Monthly Archives: May 2024

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Culture Project

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On April 30, 2024, the final press conference for the “Culture Breaks Borders” project implemented by I Am The Sound s.r.o. was held in Přerov. The main goal of the two-year project, supported by the EEA and Norway Funds, was to strengthen the business of Roma music artists in the Czech music and culture industry.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Carrot and Stick

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The President of the Slovenian Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, visited the municipality of Ribnica on Tuesday and, together with the mayor, Sam Pogorel, saw the Roma settlement Lepovče, which the municipality wants to relocate because it is located in an industrial zone. At the same time, Pirc Musar supported the efforts of the mayors of 11 municipalities in south-eastern Slovenia and Posavija to tighten certain benefits for the Roma. “If it doesn’t work with a carrot, you also need a little stick,” she said. She also said that she supports most of the proposed laws that also solve the Roma issue. The latter was submitted to the National Assembly by 11 municipalities last year, but was flatly rejected by the government coalition for being racially biased.

News Eastern Europe News Switzerland Ukraine

Switzerland and Roma Refugees

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An article about the current allegations against Roma refugees from the Ukraine in Switzerland. They are accused of having false Ukrainian papers or having bought them and are used by politicians to lobby against the special status granted to Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Khamoro: Theatre

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The Slovak National Theatre presented a play about a tragic 1928 pogrom against Roma in Pobedimi which killed 6 Roma and left many without a house at the Khamoro Festival.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Racism in Czechia

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Inadmissible in the West, normal in the Czech Republic. Roma are the least popular minority and many openly express their hatred. “If I got five crowns every time someone tells me they don’t like Roma, but I’m fine, I’d already have a villa,” says journalist Patrik Banga, a Rom. Together with Romanologue Saša Uhlová, they talked about why antigypsyism is so common and what can be done about it in the Aktuálně.cz Rasování program.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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The President of the Slovenian Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, visited the Roma settlement Lepovče in Ribnica, where she discussed the common issues facing them with representatives of the Roma and the mayor Sam Pogorelce. She pointed out that Roma children attend schools as the key to solving Roma issues. “That’s why I call on all Roma parents to send their children to school,” she said.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro: Round Table

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On Monday, May 27, as part of the 26th edition of the Khamoro Roma festival, a discussion on the topic of Roma education, entitled Together for the Future of Young Roma, took place in Prague’s Přítomnost cinema. The event was organized by the ROMEA organization.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Movie

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Acclaimed Slovak director Martin Šulík made an uncompromising film about a young Roma boy born in a settlement in Eastern Slovakia.

The director said: “We wanted to make a film about our Roma because we realized that we don’t know anything about them. We know the Gypsy Kings, a one-hundred-member Roma orchestra from Budapest, but we have no idea of the conditions in which two hundred thousand Roma live in eastern Slovakia. Before we started writing the script, we travelled around Roma settlements and met interesting people who opened up to us and told us their stories. Our film was made up of their stories. We did not want to mythologize the Roma, look at them as folklore or romanticize them. We wanted to capture their life truthfully, because life in a Roma settlement is a reflection of our world. It’s just that everything is more emotional, more intense and more direct.”

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro

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An article on the 26th Khamoro festival in Prague and on its program. This year it is not only about Roma, with, for example a concert in the Jerusalem Synagogue which will bring classical music with modern elements and Romani rhythms.

Netherlands News Western Europe

Westerbork

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Eighty years ago, in May 1944, 578 Roma and Sinti were rounded up in a major raid and transported to Camp Westerbork. Of these, 245 were deported by train to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp in Poland. Only 31 returned alive.

A commemoration was held on Sunday on the site.

Czech Republic Europe News Eastern Europe

European Elections

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David Beňák, a prominent figure of the Czech Roma community, is a candidate for the European Parliament for the ANO movement, the party of the former prime minister and businessman Babiš.

He wants to effectively fight against discrimination in Brussels. According to him, this applies not only to Roma in the Czech Republic. According to him, the solution could be high fines.

He mentioned that the Roma have a problem with the current coalition of five, and that they sympathize with the ANO movement, under whose government, according to them, “it was better”.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Igor Holub

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Slovakia mourns the death of musician Igor Holub. The sad news was published on the social network by the artist’s nephew Robert, the website regiony.zoznam.sk reported.

May he rest in peace.

Czech Republic Europe News Eastern Europe

European Elections

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The organization RomanoNet, an umbrella platform of Roma and pro-Roma non-profit organizations and initiatives, in cooperation with one of its member organizations, ROMEA, launched the awareness and motivational campaign Me žav! on May 20. Its goal is, in the form of short videos, to contribute to increasing the participation of Roma voters in the elections to the European Parliament, which will take place on June 7 and 8, 2024.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Roma Vakeren

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The third episode of the series ‘Roma Vakeren” speaks about the creation of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust Memorial in Lety u Písek. Other topics include the worship of Black Sarah and the three Marys during the “Gypsy pilgrimage” in the south of France as well as the 20th editions of the World Roma Festival Khamoro.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

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The police charged a 78-year-old man with the crime of disorderly conduct and violence against a group of residents, who, according to findings so far, threatened a Roma family in Svitavy with an ax and a gun in his hand at the beginning of May. The Romea.cz server reported on the incident that took place on the street. The witness said the man called people “black monkeys” and threatened to kill them. The police are also investigating a possible racial motive for the crime.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro

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From Sunday, May 26, Prague hosts the Khamoro World Roma Festival. In addition to traditional music, it will offer world-renowned gypsy jazz concerts, film screenings, an exhibition about Holocaust survivors, a theatre performance by the Slovak National Theatre and a gastronomic show by culinary star Pavel Berky. The week-long marathon with the motto “Khamoro shines for everyone” will culminate with the final gala concert at the Sasazu club on Saturday, June 1. The largest Roma festival in the world has been organized since 1999 by Slovo 21 and Studio Production Saga.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Grave Robbers

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42 Roma graves were robbed and desecrated in Obrenovac and the town next to Zvečka, Serbia. This is not the first time that Romani graves have been the target of robbers in Obrenovac.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma Media

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An article in the Serbian press about the first Conference dedicated to the development of media strategy, critical approach and improvement of the position of journalists dealing with issues of the Roma community in Europe which was held in Murska Sobota, Slovenia May 20-22.

One of the key problems faced by Roma in media across Europe is the lack of young Roma who want to engage in journalism. According to the article, Serbia is leading the way with many young Roma engaged in Journalism.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Novi Sad Roma Ball

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The Novi Sad Roma Ball will be held on Tuesday, May 28, starting at 8 p.m., at the “Vila Moskva” hotel. Every year, the Roma association “Bela Romkinja” organizes a traditional Roma ball.

This year, in addition to the main event, a humanitarian evening will be organized, where packages will be made from the money collected and sent to help families in the Bangladesh settlement whose houses were destroyed by fire.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma Spirit

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In Bratislava, on May, the Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová received the laureates and finalists of the 15th edition of the Roma Spirit award. She stated it on the social network. She pointed to hundreds of stories of hope, humanity and inspiration. According to her, these helped disprove the belief that the exclusion of Roma is an unsolvable problem.

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