Category Archives: Czech Republic

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Musician’s Book

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Czechia: Musician’s Book

What is it like to lose your sight as a child? What if you have a disobedient guide dog? What does a blind musician have to deal with? And what did police bullying of Roma look like in the nineties? The most famous Czech Roma accordionist Mário Bihári tells about this in his new book.

The book is called “Music in Colour”.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Moravia: Roma Culture

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Moravia: Roma Culture

The Moravian-Silesian Region has increased funds for supporting cultural activities in the region by almost 3 million crowns (121500 euros).

This will contribute to stage readings, a Roma festival or improvisational theatre. “As part of the subsidy program for professional and non-professional activities in the field of culture, the region supported 54 projects in March this year, among which the councillors distributed 11 million crowns. We managed to allocate additional funds for culture, so we will be able to support another 9 interesting events, to which we will contribute a total of 2.8 million crowns. These include, for example, the Improtřesk festival, Sorfest or the multi-genre Roma festival ARA FEST Ostrava,” said Peter Harvánek, the Moravian-Silesian Region Councillor for Culture and Monument Preservation.

Will this help Roma?

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Sterilisations

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Czechia and Sterilisations

The Czech President Petr Pavel has signed a law extending the deadline for submitting compensation claims for forced sterilisations to January 2027.

Many Romnja who had been forced-sterilised had tried to get their claims registered, but the process was so slow that they would have seen their claims dismissed. Let’s hope this time it will work.

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Glastonbury and Roma

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Glastonbury and Roma

The musical formation Songs of Roma will perform at one of the largest and most famous music festivals in the world in Glastonbury in the United Kingdom. They will present the Romani repertoire and will also lead a workshop on traditional singing. The festival takes place from June 25 to 29 and will offer a varied cultural program focused, among other things, on the Romani community.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

A Book by Roma about Roma

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A Book by Roma about Roma

Patrik Banga – a distinguished journalist and blogger – nevertheless published his first book, The Real Way Out. Now Banga has another book to his credit. It inextricably combines journalism, Roma and music – because Banga is also a skilled musician, just like his “Gipsy” brothers Radek and Gyulla – both in the author and in his counterpart. It is a book interview, namely with a person who has long deserved it: the former accordionist of Zuzana Navarová and Koa Mário Bihari, musician, lyricist and frontman of the band Bachtale Apsa.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Domestic Violence

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Domestic Violence

The Romeo server has just published research on domestic violence against Roma women. The research was presented by the Slovo 21 organization at the Speak Out conference as part of the Khamoro festival. 500 women from 19 cities in the Czech Republic responded. What are the results?

More than two-thirds of the respondents know someone who has experienced domestic violence and almost 29 percent of the women have experienced domestic violence personally. According to more than half of them, violence in their environment occurs either repeatedly or constantly.

But from this small non-representative sample to say that a third of all Romnja suffer from domestic violence is goig to far.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and Minorities

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Czechia and Minorities

Martin Kanaloš has been writing since childhood, but only recently introduced himself with his debut novel. The book Me, Tran and Everything Else tells the story of two teenagers, half Roma and half Vietnamese, from a housing estate.

“They experience various troubles on the outskirts of the city, in a housing estate,” added Kanaloš. They feel that life is slipping through their fingers, unlike their classmates from a small-town high school, until they show up at a fancy party as uninvited guests. They also have a diverse ethnic background in common: Dezi is half Romani and Tran is half Vietnamese. Kanaloš talks about what it’s like not to fit in in the Czech Republic, mixing social realism with black humour. “I have Romani, Hungarian, Ukrainian ancestors. And because I’ve been focusing on Romani issues for the past few years, I chose the Romani theme for this book as well,” the writer explained. The character of Tran is said to be loosely inspired by his friend.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Festival Volunteers

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Khamoro Festival Volunteers

Twelve ROMEA scholarship holders participated in the organization of the World Roma Festival Khamoro this year as part of the educational program “Khamoro shares experiences”, organized by Slovo 21. They helped with production, communication with guests, and documentation of events. In the process, they gained valuable experience, strengthened their self-confidence and pride in their own identity. They also shared their impressions on stage during the final gala concert, and Denisa Hamáčková’s vlog captures the process of their involvement.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Domestic Violence

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Domestic Violence

Almost a third of Roma women have personal experience with domestic violence. Yet most of them do not seek professional help. This is according to a new study by the Slovo 21 organization, which also shows a change in attitudes. The number of Roma women who reject traditional family roles and want to be heard is increasing. The research also brings the first extensive probe into the topic of violence in Roma communities.

The Slovo 21 organization for the first time ever examined the experiences of Roma women with domestic violence on a larger scale. 500 women from 19 Czech cities participated in the survey as part of the Speak Out project. Data collection was carried out by 26 trained Roma interviewers.

The issue as usual, is that one generalises based on a sample that is most probably not so representative in the first place. As we always say, if one doesn’t know how many Roma there are, ho can we infer a percentage?

Bulgaria Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Hristo Kjučukov

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Hristo Kjučukov

Last week, a number of prominent Roma personalities came to Prague thanks to the Khamoro festival. Among the guests was linguistics professor Hristo Kjučukov, who comes from Bulgaria. He has struggled with discrimination since childhood, not only as a Rom, but also as a Muslim. And this is what he tried to overcome with education and success.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Festival

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Khamoro Festival

In the last week of May, the largest Romani festival in the world, Khamoro – translated from Romani as “little sun” – took place in Prague. Over the course of seven days, visitors could experience and taste Romani culture – traditional music, gypsy jazz, theatre, panel debates and a book launch. The festival also drew attention to the unequal conditions faced by Romani people in the Czech Republic.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Program

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Khamoro Program

Visitors can expect real Romani cimbalom, authentic flamenco and for the first time in its almost thirty-year history, Romani musicians from Greece will perform at the festival,” Nikolas Ferenc, a spokesman for the Khamoro festival, told the Romea.cz news server.

Yesterday evening was opened by the band of violin virtuoso Ivan Herák, one of the most sought-after Romani primas in our country. His cymbalom band features Romani artists with musical training, including singer Erika Nováková.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Festival and Roma Music

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Khamoro Festival and Roma Music

Roma music is a melting pot of all genres, it is diverse and fascinating, says linguist and musician. Ondřej Skovajsa, a literary historian, ethnomusicologist and chairman of the Giľora association, which records and makes contemporary Roma songs accessible in audiovisual form, as well as linguist and musician Martin Gális speak about music and Romanes. The end of May belongs to the Khamoro World Festival, which is a traditional celebration of Roma culture. But do young Roma still speak Romanes in everyday communication?

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro

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Khamoro

The festival is organized annually by Slovo 21 and Studio Production Saga s.r.o. It opened with the traditional “Khamoro party”, which was held at Gauča na Výstaviště, where fans of modern Romani music can look forward to Tessie & Band, Tomas and Ritmo Gitano. There were also two concerts in the Jazz Dock – the first one will take place on May 26 and will feature the Milan Angelo Trio. On May 27, he will be replaced by the Dario Napoli Trio, whose frontman is the phenomenal Italian guitarist Dario Napoli, who draws inspiration from the legacy of Django Reinhardt.

This year’s Khamoro World Romani Festival will not be without traditional Romani music. Visitors can enjoy it on May 29th and 30th in the La Fabrika space.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Kick Off

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Khamoro Kick Off

Thrilling rhythms, strong voices and a unique atmosphere – that’s how the 27th year of the world’s largest Romani festival Khamoro will kick off tonight. The opening concert on the open-air stage in Gauč at Prague’s Výstaviště will feature contemporary Romani music performed by Tereza “Tessie” Ondičová, the band Ritmo Gitano and singer Thomas from 7:30 p.m.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Prague Exhibition

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Prague Exhibition

The exhibition “Rohatí / The Horned Ones” is on display at Prague’s Artivist Lab until June 7, combining the works of Monika Kováčová and Adrián Kriška. The art installation connects blacksmithing and textile creation with queer identity, Romani tradition and the mythology of resistance. The opening took place on April 7 as part of the celebrations of International Roma Day.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Khamoro Festival and Chaplin

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Khamoro Festival and Chaplin

The film Chaplin I Spirit of the Tramp tells the story of the Roma identity Charlie Chaplin. It will have its Czech premiere in Prague: during the Khamoro Roma Culture Festival on May 27 at the Atlas Cinema and on May 30 at the central Municipal Library.

The film captures the family’s search for the Romani roots of the famous actor, director and screenwriter, whose character The Tramp has become one of the most iconic symbols of world cinema. The documentary is based on the testimonies of members of Chaplin’s family, especially his son Michael. But it also draws from a unique family archive. Viewers will get to know previously unpublished materials and get to know Chaplin from a new perspective.

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