"It was like being among our own!" Romani children from a children's home find role models and a sense of belonging to their community through their partnership with Slovo 21.
Slovo 21 has long been committed to supporting Romani children and youth on their journey through education and life. That is why we are so pleased with our ten-year partnership with the children's home in Česká Kamenice.
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We Are Neighbors After All is returning to Pankrác!
The eighth annual We Are Neighbors After All festival is set to bring Central Park Pankrác to life once again. On Thursday, June 25, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the event will feature a program full of music, dance, and food that will delight both children and adults.
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A week that brings people together. The largest Romani festival, Khamoro, kicks off this Sunday
The best Romani artists from around the world and an unforgettable atmosphere. Starting Sunday, May 24, Prague will host the 28th annual edition of the world's largest Romani festival – Khamoro. Visitors can look forward to a total of seven concerts featuring traditional and contemporary Romani music, gypsy jazz, and classical music. The festival will also offer two dozen accompanying events, a large part of which are dedicated to commemorating the Romani Holocaust.
“We will not be silent.” How Jekhipe has advanced the fight against anti-Gypsyism in the Czech Republic
How do we deal with the injustices of the past? Where can we find justice and achieve true redress? Slovo 21 has joined the international Jekhipe project, which openly addressed the injustices that Roma people still have to face today. The Romani Holocaust, school segregation, discrimination, violence, and the long-term disregard for the rights of the Romani community.
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The story of a partisan's grandson in a Slovo 21 production. Zdeněk Serinek on family taboos and his experiences on stage
Zdeněk Serinek knew nothing about his family's story for a long time. Today, however, he proudly carries the legacy of his grandfather, the Romani partisan and resistance leader Josef Serinek. What is it like when heroism becomes a taboo? And what emotions arise when people start talking about it openly? Zdeněk’s personal narrative has also become part of the theatrical production Stories of the Survivors, prepared by Slovo 21.
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A slap is not a sign of love. Romani women open up the topic of domestic violence in a theatrical performance
What does it mean to be a Romani woman? And who actually gets to decide that? Expectations, roles, and social pressure often dictate what women experience—and what they keep to themselves. Domestic violence has long been a taboo subject in the Romani community, yet our exclusive research shows that nearly one-third of Romani women in the Czech Republic have experienced it. This is why Slovo 21 created the new theatrical production Speak Up.
Khamoro shares experiences. We teach young Roma from all over Europe how the largest Roma festival is made.
Culture changes perspectives. It breaks down prejudices and gives a voice to those who are often left on the sidelines. Yet, young Roma people are still more often spectators than creators. We want to change that. That is why, for several years now, Slovo 21 has been opening the doors to the backstage of the largest Roma festival in the world – Khamoro.
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"We should approach foreigners with empathy." A police officer on our training that is changing perspectives on migrants
How should public officials communicate with people from completely different cultural backgrounds? And what can help police officers, for example, better understand the situations they encounter in the field? They can find out at our two-day Strengthening Intercultural Competencies training. Jiří Janoštík from the Jeseník District Police Department is one of those who have completed it. What did he take away from the training?
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"It’s as if we’ve known each other forever." Marie Siváková on the power of Elena Gorolová’s story in the book by Slovo 21
Pain. Anger. A silence that lasted for decades. The topic of forced sterilizations has returned to public debate in recent weeks, partly due to the compensation of victims. The new book Podphandle mašľičkenca – Tied with Ribbons, published by Slovo 21 at the end of last year, has also sparked strong reactions.
From Afghanistan to Prague’s Vršovice. Mr. Sultani’s new beginning with his own bistro
He fled his native Afghanistan under dramatic circumstances as the Taliban advanced. Mr. Sultani arrived in the Czech Republic as a recipient of international protection. Navigating a new and complex system, finding a job, and understanding how daily life works was not easy. It was during this time that he joined our New Home project, which helped him organize information and take his first steps in a new reality. Today, he runs his own bistro in Prague’s Vršovice district.
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Speaking up makes sense. Romani women at the Slovo 21 meeting shared their successes and the obstacles they face in the fight against domestic violence.
Domestic violence in Romani communities, anti-Gypsyism in the Czech Republic, and finding one's own strength. These were the exact topics addressed at the end of January during a meeting for our project, Speak Up to Be Heard. Twenty Romani women from various parts of the country—including Náchod, Písek, Broumov, Chodov, and Chomutov—traveled to Prague to attend.
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Four years of war. How Slovo 21 and UNHCR helped Ukrainians get back on their feet
Constant fear for one's life and the lives of loved ones. Uncertainty about what the next day will bring. Damaged relationships. It has been four years since the Russian invasion turned the lives of millions upside down. Slovo 21 also offered help to the thousands of Ukrainians who began arriving in the Czech Republic in search of safety immediately after the war began. It joined forces with UNHCR to address the most pressing needs.
"I cannot imagine my life being in someone else's hands." How Slovo 21 introduces the Romani Holocaust to students
It is one of the darkest chapters of modern history, yet children in schools are rarely taught about the Romani Holocaust. Slovo 21 is trying to change that, at least in part. Through a special educational program, they are bringing a long-overlooked topic into the classroom—sensitively, humanely, and without oversimplification.