When you arrive to Banská Štiavnica from Bratislava, you can’t miss the Šobov Settlement. Due to deep-seated prejudices, it is influenced by fear and apathy. The majority of Roma inhabitants live here. In 2010 and 2011, the Together Šobov festival (ŠOBOV SPOLU) was held there. It was attended by people from all over Slovakia, both Roma and non-Roma. Artists and ordinary viewers. For a few days, the previously bypassed place became a common public space. The Together Šobov festival returns to Banská Štiavnica on June 9-11 to bring people together again, regardless of their nationality, religion, skin color, education or anything else that might differentiate us at first glance.

The stage at Šobov will belong to Roma and non-Roma musicians. For example, BEZ LADU A SKLADU, ČAVALENKY, SENDREIOVCI, KATARÍNA MÁLIKOVÁ, BARBORA BOTOŠOVÁ BAND, IVANA MER, SISA FEHER, HILLS BROS, ULTRAZVUK, ZUZANA MIKULCOVÁ, DFS ROMKA Z DETVY, TEREZINE KILÁ and others will perform. The program is prepared so that all generations can participate. Children’s creative workshops will be held under the guidance of professional artists. Any barriers will be removed even at a football match between Roma and non-Roma artists or visitors.

Connecting communities, majority and minority, but also pushing the boundaries is extremely important for the vulnerable population. The pandemic has greatly affected their lives. There is a noticeable step back. Community organizers are at the beginning again in their work and are slowly trying to improve the quality of life of people not only in Roma settlements. This is also one of the reasons why the Spolu Šobov festival is being held again, the organization of which also includes community workers from Banská Štiavnica, Marko and Jaroslav Koledoví from the civic association Šukar Dživipen: “The Spolu Šobov festival is important to us, we want to attract Roma to the settlement people from the majority, to give them the opportunity to get to know each other, two cultures, two worlds.”

According to the co-organizer of the event, Marek Kapusta: “The importance of the Spolu Šobov festival, but also the activities of the Koleda family and their civic association Šukar Ďživipen, are aimed at changing the perception of the general public about a location segregated from the city of Banská Štiavnica. In the past, their systematic work in building a community center and weekend cultural activities culminated in the Together Šobov festival, thanks to which many people realized that although poor people live in Šobov, they are friendly and kind. Thanks to the festival, the initial fear of the unknown turned into a profound experience of meeting people from this excluded location. The Together Šobov Festival will try to do the same thing again in June. At least during one weekend to symbolically unite a divided society and experience nice moments together.“

The Together Šobov Festival will be held on June 9-11, 2023 at the Šobov settlement, but also at the Art Cafe Banská Štiavnica. The organizer of the event is OZ Povala, Art Cafe Banská Štiavnica, civic association Spectaculum, and local civic association Šukar Dživipen, in cooperation with Michal Kaščák and Viera Dubačová.

Program (DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER WARNING MOVED TO CULTURAL CENTRE AT KAMMERHOFSKA 1)

FRIDAY [KC]

16.00 Čavalenky

17.00 Hills Bros

18.00 Terezine kilá

20:00 Bez ladu a skladu

SATURDAY [KC]

10:00 Dance workshop with Vlado Michalko

11.00 Kids workshop with Eva Šuškova

                          13.00 Football match at ŠOBOV

14.00 DFS Romka z Detvy

15.00 Ultrazvuk & Zuzana Mikulcova

15.30 Sendreiovci

16.30 Katarína Máliková, Ivana Mer, Sisa Fehér

17.30 Barbora Botošová Band (guest: Sarah Sýkorová)

SATURDAY [Art Cafe]21:00 Afterparty: Django Swing band (gipsy jazz)

SUNDAY [Art Cafe]

16:00 Reading: Elena Lackova book

The Together Šobov festival takes place within the SLICE project, Slovakia Icelandic cooperation in the development of small cultural centers (CLT02019), which received financial support from the citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through EEA Grants and is co-financed from the state budget of the Slovak Republic.