Between 28 May – 3 June 2017, Prague hosted the 19th annual KHAMORO World Roma Festival
Grigory Demetr from Moscow sent information about the festival to Humanizator
Gregory is an actor from the Romani Theater in Moscow
The theatre aims to educate people in order to facilitate the integration of Roma people
That’s why Gregory and the Romani theatre participated in the KHAMORO World Roma Festival
KHAMORO means SUN in the Romani language, the festival highlights the culture of Roma people, their music, dances, traditional costumes as well as customs, traditions presented through performance, workshops, exhibitions and an amazing parade
The festival gathered theaters from 7 countries around the world
They want to represent Roma people worldwide
According to New York Times there are about 11 millions people worldwide belonging to Roma ethnicity and about a million in the United State
The Roma people all over the world faced discrimination because of their dark skin and were once enslaved by Europeans, especially in Romanian Counties. That’s why the number of Roma people from Romania is bigger than in other countries
According to the 2011 census held in Romania, Roma people represented 3% from population – but there are opinions that, in reality they are many more because a part of them , being victims of discrimination refused to declare their ethnicity and other part are not properly enrolled in schools or don’t have identity papers
For centuries, stereotypes and prejudices have had a negative impact on the understanding of Roma culture
Though the groups of Roma are varied, they all speak one language. This language is called the Romani language. Romani is related to a northern Indian dialect, called Punjabi, and is spoken by about 5 to 6 million Roma people throughout Europe and the United States, according to Open Society Foundations.
They have withheld their traditions and beliefs over time. Their exact origins aren’t clear and even though their culture has been victimized by other cultures, they still found a way to maintain their heritage and society.
Studies prove that the history of Romani began in Central India
It is thought that the Roma people migrated to Europe from India about 1,500 years ago.
The Romani language shares many features with the Central Indo-Aryan languages such as the Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Rajasthani languages; it also shares connections with Northern Indo-Aryan languages like Kashmiri, and the language itself contains a cluster of Persian and Arabic words.
Traditionally, it is a patriarchal society ruled by a concept of honor
Romani music is very important in Eastern European cultures such as Hungary, Russia, and Romania. The style and performance practices of Romani musicians have influenced European classical composers such as Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms.
Roma people are perhaps the most hated minority in Europe
Many countries that were formerly part of the Eastern bloc and former Yugoslavia have substantial populations of Roma people. The level of integration of Roma people into society remains limited. In those countries, they usually remain on the margins of society, living in isolated, ghetto-like settlements. Only a small fraction of Romani children graduate from secondary schools, though numerous official efforts have been made, past and present, to compel their attendance. Roma people frequently feel rejected by the state and the main population, creating another obstacle to their integration.
Cultural festivals contribute to change this hostile attitude against Roma people
