Organisers of an event taking place on Friday hope it will raise awareness of Romani culture as well as highlight what they see as a rise in discrimination and violence against the Roma people in parts of Europe.
Amnesty International UK’s Islington & Hackney, and Waltham Forest groups are presenting Romani Dreams, an evening of poetry, music, film, talks and debates from some established artists and speakers.
Organiser Ulrike Schmidt, who has been an activist and volunteer for Amnesty International UK for 30 years, says the situation in some countries is deteriorating for Roma people.
“It has got worse over the past two years,“ she says. “There’s a steep rise in right wing extremist parties stirring up race hatred, with violent attacks on settlements, and also marches by the far right. At our last AGM we decided to work on a campaign. It’s about raising awareness of what’s actually happening to these people.“ Ulrike points to incidents such as one in Italy in which 800 people had to flee a camp under attack. She says there have also been government programmes of eviction and resettlement in some countries, including one example where Roma people were evicted and relocated to a toxic waste site.
Friday’s event will feature performers who have Roma heritage but are also well established in the UK. They include poet and writer Valdemaro Kalinino, originally from Belarus, Roma rights advocate Ognyan Stanchev and violinist Piotr Jordan. Ulrike says: “Some people are having to move to the UK to escape violence and persecution. They don’t have to register now as asylum seekers as many countries have now become members of the EU, so we don’t know how many people are here. We can explain why they are leaving and campaigning against the discrimination.“ She adds: “We want to celebrate the culture and also dispel some prejudices.“ Romani Dreams takes place on Friday, July 9 at 7pm, at Amnesty International UK Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, Shoreditch. Admission free. Details: waltham.amnesty.org.uk
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