Category Archives: Czech Republic

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Nikolas Ferenc

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Nikolas Ferenc

Nikolas Ferenc, an actor and influencer who raises Roma topics on social networks, was the guest of the Klub Rádia Junior. He revealed to the moderator Eva Sinkovičová how he refutes negative prejudices.

As he is of Romani origin, he talks about Roma culture on social media and refutes prejudices. According to Nikolas, people most often think of Roma as thieves and non-workers.

“I try to work with a bit of humor, I try to explain things historically,” he says. He considers the idea that Roma don’t work to be one of the biggest lies. “If Roma didn’t work, we wouldn’t have sewage systems in Prague,” he says, adding that Roma often do jobs that others don’t want to do.

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Romani Pov

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Romani Pov

The Romani youth group PowerPeng! from Berlin meets the Romani media platform TUKE.TV from Brno. Through short films and a performance, they engage in dialogue and discuss how young Roma in Germany and the Czech Republic keep the memory of Sinti and Roma alive through their media work, how they shape resistance against the far right, and how they can maintain their place in the public consciousness.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro

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Khamoro

Roma music from different corners of the world, a theatrical story about the Romani partisan Josef Serink, a traditional procession of hundreds of Romani artists through the historical centre of Prague, and debates on topics that move society. The capital will once again transform into the centre of Romani culture in the last week of May. The largest Romani festival in the world – Khamoro – is returning to the metropolis. The twenty-eighth year will offer a total of seven concerts of various genres and about two dozen accompanying events. The festival has been organized by Slovo 21 and Studio Production Saga since 1999. This year’s event was held under the patronage of the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Roma

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Czechia and Roma

The Czech government is transfering the Romani agenda from the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic to the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry. Czech Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková said that she does not yet want to give an opinion on the specific impacts this entails.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro

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Khamoro

The Khamoro World Roma Festival will begin next Sunday, May 24, with a concert on Střelecký Island in Prague. Until Saturday, May 30, the 28th year of the festival will offer seven concerts of various genres and about two dozen accompanying events. President Petr Pavel took over the patronage of this year’s edition.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Hodonín u Kunštátu Memorial

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Hodonín u Kunštátu Memorial

 A meeting of descendants of Roma and Sinti Holocaust survivors took place at the Hodonín u Kunštátu Memorial to the Holocaust of the Roma and Sinti in Moravia on Saturday, 16 May 2026 to honour the memory of the Roma and Sinti victims of Nazism. The event was organized by the Association of Roma and Sinti in the Czech Republic together with the Brno Christian Aid Association.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Podcast

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Podcast

In the twenty-third episode of the SODAcast podcast, its authors Zdeněk Ryšavý and Patrik Banga return to the housing case of Minister for Regional Development Zuzana Mrázová, the debate on the Agency for Social Inclusion, the May Day march against fascism and the vocabulary of some politicians. They also discuss the Sudeten Germans’ congress in Brno and the violence of some football fans.

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Khamoro Festival: Ma bistrass! – Against Forgetting!

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Khamoro Festival: Ma bistrass! – Against Forgetting!

What contribution can art and culture make to remembering the genocide of the Roma and Sinti? This question will be addressed in the discussion in the context of the exhibition of the same name.

This collaborative event between the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Goethe-Institut brings together German and Czech stakeholders from civil society and the cultural sector, inviting them to reflect, discuss, and develop new perspectives for an inclusive and future-oriented culture of remembrance. The discussion takes place in conjunction with the photography exhibition of the same name, which will be on display on Kampa Island in Prague from May 27 to June 10.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Minorities

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Czechia and Minorities

The Czech Constitution rejects calling any group of people “parasites” or considering somebody “inferior”, Senate President Miloš Vystrčil (Civic Democratic Party – ODS) explained at the commemorative ceremony for the Romani and Sinti victims of the Holocaust in Lety u Písku, referring to the recent words of Foreign Minister Petr Macinka and Government Commissioner for Climate Policy and the Green Deal, Filip Turek, both of the Motorists for Themselves party. The gathering honored the memory of the victims of the concentration camp for Roma and Sinti that was established in Lety in 1942.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Michal Mižigár

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Michal Mižigár

In his speech to the commemorative ceremony in Lety u Písku, Czech Republic, Romani scholar Michal Mižigár pointed out that the memorial on the site of the former WWII-era concentration camp for Roma and Sinti is not just a reminder of the past, but also a call to address current racism against Romani people. He spoke to the long struggle for the dignified memorial, the present-day segregation of Romani children in the schools, the forced sterilization of Romani women, and the need to involve Romani men and women in decision-making on matters which affect them.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Commemoration in Lety

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Commemoration in Lety

On Sunday, 10 May 2026 at 12:00 CET the commemorative ceremony honoring the memory of the victims of the WWII-era concentration camp for Roma and Sinti will be held on the grounds of the Lety u Písku Memorial to the Holocaust of the Roma and Sinti in Bohemia. The gathering is held by the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust in the Czech Republic with the support of the Czech Culture Ministry and the Foundation for Holocaust Victims.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Festival

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Khamoro Festival

The already traditional international Khamoro festival presents the best of Roma culture from around the world. Visitors can look forward to concerts, an accompanying program and meetings with prominent figures of the Roma music and art scene.

The festival brings a diverse mix of genres from traditional Roma music to modern projects and offers a unique opportunity to experience the richness of Roma culture in the heart of Prague.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Commemoration in Lety

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Commemoration in Lety

On Sunday, 10 May 2026 at 12:00 CET, the annual commemoration will be held to honour the memories of the victims of what was once a Roma concentration camp in Lety u Písku. The Event is organized by the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust in the Czech Republic (VPORH) with the support of the Czech Culture Ministry and the Foundation for Holocaust Victims.

Czech Republic Hungary News Eastern Europe

Fidesz Roma Representative

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Fidesz Roma Representative

Politician and State Secretary for Roma Relations Attila Sztojka announced that he will not take up his parliamentary mandate in the new election period and will not continue as a member of the Hungarian parliament. The Fidesz politician said that he wants to return “to the field”, where he said he started in 1998.

In his statement, Sztojka also returned to internal conflicts. He mentioned the processes surrounding the Cigány Közösségek Szövetsége (Federation of Roma Communities, CIKÖSZ) and the National Roma Self-Government (Magyarországi Románok Országos Önkormányzatának, MROÖ) in Hungary. According to him, two years ago it still seemed possible to bring change to the Roma representation, but later, according to him, the disintegration began in both the MROÖ and the CIKÖSZ.

Both are highly controversial organisations and did not do anything for a very long time.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Award

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Czechia: Award

Milan Bindatsch is this year’s winner of the Milena Hübschmannová Award for Contribution to Romani Language, which is awarded by the Department of Romani Studies of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University on the occasion of International Romani Day. He works as a teaching assistant at the Ibsenova Elementary School in Ostrava, where, in addition to his regular teaching work, he also focuses on developing the language skills of Romani children.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Funky Brothers

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Funky Brothers

The band Funky Brothers became one of the most significant Roma music projects of its time. In the 147th episode of the Desetiminutovka program, musician, rapper and producer Ladislav Cirok talks about his first successes, the end of the group, the transformation of the music scene and why he helps young talents in his studio today, even though they sometimes don’t even have money to pay.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia Podcast

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Czechia Podcast

In the twenty-second review episode of the SODAcast podcast, its authors Zdeněk Ryšavý and Patrik Banga return to this year’s celebrations of International Roma Day, the reception of Roma personalities at Prague Castle, and the debate on changes in the Agency for Social Inclusion. They also address the case of Václav Sivák, who wore a sweatshirt with a Russian flag at a press conference, the police crackdown on children in Most, and other events of recent weeks.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Romanes in Czechia

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Romanes in Czechia

According to estimates, there are about a quarter of a million Romani people living in the Czech Republic, but only a portion of them speak Romani. About a third of the youngest generation speaks the language. Romani scholar Marie Podlahová Bořkovcová is trying to reverse this trend not only through teaching, but also through competitions, workshops and literature. “There are also those who are ashamed of speaking Romanes, because being a Rom among children today is not easy,” she says in an interview.

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