A video emerged of two politicians of the ultra-conservative PiS party dancing on Roma music. Nota bene, the party is not particularly well inclined towards Roma…
A discussion with Dr. Joanna Talewicz about emerging Roma feminism, cultural changes in Roma communities, and the influence of pop culture on these processes.
“This Friday, December 13, at 7Arte we welcome you for a musical evening with Gipsy Groove, a fantastic group known for their dynamic music that combines traditional Roma sounds with reggae, ska, and funk,” the announcement states. The event takes place in Mitrovica, Kosovo.
Roman Lacko lived with his wife and two children in a shed in a Roma settlement in Važec, Slovakia. He lost his house in a fire in November. The municipality sayas that it tried to help them.
The Liptov village of Važec offers its residents emergency housing 100 kilometres away in another district and region. It bought apartments and a family house there, allegedly because they were cheaper than under the Tatras. According to the association of local governments, however, the problems of socially excluded communities cannot be shifted onto the shoulders of other local governments.
Tibor Horváth, a Roma advisor to the chairman of the Košice Self-Governing Region for Roma communities, died this last weekend. The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities reported on his passing: “These days, friends, selfless colleagues, great people and dedicated activists in the field of work with the Roma community have unexpectedly left us forever. Tibor Horváth from Košice, a fighter for a better life for the Roma, the only Roma advisor on the issue of the MRK from eight Slovak regions, passionate about the work to which he sacrificed everything.”
May he rest in peace.
The historian Kateřina Čapková is a leading expert on modern Jewish history in Central and Eastern Europe, the history of the Sinti and Roma, and on flight and migration in the 20th century. She teaches at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The central focus of her research is on the experiences of Jewish communities in what was then Czechoslovakia during and after World War II. Čapková opens up new perspectives on the interactions between nationalism, minority policy, and transnational networks in Europe. The Reimar Lüst Prize will enable her to conduct research at the Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow in Leipzig.
Klaudio Virág (27), a resident of the city of Levič, tried to get a job at the Slovak Power Plants in Mochovce as a locksmith. He claims that in a phone call, the job broker told him that they didn’t want Roma people in Mochovce, allegedly because of bad experiences.
Five families in Zvolen, Slovakia, saw their homes burn down in mid-November, and it caused almost no commotion. They were Roma from the area below Pustý hrad. The families refused to go to a community centre temporarily; they were afraid they would lose their children. They moved in with their relatives and acquaintances and don’t know how they will survive the winter.
For young people from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, the Student Resource Centre opened its doors on Wednesday and the Additional Support for University Studies programme was launched. This initiative, led by representatives of these communities, was hailed as proof of the belief in the transformative power of education.
The Czech Roma Literature Publishing House “Kher” published a unique book for children aged four and up this year. It was written by Romani author Eva Danišová, winner of the Milena Hübschmannová Award. For the youngest readers, the book presents a Romani peer as the main character for the first time in everyday life situations and during preparation for first grade.
The Czech government has finally agreed to extend the deadline for submitting their claims for forced sterilisation by two years to January 2027. The deadline was originally set to January 2025, but the authorities raised so many hurdles for Romnja, that is was almost impossible to get these sterilisations acknowledged (even when there was some written evidence).
Ethnographer Martin Fotta from the Institute of Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has received a prestigious grant from the European Research Council (ERC). His project, entitled “Roma Family in the Period of War” (RAW), received financial support of 2 million euros, or approximately 51 million crowns. The aim of the research is to understand how war conflicts and their consequences affected Roma kinship ties, family structures and community cohesion in different parts of Europe and the Middle East.
A paediatrician in the Czech town of Aš posted on his door: “In view of the increasing aggressiveness of the Romani people, I am not registering them with immediate effect.”
Apparently, several Roma were in his waiting room without an appointment and behaved aggressively. What really happened remains to be seen.
When a school child said he wants to become a senator, the teacher was shocked…
The Czechs’ awareness of the genocide of the Roma during the Holocaust remains low, although the situation has been improving in recent years thanks to media coverage. But teaching about the history of the Roma in schools is still insufficient. In an interview with ČTK, historian and director of the Museum of Roma Culture Jana Horváthová said this. She believes that the topic needs to be included in the curriculum.
Another article about the Roma ‘Problem’ emphasising that Roma are violent, dangerous, and thus cannot fit in society. This time, about a Rom who attacked a man and his young daughter.
Bad.
Bojana Rozman has been a Roma assistant at Bršljin Primary School for more than 13 years, and her work week is always dynamic. Providing learning assistance, working with a social worker, resolving conflicts between students and visiting a Roma settlement are just a few of the activities of many Roma assistants. Together with other school employees, they solve the problems of Roma students.
The Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Nationalities recently published an invitation to participate in a public prize competition for children and young people entitled Together against Anti-Gypsyism.
Roma representatives greeted the idea, but there are several politicians and parties who criticise this as a waste of money.
Again, there are suspicions about the voting patterns of several Roma villages and neighbourhoods in the region of Kyustendil, Bulgaria. Recounts are being started.
Ethnologist Oľga Bodorová has been nominated for the Roma Spirit 2024 award for her lifetime contribution to ethnography and museology, especially for her documentation of the material and spiritual culture of Roma in Gemer-Malohont. Her publishing and presentation activities and efforts to preserve cultural heritage are of invaluable value for future generations.
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