Slovenia and Roma

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The President of the Slovenian Republic, Nataša Pirc Musar, visited the Roma settlement Lepovče in Ribnica, where she discussed the common issues facing them with representatives of the Roma and the mayor Sam Pogorelce. She pointed out that Roma children attend schools as the key to solving Roma issues. “That’s why I call on all Roma parents to send their children to school,” she said.

Khamoro: Round Table

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On Monday, May 27, as part of the 26th edition of the Khamoro Roma festival, a discussion on the topic of Roma education, entitled Together for the Future of Young Roma, took place in Prague’s Přítomnost cinema. The event was organized by the ROMEA organization.

Movie

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Acclaimed Slovak director Martin Šulík made an uncompromising film about a young Roma boy born in a settlement in Eastern Slovakia.

The director said: “We wanted to make a film about our Roma because we realized that we don’t know anything about them. We know the Gypsy Kings, a one-hundred-member Roma orchestra from Budapest, but we have no idea of the conditions in which two hundred thousand Roma live in eastern Slovakia. Before we started writing the script, we travelled around Roma settlements and met interesting people who opened up to us and told us their stories. Our film was made up of their stories. We did not want to mythologize the Roma, look at them as folklore or romanticize them. We wanted to capture their life truthfully, because life in a Roma settlement is a reflection of our world. It’s just that everything is more emotional, more intense and more direct.”

Khamoro

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An article on the 26th Khamoro festival in Prague and on its program. This year it is not only about Roma, with, for example a concert in the Jerusalem Synagogue which will bring classical music with modern elements and Romani rhythms.

Westerbork

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Eighty years ago, in May 1944, 578 Roma and Sinti were rounded up in a major raid and transported to Camp Westerbork. Of these, 245 were deported by train to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp in Poland. Only 31 returned alive.

A commemoration was held on Sunday on the site.

European Elections

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David Beňák, a prominent figure of the Czech Roma community, is a candidate for the European Parliament for the ANO movement, the party of the former prime minister and businessman Babiš.

He wants to effectively fight against discrimination in Brussels. According to him, this applies not only to Roma in the Czech Republic. According to him, the solution could be high fines.

He mentioned that the Roma have a problem with the current coalition of five, and that they sympathize with the ANO movement, under whose government, according to them, “it was better”.

Igor Holub

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Slovakia mourns the death of musician Igor Holub. The sad news was published on the social network by the artist’s nephew Robert, the website regiony.zoznam.sk reported.

May he rest in peace.

European Elections

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The organization RomanoNet, an umbrella platform of Roma and pro-Roma non-profit organizations and initiatives, in cooperation with one of its member organizations, ROMEA, launched the awareness and motivational campaign Me žav! on May 20. Its goal is, in the form of short videos, to contribute to increasing the participation of Roma voters in the elections to the European Parliament, which will take place on June 7 and 8, 2024.

Roma Vakeren

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The third episode of the series ‘Roma Vakeren” speaks about the creation of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust Memorial in Lety u Písek. Other topics include the worship of Black Sarah and the three Marys during the “Gypsy pilgrimage” in the south of France as well as the 20th editions of the World Roma Festival Khamoro.

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The police charged a 78-year-old man with the crime of disorderly conduct and violence against a group of residents, who, according to findings so far, threatened a Roma family in Svitavy with an ax and a gun in his hand at the beginning of May. The Romea.cz server reported on the incident that took place on the street. The witness said the man called people “black monkeys” and threatened to kill them. The police are also investigating a possible racial motive for the crime.

Khamoro

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From Sunday, May 26, Prague hosts the Khamoro World Roma Festival. In addition to traditional music, it will offer world-renowned gypsy jazz concerts, film screenings, an exhibition about Holocaust survivors, a theatre performance by the Slovak National Theatre and a gastronomic show by culinary star Pavel Berky. The week-long marathon with the motto “Khamoro shines for everyone” will culminate with the final gala concert at the Sasazu club on Saturday, June 1. The largest Roma festival in the world has been organized since 1999 by Slovo 21 and Studio Production Saga.

Grave Robbers

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42 Roma graves were robbed and desecrated in Obrenovac and the town next to Zvečka, Serbia. This is not the first time that Romani graves have been the target of robbers in Obrenovac.

Roma Media

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An article in the Serbian press about the first Conference dedicated to the development of media strategy, critical approach and improvement of the position of journalists dealing with issues of the Roma community in Europe which was held in Murska Sobota, Slovenia May 20-22.

One of the key problems faced by Roma in media across Europe is the lack of young Roma who want to engage in journalism. According to the article, Serbia is leading the way with many young Roma engaged in Journalism.

Novi Sad Roma Ball

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The Novi Sad Roma Ball will be held on Tuesday, May 28, starting at 8 p.m., at the “Vila Moskva” hotel. Every year, the Roma association “Bela Romkinja” organizes a traditional Roma ball.

This year, in addition to the main event, a humanitarian evening will be organized, where packages will be made from the money collected and sent to help families in the Bangladesh settlement whose houses were destroyed by fire.

Roma Spirit

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In Bratislava, on May, the Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová received the laureates and finalists of the 15th edition of the Roma Spirit award. She stated it on the social network. She pointed to hundreds of stories of hope, humanity and inspiration. According to her, these helped disprove the belief that the exclusion of Roma is an unsolvable problem.

Romani Artist

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An interview with Šarlota Bottová, a Romni who learned the basics of drawing from her father, and learned the rest by herself. “It’s a big challenge for me, but I prefer to capture the face, the emotion, the personality,” she says.

Fico’s Aggressor

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Several newspapers articles in the Slovak press about the racist comments that Fico’s aggressor made about Roma.

They also cite several other weird theories and statements of the aggressor.

Appleby Horse Fair

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The traditional yearly horse fair at Appleby, UK will open in less than three weeks. The Shero Rom for the fair is appealing to all travellers not to come to early to avoid the strain on the resources and the village.

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