We are pleased to announce the release of AFI’s latest advocacy report, Early Warning: The Politicization of Slovak Arts and Culture, produced in partnership with Otvorená Kultúra! (OK!).
In October 2023, Robert Fico’s populist coalition came to power in Slovakia. Since then, the country has seen a rapid regression in democratic norms—and the cultural sector has become a key battleground for ideological control.
Under far-right Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová, the government has turned cultural policy into a weapon against artistic freedom. It has dismantled institutional safeguards, defunded critical voices, and consolidated power over major cultural institutions.
Early Warning draws on original research and interviews with 19 Slovak artists and cultural workers. It documents the alarming impact of these shifts on the country’s creative landscape. By exposing the early signs of authoritarian cultural control, the report makes a clear case: intervention is urgent to protect democratic values and cultural pluralism.
The report is accompanied by a three-episode audio series of the same name. Each episode captures the report’s key findings and features the voices of Slovak artists and cultural workers interviewed for the project. Listen to the story now.
About the Artist: Jozef Gl’aba
AFI and OK! are delighted to feature the work of Slovakian visual artist Jozef Gl’aba throughout Early Warning: The Politicization of Slovak Arts and Culture. The illustrations Jozef created for the report reflect themes of political interference, cultural erosion, and the suppression of artistic freedom in Slovakia’s shifting cultural landscape. Read more about Jozef and his work here.
