Tag Archives: Music

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Catalan Rumba in Hungary

Published by:

Catalan Rumba in Hungary

MazsiMó-GipsyMó’s first album titled Gypsy DNA was launched in a concert on May 19, 2023 in the Akvárium Klub in Budapest. The formation, which plays music based on Catalan rumba, was created in August 2021 by the internationally recognized band Romengo and the head of the International Gypsy and World Music Network, Mihály Mazsi Rostás. The Catalan rumba was made known all over the world by the Gipsy Kings.

The members of the band express themselves most easily in the Lovári language, and they also want to get the young Gypsies – who generally speak the language of their grandparents less and less – to sing as much as possible to the catchy tunes in Gypsy.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Spin the Wheel

Published by:

Spin the Wheel

Ri Rock Association in partnership with the Roma Youth Organization of Croatia organised the second cultural and artistic event dedicated to Roma culture and art. The event, called “Spin the Inclusive Wheel” aims to promote Roma culture and identity through music and art.

Radio Roža is an internet radio program that is conducted as part of the Gyroscope culture project.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Ljiljjana Petrović Butler

Published by:

Ljiljjana Petrović Butler

The story of a Serbian Romani singer, Ljiljjana Petrović Butler, born in 2944 in Belgrade, who died in 2010 in the Netherlands, having fled the wars in Yugoslavia.

Unfortunately, this story also reinforces many stereotypes: early marriage and children, no education, dirty, and so on. Sad, as it could have been told differently.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia, Roma, and Rap

Published by:

Serbia, Roma, and Rap

The Gypsy Roma Urban Balcan Beat (GRUBB) is a show in Serbia created by young Roma artists. Here, in the article, a young Rom participated for two years and wants to continue. A reportage on Serbian television that will be shown on April 26th.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic: Music Label

Published by:

Czech Republic: Music Label

For the last three years, Filip Kaleja (38) has been helping budding musicians who don’t have enough funds to make their own recordings to make their dreams come true. He co-founded the label RMF Evolution Records, which publishes Roma musicians, including those from the poorest backgrounds. In addition, he heads the organization Ostravaská Nota, which co-organizes cultural events in Ostrava, but also supports the use of Romany among the youngest generation of Roma.

Lithuania News Eastern Europe

Lithuanian Folklore and Roma

Published by:

Lithuanian Folklore and Roma

Ištvan Kvik, the well-known Lithuanian singer and leader of the Romano ensemble “Sare Roma”, is mostly known for Roma songs. He is now venturing in the Lithuanian folklore. Looking at Lithuanian folk songs from a different perspective, he says that they can also be given a fierier Roma touch. He also says that anyhow, Roma music has always been influenced by local music.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Lunik IX Children Choir

Published by:

Lunik IX Children Choir

Ondrej Ferko leads the Devjatkakare čhave choir, with almost 40 children from the Luník IX housing estate in Košice. They performed during the Pope’s visit to Slovakia and in the television competition Czechoslovakia has talent. “In three years, we have destroyed stereotypes for other educators, who thought that nothing could be done with these children. And we also destroyed the children’s self-doubt,” says Ferko.

At the beginning, Milan Dulina, director of the Ľ Elementary School, also joined the work. Together with choirmaster Ferko, they explain, among other things, how they work with promising singers and also how artistic training has changed the results of children at school.

Ferko added “Roma children are not born knowing how to sing well, it takes a lot of hard work”.

News Eastern Europe Romania

Djelem Djelem

Published by:

Djelem Djelem

Between November 10-12, the Days of Sinti and Roma Culture took place in Bucharest. The event was organized by the Goethe-Institut Bucharest and the French Institute in Romania. The organizers invited musicians from Germany and France to support a musical program of Sinti and gypsy jazz, curated by music producer and journalist Liviu von Braha.

According to Liviu von Braha , the initiative took place with the aim of strengthening the representation of Roma in the public space, disseminating Roma culture to the widest possible public.

As part of the musicians’ event, an intensive workshop was organized at the National University of Music, in the Auditorium hall, held by Florin Niculescu and Christian Escoude, where the participants will familiarize themselves with the instrumental style on unique rhythms of Sinti and gypsy jazz from Germany and France.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Don Vasyl and Plagiarism

Published by:

Don Vasyl and Plagiarism

Another article on the Roma musician who has recently been accused of plagiarism. Two Poles, whom Don Vasyl acknowledge helped him on the Polish words of some song claim he infringed on their rights. One of the songs they deposited in the Polish Author’s rights is the Roma National Anthem, in a part Polish version, with Romanes words that tey do not even understand …

Not the first such case.

Germany News Western Europe

Don Vasyl

Published by:

Don Vasyl

Don Vasyl, one of the best known Roma musicians in Poland, is being accused of plagiarism by two Polish artists who claim he stole some of their music and works. The conflict is apparently not new, dating back 16 years (!). One of the pieces is the song Dželem Dželem where Don Vasyl is accused of having used the Polish words written by the artists. A first court ruling dismissed the case, but the lawyers of the Polish artists decided to appeal this decision.

Lithuania News Eastern Europe Poland

Kwik Family

Published by:

Kwik Family

An article in the Polish press about the Lithuanian Roma group “Sare Roma”. The group is led by the Kwik family, Lithuanian Lovara and was founded 70 years ago by the grandfather of Isztwan Kwik.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary: Fekete Vonat

Published by:

Hungary: Fekete Vonat

The music group “Fekete Vonat” [Black Train] has reunited and released a new album. They played together for only five years, and it has been twenty years since the band broke up.

The band was founded in 1997. It got its name from the train transporting workers during the Kádár era. The black train brought and took workers from Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county to the capital and the country’s major cities. Among the passengers there were many unskilled Roma helpers living in segregation.

With this choice of name, the Fekete Vonat band announced their support for the Hungarian Roma and the importance of the fight against segregation and racism. That is why around the turn of the millennium they enjoyed huge popularity among the Roma in Hungary and abroad, and the whole country was in love with their songs and soundscape.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia – Romodrom

Published by:

Serbia – Romodrom

The ROMODROM event will open on October 1, 2022. at 8 p.m. in the Ciglana club with a discussion entitled “Roma in Serbian cinematography” . Participants in the debate are Goran Gocić , writer, journalist and film critic, Sreten Jovanović , film producer, Radenko Ranković , professor of film production and Gordana Nešić , journalist. The talk will be followed by a treat for music connoisseurs, a concert by the AMARO DEL group.

The ROMODROM project, will see several manifestations whose aim is educating the majority population about culture, traditional heritage and the participation of Roma in the cultural and socio-scientific life of our country. It is aimed at overcoming the gap created by centuries of stereotypical views of the Roma. Through cooperation with various artists and scientists of both Roma and non-Roma origin, the idea is to encourage and strengthen the healthy national pride of the Roma, which has been shaken over time and sometimes even led to negation.

Germany News Western Europe

Sinti, Roma, and Music

Published by:

Sinti, Roma, and Music

Romani Rose,  the Chairman of the Central Council stated that  Sinti and Roma influenced Europe’s music and that when people talk about European culture, Sinti and Roma are often easily forgotten. He would therefore like to open a museum as well as a permanent exhibition in the long term.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Bratislava – Festival

Published by:

Bratislava – Festival

After a one-year corona break, Gypsy Fest brings exclusive concerts of top Roma artists to the capital again. The 14th edition of the international festival will take place from September 2 to 3 on the Main Square in Bratislava.

Lithuania News Eastern Europe

Vilnius – Festival

Published by:

Vilnius – Festival

Next weekend, September 4., Vilnius will be rocked by the most colourful music event – the Roma culture festival “Gypsy fest 2022”. The organizer of the event, a well-known Lithuanian Rom, head of the ensemble “Sare roma”, Ištvans Kvik says that this year’s festival, invites us to forget about the differences between nations and to remember respect for each other.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN