Author Archives: Roma Foundation

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Museum

Published by:

Slovenia: Museum

The European Museum of Roma Culture and History opened its doors at a new location at Štefana Kovača Street 24 in Murska Sobota. The opening was also attended by Minister of Culture Asta Vrečko, who emphasized the importance of preserving Roma cultural heritage and strengthening dialogue in society. The event was prepared by representatives of the Roma Association of Slovenia, the Municipality of Murska Sobota, and the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Nationalities.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

EU Help

Published by:

EU Help

A very critical report on the current office of the plenipotentiary for Roma communities and on how they use the rather large funds (ca. 200 Mio euros) received from the EU for the integration of Roma communities. It contrasts this current era with the work that was done by previous plenipotentiaries.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma Politics in Serbia

Published by:

Roma Politics in Serbia

Roma political activism in Serbia intensified in the early 2000s, when Roma parties and movements attempted to institutionalize the struggle for equality through the parliamentary system. However, after that period, the Roma political scene faced fragmentation, lack of a common strategy, and reduced influence on legislative processes. The last twenty years have been marked by initiatives at the local level, but without stable and long-term parliamentary continuity.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

Published by:

French Chronicle …

An exhibition of works of Ceija Stoika; and the more usual news: A camp closed near Paris, requiring lots of cleanup; the Roma question in the French municiapl elections; the Genocide of the Roma will have a memorial ihn the South of France; and a meeting with the “gens du voyage” near Paris.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma Activist

Published by:

Roma Activist

The lifeless body of a young man was pulled from the city lake in Zrenjanin, Serbia, on February 22nd. The Roma Party announced that it was nineteen-year-old Manuel Ametov, who disappeared eight days ago. A protest called “Justice for Manuel” was held last night because of this case. The crowd pointed out that the police were informed of the disappearance in a timely manner, but that there was no extensive search and alerting, which is available to the state.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Zigeunerlager

Published by:

Zigeunerlager

Roma and Poles commemorated the 83rd anniversary of the establishment of the so-called Gypsy camp (Zigeunerlager) by the Germans at Auschwitz II-Birkenau on Thursday. They jointly paid tribute to the victims. Twenty-one thousand Roma and Sinti died in Auschwitz.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Clothing

Published by:

Clothing

An article about Roma cloting in the Polish press.

Classic ethnographic studies emphasize that clothing in Romani communities served a social and symbolic function.

Ethnographer Lech Mróz, author of, among others, The publication “Gypsies: Diversity and Intolerance” pointed out that dress was one of the most visible signs of cultural distinctiveness and an element in maintaining intergroup boundaries. However, it was not immutable – it evolved along with living conditions.

For women, traditional clothing – long, full skirts, covered shoulders, and expressive jewelry – was associated not only with aesthetics but also with social norms, including the rules of ritual purity (marime), present in some Romani groups.

There is no single “Roma costume”.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Viki Gabor

Published by:

Viki Gabor

Another flury of articles about Viki Gabor, a singer, who married just before Christmas. And now all sort of stereotypes about Roma weddings, traditions, and so on.

Painful.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Education, and Roma

Published by:

Bulgaria, Education, and Roma

An article on “educational” cases against minors filed with the prosecutor in Slivengrad, Bulgaria in 2025. 29 children, all boys were invoilved in the cases. What is positive is that the number of cases involving Roma has significantly decreased from 2024.

Germany News Western Europe

Representation

Published by:

Representation

From March 6 to 29, 2026, BLECH, Kunstraum Halle e.V., will present the exhibition “In Search of Eldorado – Roma and Sinti in the Struggle for Representation.” It will feature photographs by the artist Nihad Nino Pušija, who has been photographically exploring the lives of members of the Roma community for more than 30 years.

Sinti and Roma are considered one of the most marginalized population groups in Europe. Their public perception is still often shaped by stereotypical imagery. According to the organizers, there is a continued lack of spaces for self-determined cultural representation and nuanced visibility. Pušija’s photographic work aims to foster a more complex and self-determined perspective on Sinti and Roma.

Italy News Western Europe

Romani Language and Culture

Published by:

Romani Language and Culture

The second edition of the “Romani Language and Culture” course will begin on March 4th at Sapienza University of Rome. The course aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the language, traditions, and history of the Romani people, with a multidisciplinary approach that combines theory, practice, and critical reflection. Topics covered include Romani grammar, culture and traditions, the Samudaripen (the extermination of Roma and Sinti during Nazi-Fascism), the living conditions of Roma in Europe and Latin America, inclusion policies, the fight against discrimination and hate speech, the struggle for civil rights, and the promotion of a culture of respect and integration.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Settlement

Published by:

Slovenia: Settlement

A settlement in Slovenia is increasing in size, and apparently, there are more and more illegal constructions built on agricultuyral land.

Žabjak was first legalized in 1984, when around 250 Roma lived there. Today, there are reportedly around a thousand of them, with more than 300 of them registered with the municipality and the social work center.

“Despite the seal due to illegal construction, they continue to build on agricultural land. “After the illegal renovation of the building, a Roma family has now poured concrete on a new slab to expand the building, despite the ban. The owners are exclusively recipients of social assistance. Who will take action? On which side will the Human Rights Ombudsman be this time?” was the view of the residents of one of the villages around Šentjernej echoed in public earlier this week.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma, History, and Discrimination

Published by:

Roma, History, and Discrimination

Slovak Ombudsman Róbert Dobrovodský emphasizes that even 81 years after the tragedy in Dubnica nad Váhom, Roma are not protected from all forms of discrimination.

The fate of the Roma during the Holocaust was overlooked and tabooed for decades. That is why it is an obligation to talk about these tragedies openly and without relativization. In connection with the 81st anniversary of the murder of Roma in the detention camp in Dubnica nad Váhom, the public defender of rights Róbert Dobrovodský stated this on the social network.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Roma and Czech Politics

Published by:

Roma and Czech Politics

Romani activist and founder of Ara Art association David Tišer announced at the beginning of this year that he will leave the Council of the Czech Republic because of the issues of the Romani minority. That fulfills the function of the advisory body of the state. Tišer made his decision based on the fact that he was reacting to the development of the political environment in the Czech Republic. “Okamura and Turek are not among the people I can trust, who will push the Roma issue forward,” he explains in an interview.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Roma Centre

Published by:

Roma Centre

A Roma centre built in a smal municipality in Istria is raising eyebrows. It is large, luxurious, is reported to have cost 8 million euros, all in a municipality that officially only has 9 Roma residents.

Germany News Western Europe

Hanover: Memorial

Published by:

Hanover: Memorial

A memorial to the murdered Sinti and Roma is to be erected in the city center. The plans are now taking concrete form: Six selected international artists will participate in a competition. The design of the memorial should be finalized in September.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

“Crime Hunters”

Published by:

“Crime Hunters”

A scary article about the Hungarian “Bűnvadászok” (Crime Hunters), a vigilante group linked to the extreme right party “Mi Hazánk” who regularly target Roma whiom they often call “parasites” in tehir social media chanels.

At least some legal proceedings have been stqarted against them …

Germany News Western Europe

Berlin and Roma

Published by:

Berlin and Roma

The “Berlin Monitor,” funded by the Berlin Senate, published its annual report for 2025 on Monday. The report focuses on the situation of minorities in Germany. NIUS presents a selection of data.

The study’s opening statement reads: “25 to 30 percent of Berliners would like to see Sinti and Roma banned from city centers and assume they are less civilized.”

Forty-two percent of those surveyed believe Sinti and Roma are themselves to blame for the discrimination they face. One in three respondents considers them “not very civilized.” Nearly half (45 percent) believe that the presence of Sinti and Roma leads to conflict.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN