[fjúžn] festival

“Many of us make the journey to countries that are closer to us in values, where we feel safer, or because we find our family and loved ones, work or study fulfillment there. We bring new perspectives and experiences that enrich and inspire others. Research shows that the more identities we experience, the less we enter into interpersonal conflict. The [fjúžn] festival will bring closer the lives of people with roots in other countries and cultures who form an integral part of Slovak society. We believe that personal contact is the best way to break down barriers on both sides,” says Veronika Fishbone Vlčková, director of the Milan Šimečka Foundation.

Opening of the festival – Humans of [fjúžn]: When you can’t put down roots

The festival will open with a contact exhibition Humans of [fjúžn]: When You Can’t Take Root, featuring the stories of Karin from Armenia, Maryna and Ulya from Ukraine, Michal with Vietnamese roots, Mirna from Iraq and Parminder from India. Visitors can enjoy guided tours and music performed by American musician Jeff Kirk. The exhibition was prepared by Alžbeta Kutliaková, Juraj Mydla and Alžbeta Vrzgula and will be open at Eurovea until 28 September.

Concerts, community events, parties, gastronomic experiences and a programme for children

Music enthusiasts can look forward to a unique series of concerts, Konektiv [fjúžn] Night, in which diverse musical genres and cultures intermingle – musicians representing the national majority come together in artistic collaboration with musicians from abroad. Combining electronic dance music with Ukrainian folklore, the DJ duo Killa Selfie from Kharkiv will bring the music to life.

“In cooperation with party organisers Mäsokombinat we have prepared a party full of electronica, rap and lo-fi beats again this year. Headlining is Berlin-based DJ Logic1000, with performances by Fobia Kid, African rapper Ormay, Juresh Fallgrapp and Neorge, FOM with Lara Aba Hamdan, and Miklei. The Equal concert series, curated annually by Jonatán Pastirčák, will feature traditional elements blending with futuristic ones, from Iranian-Finnish psychedelia to avant-garde Chinese electronica. Current music without genre restrictions will be presented by the new club series FAQ.”, says Martin Brix, festival manager

The music programme will also include a concert by Karin Sarkisian, a native of Yerevan, Armenia and one of this year’s Humans of [fujn], who will perform mostly Armenian folk songs in a unique ethno-jazz arrangement, featuring the string quartet The Ladies Ensemble, piano, saxophone, guitar and double bass.

The [fusion] zone will be a traditional part of Saturday’s Good Market. Both young and old will be treated to a rich program as well as meeting people from diverse communities. The festival will continue in a community spirit with a picnic in the Prügerka garden, where visitors will enjoy an autumn Ukrainian brunch with Magnificent Picnic, a workshop by artist Evgenia Kazarez celebrating motherhood, and an interactive circus game for children called Don’t Be Afraid! CirKusKus.

Lovers of gastronomic experiences will also find something to their liking. Visitors can look forward to the Gastro Magic workshop with Naomi Huzovičová, where they will try out new recipes with traditional Slovak ingredients, or a commented gastro walk with foodblogger Choj, with whom they will get to know the foreign flavours of Bratislava.

Book lovers will be delighted by the reading party [fjúžn] Books & Beats, a unique evening full of reading and conversations with new people, accompanied by a DJ set by Sasha Mamaev a.k.a. Gonsa.

The festival will also feature a discussion entitled Dissent Once and Now: Who was Milan Šimečka?, which will commemorate the personality of the prominent Czechoslovak dissident and philosopher. In Bratislava’s Rómer House, there will be an author reading and discussion with Austrian author Susanne Gregor, who will present her novel Freefall.

Among the events will be the stand-up show Joke’s On You, featuring international comedians such as Siavash and Nasi from Iran, Syria’s Nibal and Terence Hartnett from the USA. The discussion series Apples & Pears: Roots & Conflict will bring deep debates on the decision between leaving and staying in the homeland, with the participation of actress Laura Začková, actor Tomáš Eštok and director Bohdan Meteňkanyč.

In addition, the programme will also include a guided walk through the city with Philippe Cochard and the documentary Central Stage: Slovakia, which captures the personal journey of a French-German volunteer in Slovakia.

Lovers of contemporary art can look forward to a talk by Lucie Gregorova Stach from the Slovak National Gallery, who will present the artistic diversity from the 1950s to the present day. The interpretation will be in English. Visual art will be represented by the exhibitions Roots, Humans of [fujun]: When You Can’t Put Down Roots and Archipelago x Humans of [fujn] 2024.

The [fjúžn] Festival has traditionally been a space for people from different cultures to meet, exchange experiences and promote mutual understanding. This year’s edition also brings a unique mix of art, music, discussions, gastronomy and community events, making it an integral part of Bratislava’s cultural scene, concludes Martin Brix, manager of the [fjúžn] festival.

See the detailed festival programme at www.festival.fjuzn.sk in English

About the festival [fjúžn]

The [fjúžn] festival has been organised by the Milan Šimečka Foundation since 2006 and has gradually become the largest multi-genre and multicultural event focusing on migration and foreigners in Slovakia. It goes beyond one type of art and offers a rich programme of concerts, exhibitions, literature, theatre, film, workshops, lectures and presentations, discussions, community events, children’s programme, school events and many other activities.

At present, the [fjúžn] Foundation’s already year-long programme is focused on raising the visibility of foreigners and foreign women among us, as well as on presenting community projects of new minorities (migrants, new religious groups). In addition to the festival, we carry out a wide range of activities such as the celebration of World Refugee Day, the [fuþn] walks, the portal www.fjuzn.sk. And since 2019, there are also [fjúžn] on the move events, through which we present the life and culture of foreign men and women in cities across Slovakia.