The 14th annual Rainbow Pride will take place on Freedom Square (Namestie Slobody) in Bratislava on July 20, the organisers announced at a news conference on Tuesday.
This year's theme will be Slovak culture. Visitors will have an opportunity to see performances by artists representing different regions, ethnic minorities, identities and age categories.
"Culture is a universal language that everyone understands. Through art, we can look at the world through the eyes of others and understand them better, which arouses empathy and understanding. Culture thus has the potential to break down prejudices, bring us closer and unite us. We believe that culture is the way to achieve social acceptance and equality of LGBTI+ people," explained festival president Jana Micekova. At the same time, she invited all those who want to get to know and celebrate Slovak culture to take part in the event.
The organisers stressed that Slovak culture also includes people from the LGBTI+ community, who are a big contribution to it. "We often meet with prejudices that LGBTI+ people are not part of our culture, but rather the opposite is true. LGBTI+ people have always lived and created in Slovakia, saving their life stories in various forms of art, although the terms we use today did not exist before. Although in the past many queer artists had to hide their identity, they left behind a significant cultural footprint and their work has become an important part of our cultural heritage," noted Alexandra Tamasova, curator of the modern and contemporary art collections in the Slovak National Gallery.
The Rainbow Pride Bratislava NGO supports the equality of LGBTI+ people in Slovakia mainly through culture. Every year, it organises the Rainbow Pride Bratislava festival that celebrates diversity, makes LGBTI+ people visible and highlights their contribution to society. In addition to the Pride Day itself, accompanying events will take place throughout July, the list is available on the website of Rainbow PRIDE Bratislava.
(TASR)
