(no subject)
Is there racism in Slovakia?
You would like to travel to Slovakia, but are afraid of rasist attacks from the local inhabitants? Some reports in foreign media are exagerating.
Racism is not widespread in Slovakia. The fact is that over centuries, the inhabitants lived an isolated existence and were not used to meet people of other races, except for Roma (Gypsies). Slovakia has never had colonies so that people from Africa and other continents apart from Europe were practically never seen here until well into the 20th century. Their lifestyles and social institutions, including slavery, were totally unknown to people here.
The Roma people (as Slovak Gypsies prefer to be called), form a relatively important minority group in Slovakia. Their problem is a very high unemployment rate, reaching 100% in some settlements. This is the main cause of their low living standards, which in turn bring about high crime rate and misuse of social resources. As a result a gulf developed between them and the majority population. However, racist physical attacks are few and far between.
The number of foreigners of different skin colouring increased during the past years mostly due to students from African and Asian countries. Many of them have learned the Slovak language, married local people and happily raising families. They have very nicely integrated into the society.
When shopping in open-air markets, you will see many vendors of bargain-price Asian clothes and electronics. almost exclusively they have some from Vietnam. They can speak little more than a few phrases in Slovak, other than the prices of their goods, but many people like to do business with them, because their goods are cheaper than similar articles in regular shops.
You do not have to be afraid to come to Slovakia simply because to the locals you may look exotic. You may visit most places, including churches, as if you were a local. Of course, it is unwise to provoke other people, be arrogant, insulting or act superior. Some individuals may be irritable and even be bigger than you are.
It is also unsafe to visit certain places at times, when the locals also would avoid them, for example some abandoned storehouses after dark, etc. All other warnings to tourists, such as not leaving attractive items on display in your car or letting everyone see how much money you carry, apply too.
You would like to travel to Slovakia, but are afraid of rasist attacks from the local inhabitants? Some reports in foreign media are exagerating.
Racism is not widespread in Slovakia. The fact is that over centuries, the inhabitants lived an isolated existence and were not used to meet people of other races, except for Roma (Gypsies). Slovakia has never had colonies so that people from Africa and other continents apart from Europe were practically never seen here until well into the 20th century. Their lifestyles and social institutions, including slavery, were totally unknown to people here.
The Roma people (as Slovak Gypsies prefer to be called), form a relatively important minority group in Slovakia. Their problem is a very high unemployment rate, reaching 100% in some settlements. This is the main cause of their low living standards, which in turn bring about high crime rate and misuse of social resources. As a result a gulf developed between them and the majority population. However, racist physical attacks are few and far between.
The number of foreigners of different skin colouring increased during the past years mostly due to students from African and Asian countries. Many of them have learned the Slovak language, married local people and happily raising families. They have very nicely integrated into the society.
When shopping in open-air markets, you will see many vendors of bargain-price Asian clothes and electronics. almost exclusively they have some from Vietnam. They can speak little more than a few phrases in Slovak, other than the prices of their goods, but many people like to do business with them, because their goods are cheaper than similar articles in regular shops.
You do not have to be afraid to come to Slovakia simply because to the locals you may look exotic. You may visit most places, including churches, as if you were a local. Of course, it is unwise to provoke other people, be arrogant, insulting or act superior. Some individuals may be irritable and even be bigger than you are.
It is also unsafe to visit certain places at times, when the locals also would avoid them, for example some abandoned storehouses after dark, etc. All other warnings to tourists, such as not leaving attractive items on display in your car or letting everyone see how much money you carry, apply too.