The Romany singer Ida Kelarová and her Chavorenge Children’s Choir
together with musicians from the Czech Philharmonic will perform a concert
at the Phoenix Concert Hall in Croydon, southern England on Thursday
evening. The program will feature the international Romany anthem Gelem,
Gelem, and the choir’s best known song Hey Romale!
Read more
Archaeologists, excavating the site of the former WWII internment camp for
Roma in Lety, have found some of the victims’ graves. Those who took part
in the project say that the discovery is not only the first time that
graves of Roma people persecuted by the Nazis have been found in Europe,
but also undisputable proof of what happened in the camp.
Read more
Ida Kelarová is a singer, musician and choirmaster who performs some of
the best Romany music to come out of the Czech Republic. Paradoxically it
was years before she discovered her Romany roots and drew inspiration from
Roma culture and music. Today this legacy has become an important part of
her life and she works hard to help talented Romany children living in
excluded localities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Read more
Roma activists David Tišer and Karel Karika are this year’s recipients
of the František Kriegel award in recognition of civic courage handed out
by the Charter 77 foundation. The award, which will be presented at a
ceremony in Prague on Wednesday, acknowledges their fight for equality and
human rights for members of the Romani community as well as for the
socially excluded.
Read more
On the eve of International Roma Day, Radio Prague is featuring music by
some of the country’s best Romany singers.
Read more
It was supposed to be the week when she started her comeback tour. Instead,
it ended with her death on a hospital bed. Věra Bílá, who died on
Tuesday, was just 64-years-old. But those who knew her say her songs will
remain an important contribution to the genre of world music forever.
Read more
Elena Gorolová, a Roma social worker from the north Moravian city of
Ostrava, has been included on an annual BBC list of 100 inspirational and
influential women for 2018. The BBC highlighted Ms Gorolová’s campaign
against forced sterilisation as well as her work to return
institutionalised children to their birth families.
Read more
Whereas in 1990 there were eight Roma MPs in the Czechoslovak Parliment,
today there are none and candidates who belong to the minority have not had
much success in the recent communal elections either. Although individual
cases of success exist, they are extremely rare. Reasons behind the lack of
Roma representation in politics include negative cononations with the
minority among majority voters, a lack of popular candidates and low
election participation among members of the Roma minority themselves.
Read more
News archive