Martina Kroa

Student of Journalism at Charles Uni & Prague University of Economics and Business

My published work in English

Brno Daily •

More About Comedy, Less About Poetry: Interview With Czech Slam Poet Anatol Svahilec

In his apartment and office on Prague’s Wenceslas Square, I spoke with the most prominent Czech poetry slammer, known under his artist name Anatol Svahilec. The first Czech to make a living from poetry slam, a genre of spoken word where the judges are randomly picked out from the audience. Along with another slammer, he also performed in front of an audience on Letná in 2019, the biggest demonstration in the country since 1989.


Audiences are captivated by his intricate texts and energetic per...
Meer •

Conversing with Anatol Svahilec

An interview with the most prominent proponent of slam poetry in Czechia

In his apartment and office on Wenceslas Square, I spoke with the most prominent Czech poetry slammer known under his artist name, Anatol Svahilec. The first Czech to make a living from slam poetry, a genre of spoken word where the judges are randomly picked from the audience. Along with another slammer, he also performed in front of an audience on Letná in 2019, the biggest demonstration in the country since 1989.

Audiences get captivated by his intricate texts or energetic performances. Throu...
Meer •

Feed your soul with pieces of love, maybes, and beauty

Pieces of poetry

As much as it is important to take in factual information, it also is to feed the soul with pieces of love, maybes, and beauty. Especially in a world filled with curt texts, schedules, deadlines, and threats. Let your eyes stumble upon the stairs of poetry, and your mind to wander upon its stairs like in a secret garden. Allow yourself to wander, look, observe, see, give yourself the gift to feel, to just be.

Three poems written in August 2018 in a small German town of Butzbach while I worked t...
Radio Prague International •

Czechia boasts the biggest organic lavender field in Europe

Lavender fields are generally considered to be the hallmark of Provence. But you do not need to travel to southern France to delight in the wondrous sight and heady scent of endless rows of purple lavender bushes. Chodouň in Central Bohemia is a lavender haven and boasts the biggest organic lavender field in Europe.

Lavender Valley is nestled in the heart of the Barrandien Geopark, a geologically unique region between Prague and Plzen. It was here that Helena Neumannová decided to plant English
Radio Prague International •

Annual pottery and crafts market in Beroun pulls the crowds

The traditional pottery and crafts market in Beroun’s Hus square welcomed thousands of visitors in June. Ceramics-making has a long tradition in Beroun going all the way back to the 14th century and the market, which is now held three times a year, attracts visitors from near and far. Radio Prague’s contributor Martina Kroa went to check it out and spoke with Jolana Izbická, the market’s chief organizer, about how it emerged.
Radio Prague International •

Migration expert: Czechia will have to rethink its integration policy

In just six weeks, more than eleven million Ukrainians have fled their homes because of the Russian invasion. Over four million have left Ukraine, another seven million people are thought to be displaced inside the country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees it is the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. Martina Kroa spoke to migration expert and social geographer Tereza Freidingerová, about various aspects of the crisis and begun by asking her how this refugee exodus compares to previous migration crises.
Radio Prague International •

Ukrainian classes for refugee children now underway in Prague

Special school classes for Ukrainian children whose families have fled to the Czech Republic are now running in Prague, Brno and other places. In this report we visit the First Slavic Grammar School, the first such institution in the capital to welcome refugee children in this way.

Ukrainian children with their mothers are entering the building of the First Slavic Grammar School in downtown Prague. Here children that have fled Russia’s war on their country are attending special classes: they are made up of Ukrainian children of roughly the same age and are taught by Ukrainian teachers.
Radio Prague International •

Ukrainian refugees arriving by the thousands at Prague's main train station

Since the start of the Russian aggression in Ukraine close to two million people have fled the country. Close to 200,000 refugees, mainly old people, women and children, have found their way to the Czech Republic –on their own, with the help of volunteers or by getting on one of the humanitarian trains that the Czech government has been sending out to the Slovak and Polish borders daily. Our contributor Martina Kroa enlisted as a volunteer at Prague’s Main Railway Station to experience the humanitarian aid effort first hand.
Radio Prague International •

Russian student in Prague on the anguish of witnessing his country’s aggression in Ukraine

Martina Kroa talks to Georgij, a Russian student at the Prague University of Economics, about how the invasion of Ukraine impacted his life, his relationship with family members back home – and even the likelihood of him returning to Russia one day.

Emotions are running high in the Czech Republic in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. For many people the invasion of Ukraine is reminiscent of the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia and many feel the need to take an active stand to it, be it by tak
Bakala Foundation •

Food wasters

Taking a beautifully grown and also tasty carrot out of the soil while the last sun rays blind my eyes, learning it simply didn’t find a market. And there are rows of those in front of me. Food waste or nutrition for the soil? And who is to blame?

In the Czech Republic, DobroPolníci[9] is one of the few volunteer groups saving ‘lost’ crops in the farming sector. They glean fruits and vegetables that are left on the fields after harvest. Gleaning is the practice of collecting fruits and vegetables after commercial or profitable harvest, in the past by the poor, with mentions as far as the Bible.

https://journey2021.bakalafoundation.org/
Média IKSŽ •

RFE/RL journalist Bruce Pannier: “Dumb it down, sex it up, and put it to bed”

Just from our email correspondence I could tell he’s a really nice American vibe guy. We talk about the profession of a journalist: it’s quick pace, perks, beginnings, and value. Bruce also gives advice to future journalists and shares his own experience. In the full interview, Bruce tells the story of how he got from the U.S. to covering Central Asia in Prague, and what it is like working as a journalist with an academic background, and how useful it is to know Russian when covering Central Asia. We also get into more detail regarding the profession of a journalist, and its aspects.
Brno Daily •

Beyond the Numbers of the Biggest Food Wasters: Households and Agriculture

What are the causes of food waste? How come? How big of a problem is it? Who is to blame? What can be done? The story uncovers data, food waste in agriculture through the eyes of farmers, experts, and volunteers saving excess food, and a recently published and ongoing unique Czech research on household waste in three series. Title photo: stock image.

Czech Rep, Sep 29, (BD) – When talking to people, they usually say they don’t waste as much, younger people say about their older relatives that t
Prague Monitor / Czech News in English •

As Tourists Return, Prague Workers Struggle

Independent workers who rely on the tourism industry in Prague, like driver Valey, are struggling to recoup economic losses suffered during the pandemic, even as travellers slowly return to the city.

The father of two chauffeurs visitors around Prague’s Old Town Square in a vintage luxury car. For him, the lack of tourists has had a devastating financial impact on his family.

“I didn’t have a job for a year,” Valey said.

Prague was the fourth most visited city in Europe in 2019, according to
Prague Monitor / Czech News in English •

Prague Fights Climate Change With Reused Goods

A new recycling project that makes it easier for residents to pass on household items such as furniture and dishware launched in Prague, highlighting the city’s focus on waste reduction as part of its climate change strategy.

Reuse initiatives are a growing trend across Europe and the globe as countries emphasize climate change as a policy priority. The Czech Republic is already one of the lowest generators of waste in the European Union, according to the European Environment Agency.
Prague Media Point •

Shell Papers and Involving the Audience in a Long-Term Investigation

The Investigative Journalism block started off with Bas van Beek presenting his joint project Shell Papers. Their goal is to investigate documentation relating to the gas and oil company Shell, provide journalists and the public with the information about it (through their website), and get audience involved in the investigation. People are getting involved and creating pressure on the government to provide the legally requested information.