The citizens of Prešov, Žilina, Banská Bystrica and Košice experienced a unique day in April and May 2015. Migrants from various countries met in these cities and performed at the multicultural events “We Are at Home Here” organized by the IOM Migration Information Centre. It was an opportunity for locals to meet interesting people, discover experiences of migrants for whom Slovakia became a new home and get to know more about various cultures and gastronomy. These events were really multiCOOLtural!

The events in Prešov and Žilina were opened by a public debate with migrants living in Slovakia discussing whether they consider Slovakia as their home. Through a photo exhibition and stories of travellers the visitors made a journey to many exotic countries and unknown cultures. Indian and Vietnamese communities introduced themselves with traditional food tasting. Both evenings were concluded with concert of a passionate Cuban group Team Cuba which made everybody dance.

Photos from multiCOOLtural events in Prešov and Žilina are available here.

Other two events in the cities of Banská Bystrica and Košice were dedicated to the Africa Day! MIC organized these events in cooperation with PDCS and Platform for NGDO (Platforma pre MVRO). Besides other things, the programme of both events remembered also the child audience by including handcraft workshops of African decorations. The adults could join the public discussion about cultural sensitivity from the African and Slovak point of view, they enjoyed the dance workshops of dancehall and dynamic dances from West Africa, and recharged their energy by tasting the traditional cuisine of Benin and Congo.

Photos from multiCOOLtural event in Banská Bystrica are available here.

Photos from multiCOOLtural event in Košice are available here.

Migračné informačné centrum IOM na podporu integrácie cudzincov na Slovensku (Fáza VII) – individuálny projekt. Projekt bol spolufinancovaný Európskou úniou z Európskeho fondu pre integráciu štátnych príslušníkov tretích krajín. Solidarita pri riadení migračných tokov.