Advertise on podcast: Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

On 29 September, Slovak author Vladimír Rosenfeld, who lives in Hawaii, was a special guest at the Slovak premiere of "Life or Film", a documentary about acclaimed Slovak film director Dušan Hanák. Rosenfeld became known for his role in Hanák’s feature-film debut, 322, which was voted the Slovak film of the 20th century. The expat is now touring several Slovak cities, presenting his new book for children, as well as a new collection of poems by his late wife, Oľga Urminská. Poet Ľubomír Feldek celebrates his 90th birthday at the Slovak National Theatre, while the Swedish Royal Opera has reintroduced Slovak director Sláva Daubnerová’s take on Lars von Trier’s "Melancholia". These and more culture tips feature at the end of this Friday’s show.

Can sunlight be brought back after sunset? In the first part of the programme, Patrícia Polakovičová speaks with Miroslav Kocifaj from the Slovak Academy of Sciences about plans to use orbital mirrors to reflect sunlight back to Earth and their possible impact on the night sky and light pollution. In the second part, we are going to conclude the short series on the Year of St. Francis of Assisi.

Today, we bring you stories of connection across generations and borders. We revisit the story of Kristína Holecová, whose simple act of kindness towards an elderly man at Vienna Airport grew into an unexpected friendship and a journey to India. And in the Slovakia Through My Eyes series, we explore the growing interest among Americans of Slovak descent in tracing their Slovak roots, from family history to reconnecting with Slovakia.

Ben Pascoe sits down with pundit, translator and author Samo Marec to discuss the State of Slovakia Today.

Jozef Sabovčík, the two-time European champion and 1984 Olympic bronze medallist known as “Jumping Joe,” was inducted into the Slovak Figure Skating Hall of Fame during the ISU CS 34th Nepela Memorial, held in Bratislava from 24–27 September 2026. In an exclusive interview, Sabovčík looks back on his Olympic bronze in Sarajevo, his historic quadruple toe loop, his years as a professional skater, his iconic backflip and his role in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic opening ceremony. He also talks about his transition to coaching, his connection to the next generation of skaters and what it means to have his career recognized with a place in the Hall of Fame. In this episode of Slovak Sound Check, we explore how Slovak modal verbs work with infinitives and learn how to express wanting, needing, being able to, being allowed to and being supposed to do something.

A look back at the past week in Slovakia and on RSI.

On 3 October 2021, exactly five years ago, Anca Monica Dragu, an iconic producer of RSI’s English section, passed away. On the occasion of the centenary of radio broadcasting in what is now Slovakia, and the 90th anniversary of the national public radio’s shortwave broadcasts, let us run once again the tribute Martina Greňová Šimkovičová produced in her memory. At the end, a few culture tips.

Why should we care about deforestation in a vast African country like Cameroon? We may think that, as people living as far away as Slovakia, there is little we can do to influence what is happening there. But the opposite is true, and change has to start with each of us. One such individual is 21-year-old Jozef Adámek, who decided to leave academic life behind and take the fate of our planet into his own hands. in today’s programme, you will find out why Jozef decided to travel to Cameroon, hear about some of his remarkable achievements, and learn why he believes it is more important than ever to protect the natural world.

Interviews with Kristína Gendová Ružíková and Marion Jansen of the OECD at Agrokomplex 2026. These were originally broadcast by Andrej Ševčenko.

Ben Pascoe talks with Mária Modrovichová one of the organizers of the literary festival NovoTvar which brings literarture and poetry from around the world to Bratislava.

Every September, the President of the European Commission delivers the State of the Union (SOTEU) address to the European Parliament, outlining the EU’s main challenges, priorities and initiatives for the year ahead. Following this year’s address, we spoke with Peter Stano, Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, about what the SOTEU means beyond Brussels — also for a smaller Member State such as Slovakia. We discussed the EU’s competitiveness and the push to reduce bureaucracy, climate resilience and opportunities for Slovak innovators, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, as well as Europe’s changing security environment. We also looked at the EU’s proposed closer partnership with Canada and what it could mean for Slovak businesses and the country more broadly. With the new academic year underway, the latest episode introduces useful Slovak vocabulary related to student life to help you navigate the Slovak university environment.

In local and regional elections in Slovakia, foreign nationals with residence permits can vote. As a build-up to these elections, slated for 24 October 2026, Ben Pascoe met with some of the candidates running for mayor of the Slovak capital, Bratislava. Patrícia Polakovičová introduces a new musical project bringing together one of Slovakia’s most prominent poets, Ivan Štrpka, and the jazz musicians of Altar Quartet. Veronika Ščepánová marks the 280th anniversary of the birth of Móric Beňovský, a glamorous 18th-century soldier, traveller and author.

On Thursday, 24 September, Slovak cinemas welcomed "For Love", the latest feature film by acclaimed director Marko Škop. The filmmaker, who won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival for "Eva Nová", returns with his third feature film — and the final chapter of his trilogy exploring relationships between parents and children. Culture tips invite to JUNIOR DIZAJN FEST 2026, festival tRADOVANIE or INTERNATIONAL GLASS SYMPOSIUM RONA 2026 among others.

In her show, Patrícia Polakovičová introduces a new album bringing together renowned Slovak poet Ivan Štrpka and Altar Quartet. She also looks back at the 36th Days of ÚĽUV Craftsmen in Bratislava, which this year highlighted wirecraft, its history and its place on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Although the topic of Roma education has resonated in debates for many years, little attention is paid to the key actors in education – teachers. in this episode we are going to take a closer look at the conditions and struggles the teachers have to face in the marginalized communities in Slovakia and last but not least, their well-being as the SAV project tells us. We are going to be talking to the representatives from Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences in Košice who conducted the project and the director of desegregated elementary school Alma in Zvolen.