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the.future.is.roma

This post comes during turbulent times for @gheboa

This post comes during turbulent times for @gheboasa11 , but nonetheless he is one of the biggest Roma stars in Romania at this moment.

Publicly open about his Roma ethnicity, Emil Gabriel Gavriș, on his real name, is 22 years old and was born in Târgoviște, a small city in Romania.

Struggled in life, lived in an impoverished Roma neighborhood and worked hard all his youth to become a well-known trap singer.

He likes to be called Gheboasa, which is also his stage name. When I asked him when he discovered his Roma identity, he said that when he was 7-8 years old.

His message for the Roma youth is to believe in themselves, not to forget that they are gifted with something special and should not give up on following their dreams!

Thank you very much, @gheboasa11 for taking the time to share your story with us and don't forget that we support you!
#gheboasa #influencer #romania #roma #thefutureisroma

Meet @r.c.alexandra from Romania.❤️💙💚 F

Meet @r.c.alexandra from Romania.❤️💙💚

First thing I would say is I am Alexandra and I am very passionate about music, singing and dancing. I love connecting with people, share ideas, experiences and most important, create memories and moments together. Looking back, this affinity for communication and people has been instilled in me as a Roma kid, growing up and watching my family and what they value together.
I am 25 years old, and I am the first one ever in my family with University studies completed, a professional career and a life that was so desired by everyone in my tribe. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of others around me that have pushed and protected me along the way.

My grandparents left their place of origin very early in their lives, as they wanted to detach themselves from our Roma identity. They did not want for their kids to live a life of poverty, discrimination and struggle. They refused to teach my mother and her sisters the language or other aspects of our culture. I realised that I was different when kids would call me slurs at school. Then I grew up and visited my grandparents native place somewhere in the South of Romania and learned everything about us: that we make traditional music and play instruments by ear, we dance and, in the past, we were local fortune tellers. I was so fascinated by all the stories I didn’t hear until then.

Dear Roma kids everywhere, unfortunately, I grew up somewhat being ashamed of my ethnicity, being from a small city in Romania did not help me be any proud or make me want to accept who I am. But there is so much to be proud of, I tell you we are magic. We have the most hypnotising dances, fascinating sounds and hands of gold. We connect with people through heart and our gut never lies. You have so much strength in your blood passed from our ancestors it’s incredible. I advise you to start small and share as much are you are comfortable with. And read, read as much as you can books written by Roma people, you will get other perspectives.

Follow @r.c.alexandra on Instagram to know more about her and share our posts so they reach as many young people as possible! #opreroma #romayouth

Roma Highschoolers, this is for you!!❤️💙💚
Apply by 15th of May! Need more info, reach out to me @bogdanenjoyslife or Alex @lexgabrielhyde 🙏 Looking forward to your questions and applications!❤️
#opreroma #roma #romayouth #romaineurope #romapeople

Good morning, everyone, meet @giorgos.vil ! He is

Good morning, everyone, meet @giorgos.vil ! He is an incredible Roma activist from Greece.

When I asked Giorgos when he firstly felt that he was Roma, he answered:

"From the moment that I went to school.. The school and the market were the first places that I understood that we have a different culture as a family. I started becoming proud at the age of 14 when someone introduced me to parts of Roma culture such as dancing and traditional family values."
Giorgos' encouraging for Roma youngsters who struggle to accept their identity are:

"I would tell them that they shouldn’t let the world tell them who they really are. And they shouldn’t be ashamed or afraid to openly say I’m Roma and I’m proud ! They shouldn’t let the opinion of the world about what Roma means to them root in their mind and that they are not alone. They should show them what we ,Roma, are really, and what it’s important for all of us!"

@giorgos.vil has also a strong voice on Tiktok, where he tries to battle anti-Roma racism in Greece.

Discussion on the Feminist Collective of Romani Ge

Discussion on the Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts developed by @marina.csikos @albaahs and @maria.dumitru.ruiz

Give them a follow @romanigenderexperts

I think it's a trick question, should we tell our

I think it's a trick question, should we tell our different identities and personal information to someone you just met? I think it depends on different factors like the context and the conversation. For example, if I am being introduced to someone's friend, I would say my name and see how the conversation develops, I could reveal more private information about myself. On the contrary, if it is in a context of activism or political conversation, then I could talk about my ethnicity, my nationality, my age, etc. I think it depends a lot on the context.

I have always been aware of my ethnic identity as a Gitana for as long as I can remember, since I was a little girl, both at home and in all the circles where I was, I have been told that I am Gitana at home, family, school, friends, etc.

My parents have always reinforced our identity and made us feel secure about it. My father always told me that we are all different, neither better nor worse, just different and that is not negative.

I don't know if proud is the word, should I feel proud of being a woman or proud of being Spanish? I think we should self-analyze the meaning of all the identities that each one of us have, and be self-critical of everything that comes with having them, both the positive and negative factors.lAs I said before, I believe that we lack a lot of self-analysis regarding the different identities we have, and that it is a lake that requires sincerity, time and work.

I think it is very normal that people do not recognize the identities they have when they are outside of heteronormativity and whiteness for all that it entails. So the last thing I would do would be to judge or try to convert a person who does not identify as such even if from the outside it is totally visible according to our perception. On the contrary, I would try to make this person feel at ease with herself by giving her the space to define herself as she wants. Who are we to try to identify a person according to our parameters or understanding?

@albaahs is one of the guests we have for the live video interview discussing @romanigenderexperts today at 5PM CET. Tune in to find out more!! #opreromnja ❤️💙💚

My name is Maria, and I am from Romania. I am a re

My name is Maria, and I am from Romania. I am a researcher and an activist in the Roma rights field. I am currently doing my PhD in Gender and Roma slavery at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society.

I think I have always known that my family and I are Roma. Our location (segregated neighbourhood), living conditions, and even our appearance (darker skin) looked different to me as a child compared to others. However, I became aware of my ethnicity when I started volunteering at the age of 13 at a local organization working with Roma children. By engaging in many activities aimed at providing schooling opportunities for children and young people, and by attending courses/trainings on discrimination and social inclusion, I understood this better. As a result of this and seeing with my eyes that I could contribute and support other children, has positively impacted me to believe in myself and prevent experiencing internalized racism as, unfortunately, many young Roma experience.

I know it's tough to feel proud sometimes of being Roma when you receive stigma and rejection from most of society. Racism works so well that it makes us feel ashamed of who we are. But it's not our fault that people are racist; it's the gadje's problem. As a small piece of advice, be comfortable with who you are, regardless of your ethnic identity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc., because it will help you to succeed in life. We need to re/build our confidence to believe that we can achieve anything we propose. Our community has endured centuries of historical injustices, such as slavery and the holocaust, and today the reality is still difficult and full of injustices, but even so, we still survive today. We still get up every morning to continue our lives and strive for better. That being said, we need to reclaim who we are, and start feeling proud of being Roma today.

Maria is part of the Gender Collective of Romani Experts and we will have the chance to talk to her about the project tomorrow afternoon. Give her and the @romanigenderexperts a follow! #opreromnja

Live video on the summer camp organized by @discov

Live video on the summer camp organized by @discoverakademie in August. Summer camp that wants to have a first-time 10% quota for Roma students, organizers and tutors.
Me and Alex @longlivehyde are available for all the inquiries you may have regarding the summer camp. Don't hesitate to DM us and we will help you throughout the application process.
You also have in bio the link for the application form. Go there, see it for yourself and if you know people interested, send them our way. #opreroma #romayouth

My name is Marina Csikós, a Hungarian Roma femini

My name is Marina Csikós, a Hungarian Roma feminist gender professional, working on the intersection of activism, art, and policy.

I think the first moment I became conscious about my Roma identity, was one in the elementary school during an argument my best friend shouted to me: dirty Gypsy! That moment I understood how people look at me.

As a small child, many times we do not even understand what being ’different’ means until people treat us differently. The moment I was told I am a Gypsy I knew that people do not have good opinions about us. In order to keep my dignity and mental well-being, I developed a kind of copying mechanism: not letting anyone to change my mind about our worth in the world.

In practice it meant that I tried not to interact with people who were racist, had bad behaviour towards marginalized communities (including LGBTI, Muslim, Black people, etc.).

Somehow, I tried to always create my own little world where I am not disrespected because of my ethnic identity. Of course, it does not mean that I was not aware of the discrimination I or other Roma faced. But consciously choosing my friends and the people whose opinion matter to me is something which is important for me till nowadays.

No matter how hard you try to hide your identity, one way or another it will always come to the light. We teach people how to treat us by how we treat ourselves. So, if you want to be treated with dignity and love, then first you should love yourself for who you are.

This post is part of a series building up to a live video interview that we will broadcast on the page with @marina.csikos @maria.dumitru.ruiz and @albaahs talking about their initiative to start a Romani Gender Expert Collective @romanigenderexperts ❤️💙💚 #opreromnja

Photo credits: Ame Panzh

Alright! Discover Academy is organizing an interna

Alright! Discover Academy is organizing an international summer camp for highschoolers from Czechia, Slovakia and abroad.

The camp focuses on civic engagement, diversity, mental health and much more. Moreover, thanks to the convincing work of @longlivehyde AKA Alex, this year the organizers want to offer 10% of the places for Roma students and tutors/organizers.

Everything is covered, including travel expenses. So, if you know cool Roma that could help them organize and/or teach a course, don't hesitate to contact me or Alex via private message. Looking forward to answering your questions and why not seeing you there this summer!
@discoverakademie

You can find useful links such as the aplication form in the bio of the page.

We are also planning to do a live video interview with Alex here on the page on the 27th of December!

I went yesterday to watch Trauma Kink, the latest

I went yesterday to watch Trauma Kink, the latest play by @giuvlipen It was absolutely amazing to see what they' ve created. A play that talks openly about consent and trauma in a very easy-to-digest way. If you have the time, follow them and go watch it yourself in the beginning of December. Congrats, Giuvlipen, Răzvan Rotaru and Kitty Rea!! 💙💚❤️

Today we celebrate a language that I didn't have t

Today we celebrate a language that I didn't have the opportunity to know and speak, as I would have liked.
Today we celebrate a language that my grandmother told me she doesn't teach me, so I don't have problems speaking it.
Today we celebrate a language that instantly puts you in the position of subhuman if you are heard in public.
Today we celebrate a language that could have been dead countless times, but whose speakers managed to carry it forward even today at the cost of their lives.
Today, by celebrating our Romani language, we celebrate the life, diversity, resilience and authenticity of the Roma people.
Today I am happy, albeit with a bitter taste, that my mother tongue has an international day of celebration.
Happy birthday to the Romani language!, or in Romani Bahtalo Mashkarthemutno Dive e Romane Chibjakoro! ❤💚💙 #Diveeromanochibjake

This anti-roma banner was shown during a football

This anti-roma banner was shown during a football match between 2 teams from Cluj-Napoc in Romania. The banner refers to Roma as not being humans and it was followed by tons of racist chants throughout the game. This is unacceptable and it must be properly punished by @uefa_official @frf.romania and the Romanian Institute for Fighting Discrimination

Mike from Romania Hi! I’m Mike from Romania an

Mike from Romania

Hi! I’m Mike from Romania and I’m an actor, dancer and a soul volunteer always looking for new friends, sensations and scents. And last, but not least I love to love people.
I think I was around 8 years old when I realized that I was aware of my ethnic identity and I loved the fact that I could feel that I’m different than the others.

At that time I wasn’t that proud of some behavior that some of my relatives had, but what makes me really proud is that everywhere I would travel on the world people will be like: “You may be from Romania, but you have something special that the others Romanians that I’ve met.”

"Dear your Roma (wo)manx, don’t be afraid to be who you are, do what you love and share your beliefs with the others. As long as you don’t hurt anyone with your behavior, just BE YOU! Share that love and light! Opre Roma!"

You can find Mike @razvanrotaru on Instagram and for our Romanian followers, check out his Tiktok @scuzenoi ❤💚💙

Meet @nepotdeferentari , aka Emil. He is an extrem

Meet @nepotdeferentari , aka Emil. He is an extremely funny content creator born and raised in Ferentari, Bucharest. Through his sketches he portrays daily life in a very unique and amusing way.
Find out more about his identity and the encouragement he offered for the young Roma generation:

"Hi I’m Emil and I do TikToks for a living 🤣

I was always aware of my Roma identity. I was taught from an early age that there is no shame in who you are as my family and my background made me who I am today. Therefore I am always proud to say that I am part of the roma community."

Asked about what he would advise young Roma, Emil said:

"If you can’t accept your identity just try to be a better person than you were yesterday until you are happy with the person you see in the mirror every morning, and then you will be able to love yourself as you are."

Follow @nepotdeferentari on tiktok, Instagram and Twitch if you want to enjoy a good laugh.

Photo credits: @blvckvisuals.ro

Ladies and gents, meet @geanitravelsto ! A young R

Ladies and gents, meet @geanitravelsto ! A young Roma friend of mine working in IT and having travelling as his biggest passion🔥

Hi there! I’m Roberto, I’m very passionate about travelling, basically my entire life revolves around this subject and I will make sure to let you know😄. I enjoy a good book in a train ride or during flights, I like photography and social media and I play my music on vinyls. Despite all of those artistic traits, I somehow managed to have a career in IT. Really weird.

I was aware of my ethnicity for as long as I can remember. Although I haven’t always been proud of it, I am now. I remember as a kid, in school especially, I had a really hard time accepting that I had a different ethnicity. Nevertheless, nowadays, I meet a lot of racist people on the way; but none of them has managed to make me feel bad about being who I am✌️

Asked about advice for our younger Roma, Roberto said:

I would definitely remind them to turn their head to the side and look at our beautiful culture, at the way we laugh, we drink, the way we joke and we dance and the way we find that one drop of hope even in the darkest of times. Be proud of who you are, ‘cause there’s no one else in the world quite like you!❤️

Follow @geanitravelsto on Insta to witness Roberto's amazing travels!💚💙❤ #opreroma #romayouth

Vičinav man Michal Mižigár, som Rom pal o Čech

Vičinav man Michal Mižigár, som Rom pal o Čechi u akana sikhľuvav Komparativno historija pre CEU. Angleder sikhľiľom Romane džanibena (Romani studies) pre Filozoficko fakulta, Karliskeri univerzita Prahate. Džal mange but pal e romaňi čhib the historija, rado genav, phirav dromenca he prindžarkerav neve manuša the lengere kulturi.

Pal oda, kaj som Rom imar varesar sar ciknoro džanavas, bo khere pes delas duma buter romanes a le gadženca gadžikanes. Aľe čačes prindžarďom, kaj som rom andre školka (churdeľin), kaj jekh gadži phenďas peskere rakloreske, mire kamatoske, kaj pes manca te na bavinel, bo som „Cikánek.“ Jov mange oda aver ďives phenďas. Akor avľom khere u phučľom mira datar, so hin „cikánek“…
Me man vaš oda, kaj som Rom, ňikana na ladžavas u nane man varesavo kajso momentos, kaj bi keravas kajso sar romano „coming outos“. Me džanavas, kaj som Rom u sako pal ma džanelas tiš, kaj som Rom. Nane vaš soste pes te ladžal.
Achaľuvav te vareko na džanel e čhib abo na prindžarel he historija, na džanel sar te argumentinel le gadženca te pre lende banges dikhen. Achaľuvav, kaj oda hin zoralo, oda hin calo kajso diskurzos: o mediji sikhavkeren le Romen banges the negativnones, andre politika hine manuša rasista mujal le Romenge u kada lenge del but hlasi andro alosaripena, andre škola o romane čhavore na sikhľon pal peste ňisavo lačho.
Me džanav, kaj Rom som u našťi phenav, kaj som vareso aver. Te bi phenavas, ta oda hin, kaj man ladžav vaš miri daj miro dad the mire babi the papi. U me man vaš lende na mušinav te ladžal.

Na ladžan pes vaš oda, kaj Roma the Romňija san aňi vaš tumari kultura, ani vaš tumari čhib! Tumari čhib hiňi meg phuder sar varesave aver čhiba andre Europa! E romaňi historija hiňi but pharipena, dukha he murdaribena, aľe čačo romano kokal na muľas avri. Sikhľon, keren, so hin tumenge kedvešno/drago, džan andro svetos/luma, reprezentinen le Romen andro artos, sportos, džaniben, politika u aven pozitivna roli avere romane generacijenge! Adaďives hine but šajipena te džal pro maškarthemutna sgeľipena (treningi) avre Romenca andal aver thema, hin tumen internetos šaj arakhen but materijali pal e historija, pal e čhib the kultura.

Instagram post 17870131376481110

Instagram post 17870131376481110

Instagram post 17872018547447497

Instagram post 17872018547447497

Arhanghella - Artist, Romania, Icon, 21 Meet Arh

Arhanghella - Artist, Romania, Icon, 21

Meet Arhanghella, ladies and gentlemen! She has an amazing energy, a cool vibe, she lives on her own terms and she is an example for fighting the status quo of the society.

How would you introduce yourself to someone who meets you for the first time?

"I think that as far as I'm concerned I don't have to say too much, the way I present myself says everything, I make art and I'm art ... that's clear. I am a transparent person who will forever wage a war against the injustices of the system. My existence is certainly a form of protest in this racist and transphobic environment in which we live. I choose not to be the intersectional piece that the white savior will flutter in their projects. My authenticity threatens the deception of many and I am extremely at peace with it."

At what point did you become aware of your ethnic identity and what made you proud of it?

"I have always been aware of my ethnic identity because of my family who are proud of this aspect but also because of the system that has not forgotten to remind me of all stereotypes about the Roma. I have gained pride and respect for myself and my Roma since childhood and I am extremely grateful for that, I do not think I have a specific moment to make me feel this but certainly an important factor is the strong Roma women in my life."

"What would you say to a young Roma woman who is afraid / afraid / ashamed to publicly accept her Roma identity?

You shouldn't care what people say about us. We have the richest culture, the most enchanting traditional costumes, charming rhythms and voices, souls full of love ... we define gold, strong colors and resounding rhythms!
We are magic and we have not abolished slavery to be trampled on again!
If I had listened to those who tried to humiliate me, I would not be this shukara witch you are reading about now! So, release from this burden and strongly support who you really are!"

You can find @arhanghella on Instagram and in one of the latest videos published by @giuvlipen . Don't forget to share our posts so we have our inspiring stories reaching as many Roma and non-Roma youngsters as possible.

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