Ing. Igor Dužda

* 1968

  • Historically, I was the first news presenter of Roma broadcasting in Slovakia. Before, there had been no broadcasting for Romas in Czechoslovakia. The Roma broadcasting originated in the television and later on in the radio only after the revolution. I was the first contracted news presenter. D. František Godla, his wife and his daughter were assisting me.

  • I Believe the contest 'the top news presenter of the Slovak Radio' started in 2002. I was not nominated until 2003 and 2004 in the category of minorities for Patria Radio. In the male category, there were nominations for Ruthenian and for Ukrainian minorities broadcasting, and me for the Roma broadcasting. I won two years in a row in 2003 and 2004 in the category 'the top news presenter' for Patria radio Košice. As a matter of fact, I was the first Roma news presenter who was nominated and won the award.

  • My father was born in 1937. During the WWII in 1942 or 1944 he was 5 to 7 years old. He does not recall much. Even my mum, who was born in 1939 was 4/5 years old by the end of the war, remembers some details. They talked a lot about these times in her family, even though, to be honest, neither my mum, nor my grandmother did not want to discuss this era. They did not want to recall what had happened. My father used to bring up for example this episode. They were only allowed to enter the village of Veľký Šariš for duration of 2 hours a day. From 12:00 AM to 2 PM. Had anyone been caught after the given time, one would end up in a trouble.

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    Veľký Šariš, 18.05.2017

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I don’t like injustice

Dužda Igor - dobové foto.jpg (historic)
Ing. Igor Dužda
photo: Dobové foto: archív Igora Duždu; aktuálne foto: Foto: Alexander Mušinka

M. Eng Igor Dužda was born on 9 April 1968 in Veľký Šariš (district Prešov, Slovakia). He completed his primary education here. Since he achieved very good results in Mathematics, he continued at Secondary Technical School of Mechanical Engineering in Prešov where he graduated with high-school leaving diploma in 1987. Thereafter he continued at Department of Instrumental Engineering at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Technical University in Košice. After graduation in 1992 he worked as the first news presenter in the Roma newsroom, section of broadcasting for minorities at The Slovak Radio where he worked until 2009. In years 1992 - 1995 he worked at The Slovak Television where he assisted in producing a Roma programme Romale. He has been involved in various projects within the non-governmental sector. His primary interest is to help and defend the rights of socially disadvantaged groups; mostly the rights of socially excluded members of Roma minority and Roma children. Recently he initiated a petition committee for defense of tenants in ‘Old brick factory’ a Prešov neighborhood. He worked with Slovak Helsinki Committee, Pro Humanitas Foundation, Institute for Public Affairs, Center for Civil and Human Rights and many other. Since 2014 he has held various positions withing the Office of Employment where his primary focus is working with unemployed Romas. In 2015 he shortly worked as an education assistants in a primary school in Prešov.