Slovakia Learns About Slovaktown
The Slovaktown, Arkansas Documentary and Archive Project is on the move! This time, we are in the capital city of our homeland, Bratislava!
Bratislava Hrad (Castle)
The interest in the Slovaktown community is spreading rapidly! During our time in Slovakia we have already held meetings with several important people and groups: a national radio station, an author, the Slovak government, and a non-profit organization.
Slovenský Rozhlas (Slovak Radio)
First off, we are very excited for Slovakia’s residents to hear about Slovaktown, Arkansas on the airwaves of Radio Slovensko, Saturday Morning July 1, 2023! UpRooted Media’s Deah Partak and James Ashley Mayer were interviewed about the Slovaktown Documentary by Radio Slovenskos’s Zuzana Botikova.
Deah Partak being interviewed about Slovaktown, Arkansas by Slovak Radio’s Zuzana Botikova
James Ashley Mayer, UpRooted’s Music Supervisor, sharing his vision for the original soundtrack
You can access Radio Slovensko at https://slovensko.rtvs.sk/player. The English-language program will air on Slovakia Radio International later in the summer; we will keep you up to date on the English version airdate.
Next is a name some Slovaktown residents may already be familiar with, Milan Čupka.
Deah of UpRooted Media conducts interview with author Milan Čupka
Milan sat down with us in Bratislava for an interview about his bestseller book “What is Huncút?”. Milan is a Forbes Slovensko journalist whose book explores Slovak settlements in the US. Most notably, the book prominently features Slovaktown, Arkansas.
Not only does Milan give a succinct historical and present day account of the community, but one of Slovaktown’s founding families (Dobrovich) is featured on the cover. And the inspiration for the title comes from a conversation Milan had with Joe Lisko, grandson of one of the original Slovaktown settlers.
What is Huncút? is currently only available in Slovak language; English translation expected Fall 2023.
Order Slovak version at https://www.forbes.sk/kniha/predpredaj-what-is-huncut/
Milan’s research and perspective will add a valuable addition to the documentary. We are so grateful for his collaborations and the opportunity to build upon his work.
UpRooted Media and the Slovak Living Abroad (SLA) Office sat together to discuss Slovaktown’s important history and present day significance within the Slovak descendent communities in the USA. Because Slovak History is so linked to migration, the SLA office is a specific department in the Slovak government related to acknowledging and support the Slovak diaspora.
We were very pleased to share the story of Slovaktown, Arkansas and explore potential monetary support that the SLA office can provide to help the documentary and archive project move forward. We are happy to say that the SLA office representative was very intrigued by Slovaktown, Arkansas. UpRooted Media will work to continue to foster this relationship and begin the formal grant application process. Wish us luck!!
Lastly, UpRooted Media met with Zuzana Palovic and Gabriela Bereghazyova of Global Slovakia.
Deah Partak-UpRooted Media, Zuzana Palovic & Gabriela Bereghazyova-Global Slovakia in Bratislava Hlavné námestie (Main square)
Global Slovakia is no stranger to Slovaktown, Arkansas. In February 2023, Deah and Zuzana attended the Slovak Heritage Day event together for the celebration and documentary filming.
Zuzana was a huge help with “emergency iPhone filming” when UpRooted’s camera crew was grounded due to weather. Aside from UpRooted’s Documentary and archiving project, Slovaktown is getting even more attention as Global Slovakia is hosting a Heritage Tour of Slovakia specifically designed for the descendants of Slovaktown!
Spots on this exclusive Slovaktown adventure to Slovakia are limited! www.globalslovakia.com
Deah, James, Zuzana, and Gabi met to discuss collaboration between the two non-profits in recording this remarkable trip to the homeland and including it in the documentary.
If you are a Slovaktown descendant and interested in signing up for this Heritage Adventure, contact Zuzana Palovic zuzana.palovic@globalslovakia.com or Father Shawn. Hurry, as spots are limited!
We GREATLY appreciate the donations we have been receiving. Your individual donations helped contribute to the acquisition of overseas travel-friendly filming and sound equipment that helped make our interview with Milan possible!
We appreciate your understanding for the postponement of the Slovaktown filming event we originally had planned for June 2023. As you can see, we had much planning for the Slovakia Trip.
We will keep you up-to-date on advancements in the project, new filming schedules , and ways in which you can help.
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www.uprooted-media.com
UpRooted Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Slovak descendants with a mission to preserve and share cultural heritage to promote multicultural awareness and prosperity for current and future generations.