Czech Republic: Romani association ARA ART wins prize for workshop supporting the LGBT community

On Sunday, 17 May, the eve of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, the Mecca club in Prague was the venue for an awards ceremony held by the PROUD organization for actions supporting the emancipation and recognition of the LGBT community. The award for Action of the Year was given to the Romani association ARA ART for a workshop it held for LGBT Roma.

The weekend workshop last summer in Prague was attended by approximately 20 gay and lesbian Romani people from all over the country. The topic of the meeting was group and individual identity, which was explored through discussions and arts workshops led by fashion designer Pavel Berky and photographer Lukáš Houdek.

The meeting also produced a brochure telling the stories of those who participated. Awards were given in a total of five categories by the PROUD civic association.

The event was a continuation of the Colour Planet awards established in 2008 by Janis Sidovský. Previous recipients of these awards include veteran activists Jiří Hromada, Ivo Procházka and Marcela Šulcová; the longtime director of the Mezipatro festival, Aleš Rumpel; and the projects ArtForLife and Dům světla (House of Light).