Vitro Nasu

Thousands march to support Roma in Paris

Similar peaceful protests took place outside French embassies elsewhere in Europe. In Belgrade, Serbia, dozens of Gypsies chanted anti-racist slogans and held banners calling for an end to the expulsions from France.
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Italian cities plan to shut down Roma Camps (NYtimes)

The film stars French actor Marc Lavoine (Frenchmen), Canadian actress Marie-Josée Croze (Tell No One) and Swiss actor James Thiérrée (The Vanishing Point).

Based on real-life characters, Liberté will follow the journey of a family led by its head of clan (a woman) and its “hero”, Taloche (Thiérrée), a whimsical childlike bohemian. They will be helped by the Righteous, Théodore, the town mayor (Lavoine) and Ms Lundi, teacher and mayor employee (Croze).
Written by the director, the story deals with the tragic destiny of gypsies in France. But it is also a story of love and friendship between two Righteous who try to protect, right to the bitter end, an abandoned child and a Roma family.

Gatlif accompanied the announcement of the project with a declaration highlighting his intentions: “I wanted to give them another image other than that forged by fear and hate, which led directly to gas chambers for gypsies and bohemians, a free and nomad people”. (Via)

Previous post Tony Gatlif (Find his films on Netflix)

Romany Journeys
Photos by Joakim Eskildsen (Hungary, India, Greece, Romania, France, Russia abd Finland)

Romania

Hungary

Photos by Joakim Eskildsen

Between 2000 and 2006 I together with writer Cia Rinne undertook travels in seven different countries with a view to gaining an insight into the life of the Roma and the conditions they face. We always tried to spend a considerable length of time among the people whom we wanted to learn about and, if possible, to live with them for a while.

Hungary<>India<>Greece<>Romania<>France<>Russia<>Finland

World: Europe Kosovo gypsies under threat

If Kosovo does return to violence, there is one group that might suffer more than most: the oft-abused Roma. (via metafilter)

Previous post on Roma Filmmaker Tony Gatlif is here.

Music as memory of their persecution or why Gotlif focused on Gypsy music.

I wanted to make a film the Rom people could be proud of, not something to exhibit their misery. I wanted to produce a hymn to this people that I love.

Latcho Drom is a musical odyssey which follows the route of the Gypsies from Rajasthan in northwestern India through Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, France and finally, Spain

Romany’s Indian heritage captured from this youtube sample.

(Full screen version)

The Roma are among the most widely persecuted peoples in the world. Going by many different names including the derogatory Gypsy (The British believed they originated in Egypt), Roma seems to be slowly gaining as the accepted name. Linguistic and genetic evidence puts their origin in the Punjab India which they seem to have left about 1000 – 1050 AD. (The Roma Poetess)

The director, Tony Gatlif, born in Algeria, talks about his film:

When I arrived in Balteni, I found extraodinary people without a care for Rumania nor France! Balteni is located 60 kilometers from Bucharest. It is a sort of isolated ghetto in the middle of the countryside. (via)

Gadjo Dilo is the last in a trilogy of films (The Princess, Latcho Drom) by Tony Gatlif about gypsy culture. Romain Duris who played the European in Gadjo Dilo 10 years ago worked with Gatlif again in Exile 2004.

Romany Roots photo gallery (BBC)

Django Rhinhardt was Belgian Sinto Gypsy jazz guitarist.

Portfolio of Andrew Miksys in slide show and an introduction by Andre Codrescu (Slate).