Episode 9 | Season finale: Keep the lights on

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There are powerful forces conspiring to hollow out our democracies—a transnational alliance of tech oligarchs, ideologues, and the politicians who serve them. Those of us who want to live in free, open, democratic societies face a formidable opponent. Fighting this, exposing it, is not easy, and it is not going to get any easier. But there are many of us doing what we can, using the means we have and the skills we possess, to make sure the lights stay on.

In the season finale of Season 1: Democracy Under Attack, we take one last drive in our rental Škoda across Slovakia to meet people fighting for their democracy in several different ways.

We begin in Bratislava to speak with Tomáš, an expert on the information space and disinformation warfare who is clear-eyed about the challenges we face in our democratic societies. We then follow the winding mountain roads to Central Slovakia and the town of Revúca for one more conversation with Diana, this time about activist burnout and how she focuses on the local and the interpersonal when she is feeling overwhelmed by the big picture. Finally, we head to north-central Slovakia and the city of Martin to meet Jakub and Jozef, who have started a local initiative called Martin for Democracy dedicated to keeping the fight for democracy front-and-center in their local community.

All of my guests today share one thing in common: through their relentless work and commitment to calling things by their true names, they are keeping the lights of Slovak democracy on.

Episode breakdown:

• Intro: The stakes of the current battle and why the fight for democracy looks different depending on where you sit
• Segment 1: Overlapping crises, disinformation, and Self-Confident Slovakia (Sebavedomé Slovensko), with Tomáš Kriššák in Bratislava
• Segment 2: Focusing on what we can control, taking the breaks we need and re-entering the fight, with Diana Jacková in Revúca
• Segment 3: Creating a hub for concerned citizens and standing up for democracy outside the capital, with Jakub Gallo and Jozef Petráš of Martin for Democracy (Martin za demokraciu)
• Outro: What is popular vs. what is right, waking up the sleeping masses, and reflections on the episode soundtrack, "Mesto spí"

Episode soundtrack:

"Mesto spí" (The City Sleeps) by the Bratislava-based post-metal band Besna featuring Tomáš Beňuška of the Slovak black-metal band Solipsism.

Borrowing its title from the 1984 classic by Miroslav Žbirka—which, for those who wanted to hear the message, was a commentary on the passivity and depoliticization of society following the Prague Spring—this track invites us to reflect on our present moment: how some can sleep peacefully, lost in comforting illusions, while others just across the border have bombs falling on their heads.

Thank you to Besna for lending their music to this season. Thanks to Tomáš for speaking to me for this episode and for connecting me to the guys from Besna. Besna has become one of my favorite bands (and I like a lot of good bands). I'll be at their upcoming shows in Zvolen and Skalica, where I plan to do some headbanging.

Thank you to Folk&Bass Orchestra and SAMOTAY, whose music you heard in earlier episodes this season. Looking forward to seeing you guys play live one day too!

Many listeners have told me how much they have loved getting to know this trifecta of Slovak artists. I am so happy that three indie artists whose work I admire so much were open to their music forming the soundtrack for the first season. Please support indie artists (and independent creators).

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This episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe. Thank you to Dávid for logging god-knows-how-many hours making this season sound as good as it did. We did it!

Thanks to everyone who has listened, who has supported me, and who has told me to keep going. This work is hard and all-consuming and it means everything to hear from listeners that what I am doing matters.

Thanks to Peter of Ekopolis and Civil Society Fund Slovakia for believing in my project from the first time we met back in early 2025.

Thank you to Andreas, my loving and lovely husband for the support and belief throughout. Thank you to all my friends in Norway, the U.S., Slovakia (there a lot of you now!) and other places who patiently listened to me talk about this podcast for more than a year.

Finally, thanks to my late parents Shirley and Allan. I released episode 1 on my dad's birthday and am releasing the season finale the day after my mom's death anniversary. It is 1000% fitting that my dearly departed parents bookended the season, even if it was a bit of a coincidence. I wouldn't be able to do any of this if it weren't for both of you. Much love to my brother Bobby for supporting me on this journey, channeling our parents' love and support, and getting me to love metal (it took many years).

Watch this feed and please stay in touch. I'd love to hear from you.

All photos by Lucia Hasbach/Ekopolis and me.