Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Stoliwood

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Stoliwood

In the Plovdiv Roma neighbourhood of “Stolipinovo”, a group of young Roma gather every week not by obligation, but by choice – to make theater. The “Stoliwood” troupe unites participants from different nationalities and cultures, who rehearse together, argue, look for ideas and create their own performances.

Viki Gabor

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Viki Gabor

Viki Gabor, one of the most popular Polish singers of the younger generation, may be married which created a frenzy of articles and social media post. She did not say it, but apparently the lyrics of her songs suggest otherwise – she addresses her beloved directly and alludes to Roma wedding traditions.

“Gypsy” Restaurant

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“Gypsy” Restaurant

A “Gypsy” restaurant opened its doors in downtown Budapest, on Váci Street, at the end of July this year.There have been a few attempts to run a such a restaurant in Budapest, but none of them have lasted long. On Vaci utca, the main touristic thoroughfare might be more suitable.

Roma and Media

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Roma and Media

Roma have long been portrayed in limited and stereotypical roles in Czech media and film – as victims, perpetrators or caricatures. Alica Sigmund Heráková, founder of the Tuke.TV platform and the TUKINO film festival, talks about why authentic Roma stories, Roma authors and diverse characters are missing in audiovisual media in the new episode of the SODAcast podcast.

Jana Horváthová

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Jana Horváthová

An Interview with the director of the Czech Museum of Roma Culture Jana Horváthová. She was asked what issues from her own family did she have to deal with?

“Throughout my childhood and youth, I considered my Roma origin to be a kind of mark of Cain,” she says.

Romni, or not?

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Romni, or not?

Social media went bersek after Ana Metusheva from Lovech, who had been persistently posting as Shermin from Israel, posted photos from Christmas with her family. Her stepfather was an Israeli man who died recently, forcing the family to move back to Bulgaria. She is apparently a Romni, and has a younger half-brother from her Israeli stepfather.

Roma Integration

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Roma Integration

The Bulgarian Cabinet of Ministers approved the report on the implementation of the National Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of the Roma in 2024.

The report was prepared based on the data received on the implemented measures, activities and policies by the responsible institutions and presents comprehensive information on the implementation of the National Strategy, as well as the municipal action plans.

Nice, but what really happened?

Education in Montenegro

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Education in Montenegro

The Ministry of Education and Science introduced Roma educational mediators in secondary education for the first time this school year, with the aim of promoting inclusion and reducing dropout of students from the Roma ethnic community. Through a public call, 20 individuals were selected to work directly with high school students and their families to overcome the educational and social challenges they face.

Let’s see what it really does.

Fire

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Fire

A fire burned in the Soifia “Lyulin” district at night. Accirding to the article, “It houses a temporary accommodation center. Socially disadvantaged Roma families are accommodated there. People from the area have been complaining for years about numerous problems related to crime, poor hygiene and aggressive behaviour of some of the residents. The place has become a ghetto.”

Music ban …

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Music ban …

A few days ago, the Ljubljana City Council, at the suggestion of Mayor Zoran Janković, voted to ban spontaneous street musical performances until the end of December. This removed the trumpeters from the streets, who were the main target of the decision.

Witches?

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Witches?

An article full of stereotypes and folklore… A few excerpts:

In the village of Săpânța, near the Ukrainian border, two women recall: “If a boy was jealous of another, his mother would cast a spell on the girl to make her feel bad and prevent the marriage from taking place.” Next to her, her friend adds: “When my niece left home, we had a falling out. A woman at the market offered to cast a spell on her to bring her back, by the heavens. I refused, of course.”

French Chronicle …

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French Chronicle …

Almost nothing about Roma this week in the French press. Just an article about a camp near Paris that was left, but with tons of garbage in its place, and an article in Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical newspaper about Bulgaria, unfortunately with lots of French based clichés on Roma.

Czechia, Slovakia, and Christmas

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Czechia, Slovakia, and Christmas

The well-known Roma musician Gejza Horváth can tell you at length how they celebrated Christmas. He was born in 1948 in Písečná in the Šumpersk region, but spent his childhood in the settlement of Kolinovce near the Slovak town of Krompachy. He comes from a musical family and was already playing with the biggest bands in Slovakia at the age of twelve. So he was definitely not bored at Christmas. In Gejza Horváth’s childhood, Roma would go around the village to play carols for the gádže

Human Rights in Slovakia

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Human Rights in Slovakia

In 2025, human rights were most weakened since the founding of the Slovak Republic. This was pointed out by the Human Rights Coalition, which presented the Human Rights Balance 2025. In it, the organizations pointed out a widespread deterioration of human rights and freedoms. The analysis reveals a dramatic increase in interference with the rule of law, a weakening of media freedom, deepening discrimination against Roma, a shrinking space for civil society, and also restrictions on the rights of children, women and LGBTI+ people.

Roma, Music, and a Mayor

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Roma, Music, and a Mayor

A huge number of articles in the Croatian press about the mayor of the town of Sinj, Miro Bulj who removed removed the Roma orchestra from the public space on Christmas Eve, even though they played the since years at Christmas. The mayor explained that they were singing “Đurđevdan”, and that it was inappropriate for Christmas Eve, and that anyhow, they were not authorised to play in public. A video contradict this, as it shows him gesturing towards the musicians to leave.

Prior to that, the orchestra played among the gathered citizens, without any visible incident.

Well, depending how you pronounce this mayor’s name, it means an ass in Romanes.

Sally Cortes

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Sally Cortes

“The first step must be taken by oneself – to believe that one can achieve everything one dreams of,” says Romani writer and activist Sally Cortés in an interview.

North Macedonia and Citizenship

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North Macedonia and Citizenship

The North Macedonian appeal court confirmed the condemnation of the state for failing to comply on the law of unregistered persons, a law that allowed registration of people without a birth certificate. I did discriminate against Roma, especially in the countryside.

Kosovo and Racial Discrimination

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Kosovo and Racial Discrimination

Institutions and Civil Society Unite Against Racial Discrimination during the Kosovo Regional Summit where they reaffirmed the commitment to combating racial discrimination and promoting the inclusion of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities.

The Regional Summit Against Racial Discrimination, held in Pristina for the sixth time, emphasized institutional cooperation with civil society to promote inclusive policies and strengthen mechanisms to combat discrimination, particularly against Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities.

Romano Football

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Romano Football

The Roma football club, which was founded without a pitch and without money, today attracts the attention of opponents and spectators throughout the district. SK Roma Mělník had to fight for its place in football. “I was excited, but at the same time I knew that starting from scratch would be incredibly difficult,” says its chairman and player Dominik Malinský in the DROMcast podcast.

Law in Romanes

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Law in Romanes

The Hermeniculum Association is preparing the first translation of the Constitution of the Czech Republic and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms into the Romanes. It will be created as part of the Romani version of the book Constitutional (Disorder) in Pictures, which will be published by Wolters Kluwer. The translation is intended to symbolically and practically strengthen the position of Romani in the public sphere and draw attention to the importance of not only the linguistic rights of national minorities.

Well, not sure of the purpose.

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