perform at Pohoda, marking the strongest booking in the festival’s history.
In 2025, the Slovak band Tolstoys performed at the festival in July and spoke to RSI about their experience at Glastonbury—the largest summer multigenre festival in Europe.
This week’s culture tips include an invitation to the International Documentary Film Festival One World, as well as screenings of Slovak films in Brazil, among other events.
A tribute to Slovakia’s golden voice — in life, in legend, and now on the big screen. As excitement builds around the new film about Karol Duchoň, we bring you the story of one of Slovakia’s most beloved singers — a powerful voice and gentle soul who touched generations. Through rare archival recordings, new film interviews, and heartfelt memories from those who knew him best, this special traces Duchoň’s meteoric rise, his private struggles, and the timeless legacy now revived for a new generation. Featuring voices from film director Peter Bebjak, actor Vladimír Plevčík, lyricist Ľuboš Zeman, longtime collaborators Marcela Laiferová and Pavol Hammel, his first wife Elena Duchoňová, Karol Duchoň himself – and more.
In this episode of Slovak Sound Check, we break down the most essential Slovak courtesy phrases and show you how to use them in everyday situations.
Three years after the start of the war in Ukraine, the flow of refugees to Slovakia has slowed, and many volunteer groups that once mobilized have scaled back. Yet, the needs of Ukrainians—both at home and abroad—remain immense. In this episode, we travel to the village of Moravské Lieskové, where local volunteers with the NGO Žito v Sypke hosted a weekend fundraiser to collect essential aid, including a newly outfitted ambulance for the front lines. We speak with the organizers and volunteers behind the effort to understand what drives them to continue their work, and we ask the question at the heart of their mission: What does Ukraine need most?
Ben Pascoe attended the Eset Slovak Scientist of the Year awards held recently in Bratislava. He brings you interviews with founders, jury members, Slovak scientists and even a former president, as well info on many of the great scientists in Slovakia today.
In this round of Mysterious Slovakia, we travel to Košice, home to the St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral — the largest church in Slovakia and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. Beyond its treasures and relics, the cathedral hides a dramatic story: the legend and legacy of the Urban Bell.
Then, we celebrate the 20th episode of Slovak Sound Check — with reflections, recaps, and a look at how far our learners Sean and Lubna have come on their Slovak language journey.
Sunday music, letters from listeners and the newest edition of our series "Window to the world"
We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.
In this part of our series about names in the Slovak calendar, we’re once again catching up with Natália Hejková, the world-famous basketball coach from Slovakia, while playing the song Natália by Robo Opatovský. In Culture Tips, we’ll tell you about events happening in Banská Štiavnica, Trenčín, Žilina, and other great spots.
Wolves in Slovakia have a complex and often turbulent history. Once widely persecuted, these wild canines were relentlessly hunted and driven into the remote valleys of the country’s east. However, Slovakia’s accession to the EU brought stronger conservation policies, allowing wolf populations to make a remarkable comeback.
Now, a new wave of fear and controversy threatens their future—not just in Slovakia, but across the EU. To explore the wolf’s history, biology, and the resurgence of hunting quotas, RSI spoke with zoologist Jeruš Tesák, Slovak Wildlife Society director Robin Rigg, and Slovak European Parliament member Michal Wiezik.
Today, we explore eco-friendly farming across Slovakia. First, we visit Ovosad Farm in Myjava, where sustainable farming practices are shaping a greener future. Then, we head to Moravské Lieskové to learn about hazelnut farming and its role in the local economy and environment. Next, we check out a prototype electromobile designed to assist farmers in vineyards, reducing emissions and soil disruption. Finally, we travel to Kráľová pri Senci to discover rare beehives and the efforts to preserve pollinators and biodiversity.
Fjuzn festival’s konektiv concert evening brings together Slovak and foreign musicians living in Slovakia to make a special concert. Ben Pascoe talked with the organizers and musicians at this year’s edition, which was part of the 20th year of this unique multi-genre festival whose slogan this year was “dare to get to know the world we have at home.”
RERUN: Anna Podmanická (19) and Tomáš Čermák (18) are two talented young scientists and global winners of the prestigious Earth Prize 2025. We delve into their innovative project PURA – a groundbreaking approach to water purification. The conversation explores the limitations of current purification methods, particularly the failure of the quaternary phase to remove antibiotic residues, a major contributor to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Anna and Tomáš explain how PURA combines photocatalysis and cold plasma technology to provide an effective and sustainable solution to this urgent global issue.
The 8th episode of Slovak Sound Check focuses on the essential verb byť – to be.
This Sunday on RSI, we reveal the winner of the eighth round of our Mysterious Slovakia competition and launch round nine — dedicated to the unique Urban Bell of the Urban Tower, the belfry of St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral in Košice. And in celebration of World Teachers’ Day, our music segment brings you a special selection of school-themed songs!
We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.
Professor Anne Tomiche of Sorbonne University in Paris was the keynote speaker at an international symposium exploring various aspects of the norms and transgressions of masculinities in Central Europe — from the 19th century to the present day. Martina Greňová Šimkovičová also spoke with Ivana Taranenková, head of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and Václav Smyčka of Charles University in Prague. The program includes a brief tribute to Anca Monica Dragu, a longtime member of the RSI English section, who passed away on October 3rd, 2021. This week’s culture tips feature: an invitation to Roman Ondák’s solo exhibition in New York, the shared Visegrad Stage at the Budapest International Book Festival, and the Bratislava in Movement, the International Festival of Contemporary Dance — among others.
In an interview from 2024 Ben Pascoe talks with cellist and festival organizer Jozef Luptak about that years Konvergencie Festival as well as the past, future and current state of Chamber music. (repeat)
In this episode we travel to the rolling hills south of Zvolen for the fourth edition of the Hurá Von Festival, where educators and lecturers from across Slovakia gathered to celebrate the power of outdoor learning. From workshops on emotional hygiene, apitherapy, and sensory-motor skills to thoughtful discussions on youth mental health, the festival highlights how time in nature can nurture both mind and body. Listeners will hear firsthand from organizers, lecturers, and a special guest researcher from Canada who are rethinking how children play, learn, and grow.
Ben Pascoe visits the pop-up teahouse at Research lab, an experimental space where diverse intersect and they attempt to develop at holistic approach to the co-evolution of human consciousness and AI. He talks with founders/organizers Roman Pii Wagner, Peter Kašpar, and Andrea Kutlikova about AI, community building, keeping young people at home and doing business in Slovakia today.
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