Throughout the year, the team at the English section of Radio Slovakia International, Slovakia’s national broadcaster, reported on these and many other events. In this two-part special program, “Year in Slovakia” , we highlight some of the stories that made headlines, as well as lesser-known events that carry significant importance for the country. In the first part of “Year in Slovakia” , we bring you the stories that captured the spotlight:
2024: PART I – Assassination attempt, 20 years in EU, SNP 80
It was in broad daylight when Mr Fico, surrounded by a crowd of supporters in Handlová, was shot at close range. The gunman fired five times, hitting the prime minister in the stomach and arm. Several Slovak politicians called the shooting an “attack on democracy”. On May 1st, Slovaks commemorated the 20th anniversary of the country's accession to the European Union, alongside nine other countries. To mark the occasion, RSI aired a 27-part series providing insights into each EU member state. In 2024, the country also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Slovak National Uprising with RSI running a competition series celebrating this historical milestone with listeners.
2024 PART I Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
2024: PART II – Elections
In 2024, the citizens of the Slovak Republic voted for their new president and elected representatives to the European Parliament. In the presidential elections held in March and April, Peter Pellegrini defeated Ivan Korčok. Pellegrini, while the opposition party Progresívne Slovensko won the European Parliament elections, followed by the SMER-SD coalition in second place. RSI provided commentary and analysis on the results.
2024 PART II Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
2024: PART III – Importance of public service
The abolition of license fees for the public broadcaster, the dismissal of top managers from prominent Slovak cultural institutions, the disruption of grant schemes for the audiovisual industry and independent cultural organizations, and two petitions—each with 200,000 signatures—calling for the resignation of the Culture Minister and the Ministry's Chief of Staff. In short, this was 2024 for culture in Slovakia.
According to a survey by the independent daily Denník N , the most significant cultural event was the resistance of cultural workers to the measures imposed by the Culture Ministry. As Radio Slovakia International is part of the national public broadcaster, the most defining moment of the year for us was the first-ever strike by employees of the national public broadcaster. On June 13, 2024, both radio and television united to air programs dedicated to explaining the importance of public service in society.
Now, let’s revisit this remarkable day through a program from the English section of the public Foreign Service.
2024 showed importance of public service media Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
2024 PART IV – environment and culture
In this week’s Saturday Special, we’ll take a closer look at some of the key events and stories that resonated throughout 2024, as featured in the programming of the English section of RSI, the public broadcaster’s foreign service.
We begin with the compelling story of a natural disaster, brought to you by Jeremy Hill.
Next, Martin Bednarik examined the societal atmosphere two years after the 2022 terrorist attack in Bratislava that claimed two people’s lives.
The music break is featuring the Slovak band Tolstoys who achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Slovak band to play at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival. However, their planned concert at the Pohoda Festival was canceled due to severe weather conditions in mid-July.
Also in mid-July, Slovakia mourned the loss of one of its theatre icons, Blaho Uhlár, who passed away at the age of 72.
In 2024, Slovakia marked the 80th anniversary of the deportation of Jews from Košice and the victims of the Arrow Cross. Radio Slovakia International featured an insightful interview with Veronika Szeghy-Gayer from the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The discussion centered on the Local History Košice 1944–45 project.
2024 PART IV environment and culture Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
Galéria
