Diaspora on the Airwaves - 7th round. Liptovská Mara dam and its hidden histories. Slovak Sound Check

On the 57th anniversary of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion, Martina Greňová Šimkovičová reflects on the memories of those who were in their twenties at the time, filled with hopes for a better future. Radio broadcasts played a crucial role during those days when tanks rolled through the streets of former Czechoslovakia. The bravery of radio workers is commemorated by a plaque in Bratislava's Primatial Square, installed in 2018. Valuable radio recordings, collected by Boris Koreň, further enrich the narrative.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Liptovská Mara dam. On one hand, the reservoir offers numerous opportunities for recreation, water sports, or relaxing by the water with views of the Tatras. On the other hand, this water reservoir on the Váh River also carries the story of 13 villages and their inhabitants who lost their homes due to its construction. I discussed this darker side of Liptovská Mara with writer Zuzana Líšková, author of the radio play From the Bottom of the Liptov Sea. We will stay in the Liptov region in the second part of the program, where we explore the story of Liptovský Mikuláš native, writer Mária Rázusová-Martáková.

This year, Mira Tus Manos — the solo project of Argentine producer Cristian Estrella — released a new album titled The Future Sounds of Slovakia. The record journeys through Slovakia’s rich folkloric traditions and regional cultures, but with a modern twist. Each expansive track, created in collaboration with musicians from around the globe, fuses traditional Slovak sounds with diverse influences from world music.

In this episode, we dive into The Future Sounds of Slovakia and its companion film Medzi dolinami, Medzi vrski with Cristian Estrella. Together, we’ll explore how cross-cultural collaboration shapes music across borders — and uncover what astronauts and the ancient Slovak flute, the fujara, have in common.

Ben Pascoe talks with former Slovak Minister of Finance and architect of the flat tax in Slovakia, Ivan Miklos, to discuss the not so distant past so we can better understand how we got to Slovakia today.

In today’s episode of Slovakia Today, our colleague Gigi Ann Green takes us inside "Za Hranice s Hudbou" (Beyond Borders with Music), a summer workshop bringing together young musicians to explore jazz and contemporary genres. From harmony and vocal courses to late-night jam sessions, she also talks with co-founders Ester Wiesnerová and Lenka Molčányiová about music education in Slovakia, the challenges artists face, and their vision for inspiring a new generation of Slovak talent.

We’ll also mark Serendipity Day — Aug 18th — by celebrating life’s unexpected joys with music, and bring you the latest Slovak Sound Check, where we broaden our Slovak vocabulary with Lubna.

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

In this exclusive interview in English, the best Slovak female coach, Natália Hejková, talks about her career in Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Russia and Spain.

Today you are going to hear another round of our competition series Mysterious Slovakia – this time dedicated to the life and legacy of Rabbi Chatam Sofer. Then you will find out what is new on the Slovak culture scene and finally there is another episode of Who Was That – this time dedicated to Ján Palárik.

A re-run of some of the interviews published in the previous years by our colleague Kamila Galjuš.