Search
30.9.2023
NEWS

HISTORY

TRADITIONS, CULTURE

PERSONALITIES

USEFUL CONTACTS

PHOTOS OF THE ROMA

VARIOUS

RADIO PRAGUE










Česky English Deutsch Francais
Khamoro Roma festival brings music and more to Prague
29-05-2007 - Rob Cameron
This week Prague plays host to the ninth annual Khamoro Roma Festival, one of the largest festivals of Roma arts and culture in Europe. For the next five days the Czech capital will reverberate to sounds from all over the world, from Macedonia's Orkestrar Strumica to the Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan. At the same time, there will be a number of discussions examining the issues facing contemporary Roma communities. Barbora Subertova is one of Khamoro's organisers.

Photo: www.khamoro.cz "Khamoro is about having the feeling of Roma culture or Roma spirit and people have the chance to meet Roma people in their natural environment and enjoy the music and different arts we are offering."

And there is also of course a serious side to the festival as well.

"Yes, there are two international seminars. The first is called The Decade in the Eyes of Roma Women, and the second is called Roma in the Media. We have the directors of Roma TV stations and broadcasters, and they will present their stations and explain how important it is for them to have media in Roma languages."

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek with the Roma delegates of Khamoro festival, photo: CTK I hear you've had some problems with financing Khamoro.

"Yes, that's a very complicated problem. The sponsors - the companies and individuals who could contribute to the Khamoro festival - they don't look at the festival as a cultural event, but they look at the festival as a Roma event. And this really determines the source of the funding, because most people have negative opinions of Roma people and Roma culture as a whole. So we have to really try and explain to them that they should support this kind of event because it shows people what the culture really looks like and that can even improve the relationship between the majority society and the Roma community."

This festival has been going for nine years now. Do you have the feeling it is having any effect in bringing the two communities closer together?

Photo: www.khamoro.cz "We feel this closeness during the festival. When you see the people dancing to the bands and singing, you don't see any differences. But that's the question. Why should things be so nice during the festival, but when the festival ends it just goes back to how it was before, we don't really see any visible changes."

And is that quite depressing or disheartening?

"It can be, but we can't think about it that much. We really have to focus on the festival and try to spread the main idea across the society."

http://www.khamoro.cz/



Related articles
DateTitleFeature
07.04.2019Romany music from the Czech RepublicNews
29.05.2012World Roma festival begins in PragueNews
27.05.2011Khamoro festival brings Roma music, culture to PragueNews
30.04.201012th World Roma Festival KhamoroNews
14.05.2009The eleventh year of the international Roma Khamoro festivalNews
30.05.2008Khamoro Festival celebrates 10th anniversary in PragueNews
25.05.2008World Roma festival Khamoro in PragueNews
02.06.2007Khamoro - Gala concert of traditional Roma music: Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan (India)Current images
02.06.2007Khamoro - Gala concert of traditional Roma music: Ando Drom (Hungary)Current images
All related articles
Article
Format for printing
Send as e-mail

Also in section "News"
31.10.19  Roma children’s choir Chavorenge and members of the Czech Philharmonic to perform in UK
13.09.19  Archaeologists discover graves of Roma persecuted during WWII in Lety camp
02.06.19  Ida Kelarová and her Romany children’s choir Chavorenge
29.05.19  Two Roma activists to receive Charter 77’s František Kriegel Award
07.04.19  Romany music from the Czech Republic
13.03.19  Czech singer Věra Bílá, dubbed the Ella Fitzgerald of Gypsy music, dies days before her comeback tour
21.11.18  Roma social worker from Ostrava listed on BBC 100 Women list
12.10.18  Why are there so few Roma politicians?
17.09.18  Virtuoso pianist Tomáš Kačo: When I tell somebody I’m a Gypsy in the US, they’re excited about it
06.06.18  Study indicates ethnic hate is contagious
Archive of the section

Most popular articles
3153053   26.02.00 Some Basic Information about the Roma Population in the Czech Republic
290319   27.01.05 The 'Devouring': A look at the Romani Holocaust
184516   26.02.00 The History and Origin of the Roma
141463   26.02.02 The Language of the Roma
107706   13.06.00 The History of the Roma Minority in the Czech Republic
105260   26.02.00 The Traditional Family Life of the Czech Roma
103929   02.06.03 The Roma Holocaust
88238    World famous Roma Personalities
88174   21.02.04 Extreme right activists demonstrate for skinhead in jail
74801    Photographs by Romani Children
Copyright © Český rozhlas / Czech Radio, 1997-2023
Vinohradská 12, 120 99 Praha 2, Czech Republic
E-mail: info@romove.cz