On February 2nd, we participated at the international festival “We live in Slovakia,” in Bratislava, where we met with representatives of 11 countries that contribute to intercultural diversity in Slovakia.
The festival “Living in Slovakia” took place at the Old Market building in Bratislava, and it was organized in the spirit of the International Day of Human Fraternity, which is celebrated on February 4th. The international day was proclaimed in 2020 by the United Nations General Assembly with the aim of promoting tolerance, intercultural dialogue, and respect for religious and cultural diversity.
The festival has become an annual tradition in Bratislava around the Day of Fraternity. The February event is one of the key opportunities for intercultural dialogue, as representatives and visitors of many nationalities and different cultural backgrounds meet and exchange experiences at the festival.
Photo by Laura Resnik.
Our representative of the Intercultural Dialogue Association, Furkan Guner, represented Slovenia at the Slovenian stand together with Laura Resnik from the Institute for Barrier-Free Education and Alfonzo Ostrelič. The Institute Without Barriers (Zavod Brez ovir) website summarized Furkan’s personal story: “When I moved to Slovenia years ago, I faced the challenges of living in a new country. However, I quickly realized that openness to other cultures and respect for differences are key to successful integration. Today, I consider myself Slovenian, but I also carry within me the heritage of my native Turkey. It is precisely these diversities that enrich us and teach us how to be better people. In my opinion, intercultural dialogue and connections between countries are the most important things in the world.”
Laura Resnik from the Institute Without Barriers highlighted the importance of equal opportunities for everyone: “We believe that society should be accessible and open to everyone, regardless of cultural background or social status. Our mission is to create an environment where every individual feels accepted and included, which is why we were happy to accept the invitation to represent Slovenia in the international environment, as such events are extremely important for promoting understanding of diversity and eliminating discrimination.”
This year’s festival was held in the spirit of raising awareness about the importance of tolerance, intercultural networking and the inclusion of national minorities in society. Event organizer Hatice Duzu from the movement Common path (Spoločna cesta) association emphasized that the purpose of the festival is primarily to connect the international community and strengthen mutual respect: “Slovakia is home to many nations and cultures, which together form a beautiful mosaic of diversity. Our goal was to create a space where different cultures from all over the world can present themselves and build bridges of friendship. We want to show that we can all live together in peace, brotherhood and harmony, so the festival is not only a celebration of diversity, but also a platform for dialogue that contributes to tolerance
This year, visitors were once again able to enjoy a variety of traditional music, watch dance performances that showcased the rich cultural heritage of individual countries, and taste culinary delights from around the world. At handicraft workshops, visitors were able to learn about traditional crafts and techniques from different cultures. With a diverse program and successful international collaborations, the event perfectly demonstrated how cultural exchange can contribute to a better understanding between people and thecoexistence between everyone.”
The links below feature news about the festival “We live in Slovakia” aired on Slovakian television:
Festival kultúr Žijeme na Slovensku | ta3
Festival chutí a kultúr pod jednou strechou. Pozrite si zvyky a tradície z rôznych kútov sveta | ta3
