Roma and the silver cup
The Cortorari are a Roma community in Transylvania whose most valuable asset is the Tahtai, a silver cup inherited from generation to generation. Having a Tahtai is like having a nobility title. The cup is part of a marriage negotiations, used as a motive for murder, fights and curses, dictating the way the Cortorari community […]
Roma tradition and culture in the culinary art
The roots of Roma gastronomy reflect the nomadic life the community used to have. Ingredients like meat, cabbage, potatoes and cheese can be found in multiple traditional recipes, while the preparation and serving rituals are based on hindu principles of the purity and impurity. Roma’s culinary roots lie in nomadism. Over the years, the […]
One part of Roma’s Stories project will be a five days long job shadowing activity.
One part of Roma’s Stories project will be a five days long job shadowing activity. But what is job shadowing? Job shadowing or work shadowing is a type of on-the-job learning. It may be a part of an onboarding process, or part of a career or leadership development program. Job shadowing involves following and observing […]
The Romas: From a tent to… palace
While a nomadic at its origins, the Roma community is today in its majority a stable population. The prestigious and impressive houses that look like palaces, or the PVC unsanitary houses at the outskirts of numerous cities, they both represent Roma’s realities today. The Roma have for centuries been a nomadic group without a […]
Deportation of Roma to Transnistria. The Holocaust
How many pages do our history books devote to the grim Roma past? When talking about Holocaust, we tend to remember the extermination of Jewish people, even though there were many other communities who suffered during that time. One of those communities is the Romas. In Ion Antonescu’s fascist Romania, Roma people were put […]
Art, the basic element in Romani blood
The fact that the Roma people have art in their blood is no longer a secret! Countless “actors” of the national artistic scene are of Roma ethnicity, and although they had a lot of work to break the barriers of racism, once their talent was recognized, they gained a lot of success. In the following […]
Exploring Reykjavik through Job Shadowing
In the field of experiential learning, there is one known as job shadowing. The trip to Reykjavik, Iceland, organised as part of our Roma Stories project, meant an exchange of know-how for a group of five Roma people. Their experience in Reykjavik, where they encountered diverse cultures, captivating landscapes and opportunities that broadened their horizons […]
Roma women who make history
Even though usually portrayed as oppressed figures, secondary characters in their fathers, brothers or husbands’ stories, there are Roma women out there who fight each day and are doing remarkable activism work or are actively involved in politics, the Arts or other social aspects of life. În this episode we will learn about two more […]
The art of cooper processing: roma craft or national treasure?
Metalworking is an ancient occupation and this craft is often associated with the Roma ethnicity. Nowadays, blacksmiths or boilermakers are increasingly rare, even in rural areas, because, for the younger generations, the practice of this job is no longer of interest. One of those who decided to take this craft further and raise it to […]
Famous roma musical artists and bands
Roma singers and lute players have been a constant presence when it comes to different celebrations and festivals. Today, few are the ones still singing this type of traditional music. Thus, it is important to understand the history of such artist through the lens of famous lute players and bands. No matter if we […]