Celebrate International Roma Day!

To mark International Roma Day, representatives of Sinti and Roma organisations in Berlin talk about interconnections between art and politics, the past and present, Berlin and Europe in their work. The discussion is framed by the short film “Proud Roma” and a performance by the jazz band Sinti Swing Berlin.

For decades, Sinti and Roma activists in Berlin have been fighting for civil rights and participation, and against discrimination. They are actively engaged in strengthening democracy in their city as a whole. To mark International Roma Day, representatives of Sinti and Roma organisations in Berlin discuss interconnections between art and politics, the past and present, Berlin and Europe in their work. What do they see as the core objectives and challenges? On which levels do they face antigypsyism, and how do they counteract it? How does the backdrop of the Holocaust and the long-standing Sinti and Roma civil rights movement inform political and cultural debates today? How can people get involved in the organisations’ work and strengthen solidarity networks within Berlin, across Germany and internationally?

The event is part of the Open Space presentation “Citizens with Equal Rights” by the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma. Podium speakers include Dotschy Reinhardt (Landesrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Timea Junghaus (European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture e.V.), Milan Pavlovic (Rroma Informations Centrum e.V.) and Iosif Stavarache (student, activist). Moderated by Michaela Bechtel-Hirsh (Solidarisch gegen Hass). The discussion is framed by the short film “Proud Roma” (2022) by Pablo Vega and a performance by the jazz band Sinti Swing Berlin.