Author Archives: Roma Foundation

Award in Brno

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Award in Brno

Jozef Miker, a well-known Roma activist and human rights fighter, received the Museum of Roma Culture Award for 2025. The ceremony took place on Thursday, October 23, at 4 p.m. in Brno and was broadcast live by the first Roma internet television.

Roma Employment

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Roma Employment

The Slovene Ministry of Labour launched the Roma Model programme in May this year, with the aim of increasing Roma employment. The programme is currently implemented only by the Kočevje Business Incubator. Nine Roma women have joined it. Employers’ experiences with them vary, but currently, according to the programme’s implementers, the biggest problem is low pay.

Georges Soros and Roma

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Georges Soros and Roma

Georges Soros was awarded the European Civil Prize for his work for Roma.

Well done.

His son Alex Soros received the prize onhis behalf at a ceremony in Berlin.

Bulgaria, Roma, and Schools

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Bulgaria, Roma, and Schools

Kristiana Koleva, who was the weightlifting coach of 15-year-old Krasi, who was stabbed and killed in a Sofia mall, was a special guest on “Darik’s Day” and shared what her calling is.

“We tell them how to be decent people, to study, to get up early, not to be on those phones. But do you know what I think? That the state is also very guilty of this. And the family. Believe me, these children have a lot of bread in them and they are good people, but we have to work with them. This is not only done by the coaches in the gym. We are like a father, like a mother to them. But the state also has to work.”

Health for Roma in Slovenia

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Health for Roma in Slovenia

The Institute for the Study of Gender Equality (Ipes) presented the Fortuna project, which addresses discrimination in healthcare, which makes it more difficult for Roma men and women to access services and often receive worse treatment. They investigated administrative, linguistic and logistical barriers, lack of information, distrust in institutions, experiences of discrimination, as well as the quality of treatment received by members of this largest European minority, which is known to have a significantly worse health picture compared to the majority population. According to Ana Pavlič, Ipesa’s program director, life expectancy in Slovenia for its members is more than 20 years lower, and child mortality is four times higher. A major indicator of inequality in health care is also early childbirth, with two-thirds of births among Roma women occurring between the ages of 15 and 24. “So women are starting to give birth at very young ages, which certainly indicates a high level of distrust in health institutions related to contraception and reproductive rights,” Pavlič said at a press conference.

Bulgaria: New Web Platform

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Bulgaria: New Web Platform

“Romalo” is the new voice of the Roma community in Bulgaria – the platform where Roma can find answers to important questions. The goal is to significantly reduce misconceptions about Roma, says its creator Mihail Mishev.

If you type “Roma” into the most popular online search engines, you will mostly come across headlines about crimes committed by Roma. You will also find publications about the attitude of other ethnic groups towards Roma, and most likely a video by the most popular YouTuber in Bulgaria – Slavi Katsarov (The Clashers), entitled “50 facts and myths about Roma, between reality and stereotypes”. You may also come across a story from the “good example” category.

In “Romalo”, Roma people tell stories, explain the daily problems of the community and comment on political events and important topics. “There was no platform where we could talk and read, communicate in a meaningful language for the community,” says the activist, political scientist and freelance journalist. In conversations with his relatives and acquaintances from the Roma community, Mihail recognized the need for such a place. And decided to create it.

Really?

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Really?

Quite a buzz because of a Bulgarian romani video on Instagram that highlight the commonality of Romanes, Hindi, and Urdu.

Ever heard about Sanskrit and Prakrit?

Croatia: Living together

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Croatia: Living together

The deputy mayor of the Pribislavec Municipality, a Rom, Rajko Kovačić, spoke out, expressing great dissatisfaction at the stop of the work in the Roma settlement aimed at preventing the illegal dumping of garbage. Ther cause of the stop seems to be tensions within the municipal council.

Croatia: Multicultural Centre

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Croatia: Multicultural Centre

The contract for building a new multicultural centre in the Sitnice settlement in Mursko Središće was signed. With the construction of the Roma Multicultural Centre, the Sitnice settlement will receive a long-awaited space that will be used for work with children, education, culture and various social activities of the Roma community, which will significantly contribute to improving the quality of life and integration.

We’re not sur this is the best help for integration.

School Segregation

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School Segregation

Roma students from Malý Slivník, Slovakia, were segregated at school according to the court. The anti-discrimination lawsuit, which has been won, has created an issue with the so-called two shift classes (one for Roma, one for others).

Poland: Exhibition

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Poland: Exhibition

The opening of the exhibition “The Great Wagon. A Wanderer’s Belonging. A Roma Caravan at a Stopover Near Łomża” will take place on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The gathering will be an opportunity to discover a world that has almost disappeared.

It focuses on the more stereotypical aspects of travellers, and showcases the poetry of Papusza, a Romani poet.

Switzerland and Roma Travellers

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Switzerland and Roma Travellers

A reportage in Swiss television on Roma Travellers and how they are delt with. Recently, the police in the canton of Valais stopped many caravans and blocked a highway to stop them and turn them around.

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

Not much this week in French news about Roma. An Arte Documentary on stereotypes; on the Jubilee in Roma for Roma; and one article about a declaration of a new organisation of a Romano state without land.

Roma Jubilee in Rome

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Roma Jubilee in Rome

Many articles about the Jubilee of Sinti, Roma, and Travellers in Rome.

Romani “Problematic”

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Romani “Problematic”

Another diatribe from a Slovenian MP regarding the security in Southeastern Slovenia. MP Anja Bah Žibert stated at a press conference: Due to the failure to resolve the Roma issue, the situation in the southeast of Slovenia is deteriorating. We are no longer talking about individual incidents, but about steadily increasing violence. Despite numerous warnings from residents, mayors and people’s initiatives, which have been warning about the increase in crime, violence and threats to security for a long time, the state remains passive. The government of Robert Golob has repeatedly promised measures, but these have not been implemented in practice, the SDS MP reminded.

Urban Segregation and the Making of Roma Marginality in Türkiye: The Case of Urla

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Urban Segregation and the Making of Roma Marginality in Türkiye: The Case of Urla

Dr. Uştuk will present his ethnographic research of the Roma community in Urla, a town near Izmir. The talk will begin with a brief overview of the evolution of Romani Studies in Türkiye, situating the emergence of the field within the broader political transformations prompted by EU accession processes and the Roma civil society movement. Against this contextual background, an ethnographic case study from Urla, İzmir region, demonstrates how gentrification policies led to an “exile strategy” against the Roma community, framing them as the “unwanted others.” The research indicates that structural exclusion operates simultaneously through policy frameworks and everyday narratives of blame, sustaining a long-lasting politics of exclusion.

One can register for this conference.

  • https://romanistudies.ch/seminar-series/2025-2026/29-october-2025/

Rome and Roma

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Rome and Roma

On the occasion of the Great World Jubilee of Roma and Sinti, scheduled for October 18, 2025, a musical event will be held in the morning of the Paul VI Hall (Nervi Hall) in the Vatican: a concert in honour of Pope Leo XIV. The chosen soloists for the performance are Abruzzo musicians Gennaro Spinelli (solo violin) and Santino Spinelli (solo accordion), accompanied by the European Peace Orchestra (including: Marco Bartolini, first violin; Rebecca Covaciu, second violin; Marco Ciaffarini, viola; Giulia Spinelli, cello; Gualtiero Lamagna, guitar; Evedise Spinelli, harp; Federico Binetti, percussion; and Roxana Ene, vocals). The event, broadcast worldwide, will feature Roma and Sinti people from around the world.

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