Over the last 150 years, up to a million Slovaks have emigrated from Slovakia. They found new homes and opportunities in various corners of the world, where they started families. Today, as many as two million people worldwide claim Slovak roots. The situation is no different now – our loved ones leave Slovakia for work, study, and a better life. And this trend has not slowed down even during the Covid-19 pandemic. We rarely realize that Slovak nurses traveling to Austria for work are migrants, and our Erasmus+ students somewhere in Spain are migrants too. Today, you would find some 'face of migration' in every family. This year's census may show us how many of us are migrants, and that it is not a slur. Migrating Slovaks also wish that people abroad treat them with respect and dignity. The same should apply in reverse – we should behave with tolerance toward foreigners who have come to Slovakia.
Embedded media: https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCoN49mJPN4
In February, Ambrela launches a series of videos accompanied by online discussions on migration and development. The first video, titled 'Diversity is to Our Taste', was produced by the agency Čosi, which has collaborated with Ambrela on campaigns about sustainable lifestyles in the past. The video presents exotic flavors such as pho soup, curry rice, or kebab in pita bread, which are no longer foreign to us in Slovakia. In the video, its creators ask: "Why then do many not accept a different culture and the people who brought us these exotic flavors and favorite dishes? After all, a different culture and customs can pleasantly spice up our lives."
The concept of the first video is also explained by the director of the advertising agency Čosi, Maroš Kemény: "To prevent people from finding everything foreign 'hard to stomach', we needed to find and creatively express a strong mainstream topic that we encounter daily and in which absolutely everyone can see themselves. Such a topic is undoubtedly exotic cuisine, which feels right at home here in Slovakia. Food brings people together, and that is why we built our creative concept around exotic cuisine, seeking a path toward respecting diversity and tolerance toward the culture and individuality of people whose culture and customs can enrich us all." The video can be watched HERE.
Ambrela's Executive Secretary, Daniel Kaba, points out that migration is often not a choice but a matter of survival, and it occurs primarily within so-called developing countries. "According to a 2016 UN estimate, about 66 million people left their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations. More than 40 million of them are displaced, migrating within their own country." He also adds that not all migrants head west: "Another 2018 UN report shows that 21.7 million migrants end up in so-called developing countries, while in the EU and USA together 'only' 3.6 million people on the move."
Since Ambrela's member organizations operate precisely in countries such as Ukraine, Iraq, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan – affected by natural disasters or war conflicts – and help vulnerable local people face humanitarian crises, it is important within the Faces of Migration campaign to also explain the sad phenomenon of refugeehood and the reasons for the (often forced) migration of vulnerable communities from their homes. The second video on the topic will be added in a week.
The Platform of Development Organizations – Ambrela (abbreviated as Ambrela) is an umbrella organization for 28 mostly non-governmental organizations in Slovakia dedicated to development cooperation, humanitarian aid, global development education, and sustainable development – both at home and abroad. Since 2019, together with six European partners, it has been implementing the project Global Goals and Migration, supported by the EU under the DEAR program. The 'Faces of Migration' campaign is one of the outputs of this project. Its goal is to raise awareness about diversity, tolerance, and coexistence of people from different cultures through specific life stories. The aforementioned videos and online discussions are part of this campaign. The production of the videos was supported by resources from SlovakAid. More at: www.ambrela.org and www.tvaremigracie.sk
Text and photo: Ambrela.org