The Czech president Pavel received two dozen Roma for the April oth celebration.
A recapitulative of the events and people who were involved in the first World Roma Congress which led to the recogintion og the International Roma day on April 8th.
President Petr Pavel and Eva Pavlová will receive Roma community leaders at Prague Castle on the occasion of International Roma Day. According to information from the Romea.cz server, a total of 20 Roma men and women are expected to attend. Almost half of them are graduates of the educational program Supporting the Social Inclusion of Roma through Community Development and Entrepreneurship, which was implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The three-year program involved 80 participants from 11 regions of the Czech Republic. The names of the specific participants have not yet been published.
The Regional Court in Ostrava has sentenced a group of three men and one woman, who according to the indictment were led by 23-year-old Enrico Pešta, known as the Roma rapper Hard Rico. He was sentenced to four years in prison for robbery and extortion and must pay two million crowns. Two other defendants were sentenced to five years in prison, and Hard Rico’s former girlfriend was sentenced to three years in prison.
Věra Bílá, who was born on May 22, 1954 in Rokycany as one of Karol Gini’s six children, was a phenomenon of Romani music at the turn of the millennium. She sang for Bill Clinton at the White House, filled the Paris Olympia and was on her way to becoming the most famous Czech singer in the world. However, her career was later affected by the deaths of her husband, son and gambling. In March, we commemorate the seven-year anniversary of her death.
Jakub Jarý’s life journey proves that if a person really wants to, he can overcome obstacles that may seem insurmountable to others. He is now a medical doctor in Czechia.
Even though he comes from an excluded locality and grew up in a working-class family, he was set up from the beginning to want to fight for a better life. As he himself says: “No shortcuts will help and in the long run they will not bring anything good, I am convinced of that. If young people want to live in better conditions than the ones they grew up in, they can only achieve this through diligence and work.”
The Regional Court in Ostrava heard a case involving a group of four men and one woman, allegedly led by 23-year-old Enrico Pešta, known as the Roma rapper Hard Rico. The members of the group face five to seven years in prison for robbery and extortion. Hard Rico pleaded guilty in the courtroom, the prosecutor is asking for six years in prison for him. The verdict will be handed down in April.
Bad.
The Czech Social Inclusion Agency, an agency whose goal was the inclusion of Roma, is being restructured. Unions in the Agency are calling of a strike, and several Roma organisations have expressed concerns.
In a statement to the news server Romea.cz, the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková stated that the Agency for Social Inclusion has moved away from its original mission over the years, which was to support the integration of Roma and address the situation in socially excluded localities. She criticizes the lack of measurable results, transparent data and real participation of Roma and also refers to the conclusions of the Supreme Audit Office from 2024. According to her, it is therefore appropriate to consider a fundamental transformation and readjustment of the social inclusion agenda.
Roma are often talked about in the Czech Republic, but much less are they actually listened to. The guest of the 21st episode of the SODAcast podcast is Iveta Millerová, who describes why, in her opinion, the public debate does not see the whole, what the limits of institutions are, and why no fundamental change will occur without the will of the families and communities themselves.
An open discussion will be held on the 17th of March in the Teologická fakulta, Jihočeská univerzita v ČB, in České Budějovice. The discussion meeting is intended primarily for representatives of city administration, schools, kindergartens and the professional public. Together they will focus on current topics related to supporting children not only in education, sharing practice, experiences, opinions and opportunities for mutual cooperation. The aim of the meeting is to create a space for dialogue and inspiration for further steps towards quality and fair education for every child.
The Ministry of Regional Development is preparing organizational changes that, according to information from the Seznam Zprávy server, could actually mean the end of the Social Inclusion Agency. Since 2008, it has been helping municipalities solve problems in socially excluded localities.
According to information from Seznam Zpráv, the current Department of Social Inclusion is to be merged with the Department of Housing Policy. In practice, this could mean a fundamental limitation of the activities of the Agency for Social Inclusion, which currently employs around a hundred employees and operates directly in the regions, where it helps municipalities prevent social exclusion.
ROMEA TV broadcasted a live coverage of a memorial service in Prague’s Ruzyne on Tuesday, March 10, at 3 p.m., commemorating the Roma and Sinti Holocaust victims. The memorial service took place at the former forced labor camp, from where Roma and Sinti were deported to the Auschwitz II – Birkenau extermination camp in March 1943.
An interview with Nick Ferenc, a Romano actor. On social media, he breaks down prejudices and humorously breaks down stereotypes that he himself struggles with. In the podcast Hlas Heroine, he describes how difficult it is for a Romani actor to break free from pre-given expectations and not just play flat caricatures. For example, he sees a positive change in his role in the upcoming series from the creators of the hit Most!, where he plays a prisoner. “It was important to me that I didn’t play ‘Roma’.
As he himself says, even top screenwriters can throw away their talent and write a flat caricature when writing Romani roles.
Rehearsals for the Romano voďi (Roma Soul) singing group take place regularly every Tuesday. For the children, it is a fixed point in the week that they look forward to. “We rehearse in the facilities of the Mutual Coexistence organization on Bieblová Street in Ostrava,” says Milan Giovanni Bindatsch. However, it is not just about “singing”. According to him, the key is to work systematically and sensitively. “It’s not just about singing itself, but mainly about working with the voice and listening to others so that the children sing in harmony with each other and don’t shout at each other,” says Bindatsch.
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.
Long and sad Roma songs that sing about losses, poverty and injustices – the so-called halgáta. This musical tradition, which is passed down from generation to generation among the Roma, could gain official recognition. Dozens of people, including researchers and members of the Roma community, are trying to register halgáta on the national cultural heritage list.
At the end of last year, a new children’s choir was created in Ostrava, which arose from the efforts of singer and choirmaster Ida Kelarová to find new talents for her ensemble known as Čhavorenge (Romani for “Child”). The children who did not succeed in the audition wanted to continue singing together, and so, thanks to cooperation with local organizations Vzájemné soužití, Ostravská nota, Velká náruč and with Milan Bindatsch from the Ibsenova Elementary School, a new ensemble was born. Its creation brought with it an unexpected effect among the residents of excluded localities – a strong emancipatory and activating effect.
The specific Romani musical genre halgató, characterized by long and sad songs, could receive official recognition and be included on the list of intangible cultural heritage. Now, the bearers of the tradition are striving for this together with experts, according to whom it is an important living part of the Roma identity, which is passed down between generations, and should also have its place on the UNESCO list.
Singing out of suffering. Romani halgató singing is passed down through generations, it is important for the community and identity
Romani halgató singing is a specific musical genre. It is characterized by long, sad songs, usually accompanied by light guitar or violin accompaniment. The musical tradition could gain official recognition. Dozens of people and bearers of this tradition, including researchers and members of the Romani community, are seeking to have the halgató genre listed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage.
A violent video game features a young Rom hunting down and killing Nazis as a revenge for the brutal murder of his family by Nazis.
Not sure this is the best way to remember this genocide.
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