Khamoro Festival of Roma culture in need of funding

This year’s Khamoro Festival of world Roma culture is presenting performances by more than 100 artists from 19 countries in Prague. In addition to dancing and music, the program includes a conference and exhibition of Roma fine artists. The Slovo 21 association, which produces the festival, presented journalists with an overview of its 13th annual offerings today. The festival began on Sunday afternoon with a reconstructed performance of a traditional Roma wedding and will culminate on Saturday, 28 May with a gala concert.

“Because of a lack of financing, this festival fights to keep up its standards and to survive every year. This year’s program doesn’t include everything we wanted, but it should be rich,” said Jelena Silajdžič, executive director of Slovo 21 and the festival producer.

The program is available on the web at www.khamoro.cz. Organizers have prepared six concerts of bands from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, India, Italy and Norway. Yesterday there were performances of contemporary Roma music, today and tomorrow are dedicated to gypsy jazz, and Thursday and Friday will belong to traditional music. The festival culminates on Saturday with a gala concert that lasts several hours. On Thursday there will be a march by Roma dancers and musicians from Můstek to the Old Town Square in Prague.

The Nostitz Palace will house an exhibit entitled “The Education Ministry Warns You! Segregation harms you and those around you” from 27 May – 10 June featuring the work of Roma artists who have exhibited at the Venice Biennale. The exhibition will include an expert conference on segregation in art and education.

Silajdžič says the budget for this year’s festival is CZK 6.5 million, three million of which were provided by the City of Prague. “Over the past 13 years, Khamoro has become part of Prague culture. The project shows not only the colorfulness of Roma culture and traditions, but is also a means for integration and establishing communication between the Roma community and the majority society,” believes Prague culture councilor Lukáš Kaucký, who has promised the organizers support for the future.

While the capital city has gradually increased its contribution to the festival over time, the Czech Culture Ministry’s contribution has fallen annually. Silajdžič says the ministry used to contribute CZK 2 million toward the art exhibit, but gave only CZK 1.57 million last year and this year only CZK 1 million. She does not consider this the result of “strategy” but of a poor decision-making process. “Just like the ‘special schools’ attended by Roma children, we are the ‘special festival’. Roma events are not viewed as real culture,” Silajdžič said, adding that this year’s program had to be reduced. Instead of two or three exhibitions, as in previous years, there is only one this year. A fashion show by a Hungarian Roma designer also could not be included.

Despite difficulties with financing, the organizers already have plans for next year. After this year’s reconstructed performance of a traditional Roma wedding, they would like to continue the presentation of other Roma traditions. Silajdžič said the 2012 festival will also feature a collaboration with Cuban fashion designer Osmany Laffita. A show of his designs inspired by Roma fashion will take place “in a Roma environment” in the Prague neighborhood of Žižkov, the producer said.