The eleventh year of the international Roma Khamoro festival
Recent events have only bolstered our resolve to continue with our work.
Khamoro, being the international event it is, has a unique opportunity – and
indeed a responsibility – to call the world's attention to the omnipresent
difficulties we have to encounter, to problems in this society. We shall not
close our eyes to the manifest danger surrounding us which starts with the
intimidation of Roma and could easily culminate in attacks against any
citizen or inhabitant of this country. Khamoro should therefore be a
celebration of Roma culture, and a celebration of the Roma people and of all
others who take delight in Roma culture.
The eleventh year of the International Roma Khamoro festival held under the
auspices of former Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and Prague mayor Pavel Bém
will take place between 25 May and 30 May 2009. The organiser of this event
is the NGO Slovo 21. The essence of this festival is Roma music, which can
be enjoyed during six concerts. A new component of this festival has since
last year been modern Roma music. Gypsy jazz can be seen and heard at two of
the concerts while three concerts will feature more traditional performances
of, among other things, dulcimer and accordion music.
Straight off on Monday you can expect to be fired up by international band
!DelaDap which plays a unique modern mixture of traditional Roma
music, jazz and urban electronica. The gig at Lucerna Music Bar is scheduled
for 25 May.
The following day, also at Lucerna Music Bar, there will be this year's star
performance by legendary formation The Rosenberg Trio which has
already for many years been internationally considered as the highest
possible incarnation of Gypsy jazz. Jazz also features on the Wednesday
programme. The young and talented Basily Boys, who like the The
Rosenberg Trio come from the Netherlands, will present themselves at Reduta
Jazz Club.
The first of the concerts of traditional Roma music will take place on
Thursday in Club Roxy. You can expect the dashing Italian Acquaragia
Drom, the highly original Nadara band from Romania and the
typical sound of the Balkans created by the Šutka brass band from
Macedonia. On Friday we will also invite you to the Roxy to see a dulcimer
ensemble lead by young violinist Marek Balog, the Hungarian group
Romengo, the beautiful singer Leonsia Erdenko from Russia and
the Danish accordion virtuoso Lelo Nika. The music programme will be
concluded on 30 May with a final gala concert in the Prague Concert Centre
which, along with seven traditional music groups, will feature a special
guest, the violinist Pavel Šporcl and the Slovak band Romano
Stilo.
The accompanying activities of the Khamoro 2009 festival will further
introduce you to other aspects of Roma culture, traditions and present-day
life. The Dutch Roma Days offer you an insight into the closed world
of Dutch Roma and Sinti. The already mentioned Gypsy jazz concerts are held
in the framework of the Dutch Roma Days but in Aero cinema you can also see
a series of screenings of documentary films by the distinguished
Dutch film-maker Bob Entrop and an exhibition of black and white
photographs by Šahin Šišić which will be opened on Friday in the
National Minorities House.
In the Aventin building there will be an exhibition of sculptures,
drawings, and photographs by German artist Otto Pankok referring to the
genocide committed against the Roma and Sinti by the German Nazi regime.
This time around the annual dance workshops, part of the accompanying
activities of the festival, will be lead by dancer and choreographer
Petia Iourtchenko in the Zambra studio who will teach you the
fundamentals of traditional Roma dances.
At some of the festival events you will have the opportunity to see the
travelling exhibition of photographs taken by Jiří Doležel called
“Roma from Vsetín” . One of the most popular highlights of the festival
is without doubt the colourful parade through the centre of Prague –
come to Můstek on Thursday noon and join us to the accompaniment of the
sounds of Roma music from the entire world on our walk through the centre of
Prague!
In the framework of the specialist part of the festival, which will last
until Friday and is partially organised by the Charles University Faculty of
Arts, an international expert seminar will be held in the National
Minorities House with the theme “Roma culture as part of European
culture”. The seminar will be held by world-renowned experts in the
field of Roma culture. Throughout the entire week there will also be a
series of international workshops, entitled “We have a long road before us”,
for young people from four European countries dealing with Roma history,
culture and traditions.
This year's festival will feature more than 110 artists and experts from 16
countries. Like every year, it will be attended by fans and journalists from
around the world. The main partner of the festival is the Capital City of
Prague. The festival is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech
Republic, the ČEZ Foundation and other entities. The principal media partner
is Czech Television and other media partners are Czech Radio, Radio Rota,
Romano Hangos, Romea.cz and Radio 1.
Further information on the festival is available at
www.khamoro.cz.
| 
Recent events have only bolstered our resolve to continue with our work.
Khamoro, being the international event it is, has a unique opportunity – and
indeed a responsibility – to call the world's attention to the omnipresent
difficulties we have to encounter, to problems in this society. We shall not
close our eyes to the manifest danger surrounding us which starts with the
intimidation of Roma and could easily culminate in attacks against any
citizen or inhabitant of this country. Khamoro should therefore be a
celebration of Roma culture, and a celebration of the Roma people and of all
others who take delight in Roma culture.
The eleventh year of the International Roma Khamoro festival held under the
auspices of former Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and Prague mayor Pavel Bém
will take place between 25 May and 30 May 2009. The organiser of this event
is the NGO Slovo 21. The essence of this festival is Roma music, which can
be enjoyed during six concerts. A new component of this festival has since
last year been modern Roma music. Gypsy jazz can be seen and heard at two of
the concerts while three concerts will feature more traditional performances
of, among other things, dulcimer and accordion music.
The first of the concerts of traditional Roma music will take place on
Thursday in Club Roxy. You can expect the dashing Italian Acquaragia
Drom, the highly original Nadara band from Romania and the
typical sound of the Balkans created by the Šutka brass band from
Macedonia. On Friday we will also invite you to the Roxy to see a dulcimer
ensemble lead by young violinist Marek Balog, the Hungarian group
Romengo, the beautiful singer Leonsia Erdenko from Russia and
the Danish accordion virtuoso Lelo Nika. The music programme will be
concluded on 30 May with a final gala concert in the Prague Concert Centre
which, along with seven traditional music groups, will feature a special
guest, the violinist Pavel Šporcl and the Slovak band Romano
Stilo.
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