Slovakia Doesn’t Have an Image Problem. It Has a Confidence Problem.

How national self-perception shapes reputation, visibility and opportunity

Simona, co-curator Rebeka Jurčacková and photographer Robert Viglaský at Portraits of Slovak and Czech Britain, their exhibition promoting the Slovak and Czech diaspora in the UKSlovak Theatre London | Slovenské divadlo v Londýne

In her recent article “Why not Slovakia?”, Dutch exchange student Dunja reflects on a simple but telling question she repeatedly encountered while living in Slovakia: “Why here?”

It is an excellent piece, and it captures something I keep seeing and often find myself discussing with Slovaks, as well as with people from other countries who feel the same. This is not only a Central and Eastern European issue. Similar feelings can be found in many smaller or less visible countries.

This question is also central to my own research. I focus on cultural diplomacy and nation branding, and on how these two areas intersect. What I keep coming back to is how incredibly difficult it is to promote a country strategically and build a clear, attractive image when people within that country do not see it, or themselves, in the same way.

That is the paradox.

We try to promote Slovakia as modern, innovative and full of “good ideas”. We create campaigns and slogans. But if we do not see ourselves that way, and if we do not speak about ourselves with confidence or even basic positivity, how can we expect anyone else to believe it?

How can we persuade people to visit, study here, collaborate with us or work with Slovak institutions, whether in business, academia, culture or diplomacy, if we cannot tell our own story in a convincing way?

The role of perception

This became very clear at a conference I attended in Prague focused on Central and Eastern European universities.

Recognition plays a major role in global university rankings. Academics and employers are asked which universities they know and rate highly. This means universities are judged not only by the quality of their work, but also by whether people have heard of them.

This is where Slovakia often loses points. It is not necessarily because its universities lack quality, but because they are less visible and less well known.

In many cases, people simply do not know us.

Equally striking is what I hear when I speak to colleagues from abroad. When they meet Slovaks, they often tell me that Slovaks are talented, capable and great to work with. But Slovaks do not always talk about themselves that way.

What often comes through is a lack of confidence, a kind of hesitation and, exactly as the article describes, a feeling that there is nothing particularly special here. Nothing that would answer the question: “Why would I go there?”

This perception is not only external. It is deeply internalised and, as Dunja so clearly captures in her article, it can become apparent even during a brief stay in Slovakia.

We often explain this by pointing to politics and saying that our politicians damage Slovakia’s reputation because their actions shape how the country is portrayed abroad. Of course, politics matters. But every country has political problems. Everywhere I travel, people complain about the same things: politics, healthcare and education. Yet people do not always speak about their countries with the same level of doubt or dismissiveness.

More importantly, when I meet someone abroad, there is no politician standing next to me to prevent me from speaking positively about my work, my country or where I come from.

At some point, politics becomes less of an explanation and more of an excuse.

Changing the narrative is also up to us.

Changing the story

I think this is where change must begin. Not with overpromising or artificial branding, but with asking what our story is and what story we want to tell about ourselves. Then we need to start telling it clearly and honestly, but also with confidence.

Only then can we begin to shift how others see us and, at the same time, how we see ourselves.

Why this matters in practice

This is also why I started my cultural project, Portraits of Slovak and Czech Britain. We worked very intentionally to bring together a diverse group of Slovaks and Czechs living in the UK and tell their stories through a photography exhibition and documentary film.

We wanted to present them in a way that was positive and authentic, without making them feel polished or artificial.

Based on the feedback we received, it worked. People from around the world connected with those stories.

Ultimately, people connect with people, not slogans.

Who tells the story?

The key point is that we need to tell our own story. No one else will do it for us. Slovaks, whether they live in Slovakia or abroad, are part of that story and part of the country’s image. In many ways, they are informal ambassadors for Slovakia.

This starts earlier than we think. It starts with how we speak about ourselves, how we talk about Slovakia to others and how we shape the stories that younger generations grow up hearing.

We need to show that being Slovak is something to be proud of, that Slovakia is worth visiting and that Slovaks are people worth working with.

What this means for higher education and global opportunities

This will not change overnight. It may take generations. But unless we recognise that the problem is not only how others see us, but also how we see ourselves, very little will change.

This matters particularly in higher education, where reputation and recognition can open doors or leave them closed.

Universities are among the most visible ways in which a country presents itself to the world. They shape how students, researchers, employers and international partners understand a nation’s talent, ideas, values and future potential.

A strong university tells the world that a country invests in knowledge, produces talented people and is a place where serious work happens. In that sense, higher education is not separate from a country’s story. It is one of the clearest ways that story is told.

How institutions position themselves matters because perception has practical consequences. It can influence which universities are invited into international partnerships, included in research projects and networks, chosen by students, approached by academics or trusted by employers and funders.

The same paradox therefore applies. Slovakia may have capable academics, ambitious students and research worth talking about, yet may still communicate these strengths with hesitation.

Quality alone is not always enough.

If institutions and the people representing them do not communicate the value of their work, others may simply overlook it. Not because the work is weaker, but because they do not know it is there.

For institutions and countries that want to participate as equals internationally, this is not about empty promotion or pretending to be something they are not. It is about understanding what they genuinely do well, explaining it clearly and having the confidence to stand behind it.

Universities, academics, students and alumni all contribute to this. Every exchange, research project, international partnership, conference and alumni story becomes part of how Slovakia is understood.

Together, these experiences can present Slovakia as a place of knowledge, creativity, rigorous research and meaningful international collaboration.

So the question is not only: “Why Slovakia?”

It is also: “Why study, research, collaborate and build futures with Slovakia?”

Slovakia has every right to answer that question clearly, honestly and with confidence. But the lesson reaches beyond Slovakia. Any country or institution that wants to participate as an equal internationally needs to understand its strengths and communicate them in a way that others can recognise and believe.

The way people speak about their country and its institutions shapes how both are seen by the wider world. That perception, in turn, can influence who is invited into partnerships, whose ideas are heard and where opportunities are created.

The challenge is therefore not simply to ask why the world should notice us. It is to understand what we have to offer and have the confidence to say so.

#Helix4HE #HigherEducation #NationBranding #CulturalDiplomacy #Slovakia #InstitutionalPositioning #EducationStrategy #GlobalEngagement

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Article by Dr Simona Vrabcová, PhD Cultural Policy, British Council Certified Higher Education Counsellor, Strategy Cultural Diplomacy Specialist and Strategic Advisor, Helix4HE Advisory Board