Accompanying events
Open air
Thursday,
1 June
10:00
Wenceslas Square
STREET ART PERFORMANCE: ZORAN TAIROVIĆ
15:00
Wenceslas Square
DANCE BATTLE
Have you ever seen how a professional painter develops a work of art? Not with your own eyes? Well, here’s your chance! At Khamoro, the painter and performer Zoran Tairović will paint a large-format painting on Wenceslas Square, exposing himself to the eyes of passers-by and anyone who will come to see him at work. The project of the famous Roma artist from Serbia serves as a symbol of Romani homes opening their doors to everyone. The street art performance metaphorically highlights the need to get to know each other and to merge different cultures as well as the openness and altruism of the Roma nation. Which is pretty much what Khamoro has been trying to do the last twenty-five years.
ZORAN TAIROVIĆ
A multimedia artist and painter with a PhD. in interdisciplinary studies of management in applied arts industry. He was born in Serbia. His work has been displayed at dozens of exhibitions both home and abroad. His paintings are represented in galleries and private collections in Europe, Canada, USA and Australia. Tairović has been awarded several international prizes, including the prestigious Grand Prix. He is also the author of the first Romani opera, musical and several film documentaries. At Khamoro, he will be a guest speaker at an international art conference.
A battle combining dance with passion and improvisation. Don’t let anyone put you in a corner and come to Wenceslas Square to compete with other dancers in our dance battle. Have fun with a unique dance battle, where the title of the king of the dance floor will be up for grabs not just for professional dancers but also for you! Win the battle in a dance that has its origins on the streets of the slums and to these days remains one of the most famous dancing styles in the world. You cannot beat your rivals unless you are able to immediately respond to the rhythm of the song and move accordingly. Your success in the dance battle will be judged by the jury of experts. The event will be chaired by one of the most successful Czech street dancers and lecturers, the award-wining Roman “Kalo” Kejík.
Friday,
2 June
15:00
Portheimka Park
KHAMORORO – CHILDREN’S DAY
Nane čhave, nane bacht – no kids, no happiness. At Khamoro, we have taken this old Roma saying to heart, which is why we once again offer programme for the little ones. So, girls and boys, what is there to entertain you? A lot of fun, a lot of attractions and a lot of music! Jump up and down in our inflated castle, have your face painted, adorn yourself with glitter tattoo, blow into our mega bubble blower to create an infinite bubble, compete in various disciplines and enjoy the music you love! Have fun with the stars of the day, the rappers Franklin Catch and Rakys from Sokolov, called Cizinci, whose videos have hundreds of thousands of views. But there will be many others, such as singer Pepa Reiss or Diana and Claudia Kudriková. Enjoy your special day – Khamororo is here for you!
Saturday, 3 June
10:30
Wenceslas Square
PARADE
One of the most attractive and most favourite events at Khamoro! The parade of all participants through the streets of the historical centre of Prague. An experience you will not forget any time soon. A horse-drawn carriage, hundred musicians, two hundred kids from folklore ensembles across the Czech Republic and thousands of passers-by who will join the parade spontaneously. All that accompanied by Balkan brass-band, traditional songs of Czech and Slovak Romani, Hungarian czardas and fiery rhythms of Spanish guitars with masterful performances of flamenco dancers. Become part of this giant colourful parade, marching from Wenceslas Square all the way to Old-Town Square.
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Theatre and film
Sunday, 28 May
17:00
Rock Café
THEATRE PLAY DJELEM, DJELEM
Sorrow, joy, happiness, humour. Experience this mixture of contradictory emotions within a single performance! The theatre performance Djelem, djelem of the Romani amateur theatre Trajo (Life) tells an authentic story that sumps up experience of several Roma women from Rokycany with immigration to the United Kingdom. Their life stories are full of sadness but also humorous anecdotes. Immerse yourself in the story of courage, of the effort to accommodate to a new country and a new language, of the desire to feel at home. The story will make you laugh and cry at the same time. The performance will be followed by a discussion on the caused and consequences of immigration to the UK in the 1990s. The panel will include Anna Poláková, a former moderator of Czech Radio, Ilona Ferková, a co-author of the theatre play and one of the most important Romani writers, and the Romani scholar Michal Mižigár.
Tuesday, 30 May
18:00
Kampus Hybernská
PREMIERE OF THE DOCUMENTARY: LADISLAV GORAL
LADISLAV GORAL
A Roma scholar, activist, singer, actor. He studied Indology and Roma Studies at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague. He has worked on a number of Czechoslovak and Czech films as an advisor and actor. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, he worked at the office of the Council of the Government for National Minorities and founded the civic association R-Mosty. He is one of the most renowned Roma scholars and speaks seven Roma dialects.
“One should laugh at least a half an hour a day. Only sick people don’t laugh,” Ladislav Goral, one of the greatest figures of Romani cultural and political life in the Czech Republic, says in the beginning of this documentary short. This film, which was produced by the organization Slovo 21, offers his reminiscences of the milestones of his life, from his work with the founder of Czech Romani studies Milena Hübschmannová to his ten years spent working on a Czech-Romani dictionary and to his leaving Slovakia for Prague at the age of fourteen and pulling himself up by his bootstraps, building up his career that culminated at the Government Office. His stories are peppered with sharp wit, so characteristic for Ladislav Goral. And if you love cymbal music as much as him, make sure not to miss the screening as it will by accompanied with the great cymbal band of Josef Šenki.
Exhibitions
Wednesday, 31 May
Thursday, 1 June
17:00
New Town Hall
OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION DO NOT SPIT IN MY FACE! / MERSUD SELMAN
A provocative title and oil paintings that will get under your skin. An exhibition about the fight for love and recognition. Come to see the work of Mersud Selman, a renowned artist from Bosna and Hercegovina. Do Not Spit in My Face is a collection of works of art about his personality, which he has been hiding for so long: about his identity as a gay. How hard is it to come out with your sexual orientation in Bosna, let alone in a Bosnian Roma community dominated by traditional values?
17:00
Kinský Summer Palace
GUIDED TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION THE ROAD IS OPEN
MERSUD SELMAN
One of the few Roma professional painters of his generationin Bosna and Hercegovina. After completing his university art studies, he moved to Budapest and entered Roma English Language Program at CEU. In his work, he proudly embraces all of his identities – Roma, Bosnian, artistic as well as homosexual. Since 2017, Mersud has started receiving invitations to cities across Europe to present his work. He has had solo exhibitions in Milan, Sarajevo and Berlin.
Enter The Road Is Open – Phundrado Drom. Paintings, painted plates, wood carvings, hand-made music instruments, sculptures made of beer caps, etc. The exhibition offers a unique insight into the vast art collection of the Museum of Roma Culture, the only institution of its kind in Europe. Thanks to the creative teamwork of the curators Petra Hanáková and Emília Rigová, you can discover original works of art by the most remarkable of the Roma artists with such peculiar styles as Ján Berky, Rudolf Dzurko, Daniel Kováč, Július Lakatoš and Markéta Šestáková.
Literature
Wednesday, 31 May
19:00
Kampa Community Centre
LITERATURE AND MUSICAL EVENING GAVORO
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Travel back in time to a world with no television, Internet and social media. You will learn everything what is important, entertaining and informative from the stories of the elders. Experience stories of Roma storytellers – an evening full of stories impossible to forget. Stories cheerful and sad, stories full of suspense and stories that make you shiver. All this in the beautiful surroundings of Prague’s Kampa, by a crackling fire and with Romani music. Vakeriben - storytelling is an ancient Romani tradition. In the old days, it was common for a whole village – gavoro – to listen to one storyteller’s tales for several hours at a stretch. Be a part of such a village too.
The event is not opened to the public
PARAMISARA MEETING
But Khamoro is not just music. We are the place to meet. The place where Romani people meet non-Romani people, the young meet the old and the fans of Roma culture meet those who only start to appreciate it. But we are also the place where Roma culture and those who take care of it are honoured. At Khamoro, Paramisara, the club of Roma writers, holds its annual meeting. With the help of Slovo 21, it was founded four years ago and includes Roma writers across the Czech Republic. And this year’s Khamoro features a workshop of creative writing led by René Nekula, who has trained more than five thousand people in the course of last 12 years.
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Educational programmes
The event is not opened to the public
KHAMORO AT SCHOOLS
Let’s leave concert halls, theatres and galleries for a minute and go back to school. For the very first time, the largest Roma festival in the world will enter two schools in Prague! Students of the Elementary School Cimburkova and the Elementary School Grafická will enjoy a concert by the pianist, accordionist and singer Mário Bihári and the famous Roma musician Milan “Bingač” Demeter. And while we are sitting at the desk, let’s not forget literature, Roma literature in particular, because, unfortunately, it is rarely spoken about in Czech classrooms. But do not fear, my darling girls and boys, no cramming is in sight. The Roma writers Stanislava Miková and Věra Horváthová will make Roma literature accessible to you in a highly entertaining way.
The event is not opened to the public
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL OF ROMA MUSIC
Roma music as a subject of scientific research. Did you know that concerts and other events at Khamoro are not attended only by lay people looking for entertainment but also by those who seek expert knowledge? The organizer of our festival, Slovo 21, together with the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague once again the International Summer School of Roma Music. In a series of lectures, workshops and evening concerts, approximately twenty students from all around the world discover every year what Roma music is about, learn about its diverse genres and what it says about Roma people. As always, the course will be led by Doc. PhDr. Zuzana Jurková, Ph.D., the head of the Institute for Ethnomusicology at the Faculty of Humanities of Charles University. Anthropologist and folklorist Carol Silverman, Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Folklore/Public Culture at the US University of Oregon will be our guest lecturer.
The event is not opened to the public
KHAMORO SHARES EXPERIENCE
How do you prepare the biggest Roma festival in the world? What needs to be done on technical, organizational and artistic side and in terms of promoting the event? A selected group of young Romani guys from across the Czech Republic will find out in the course of a one-week festival marathon. During the training in cultural management, our experts will advise them on how to put together interesting programme and prepare a cultural event from a dramaturgical point of view, how to be effective when working in a team, or how to talk to the media. The trainees will also participate in Khamoro events to gain some practical insight. We give a chance to young Romani people to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to organize smaller festival or other cultural events in their own region sometimes in future. We are interested in enthusiastic Romani youngsters who wish to learn more about cultural management, which is why Khamoro shares its experience and best practices!
Expert programme
Friday, 2 June –
Saturday, 3 June
Kampus Hybernská
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE - MAKE ROMA PROUD AGAIN!
What is Romani art? How can it be defined? And what is its role in society? Is it meant to entertain only, or raise any important topics? There are many questions, and the most renowned experts from all over the world will try to answer them. And you can also be there as Khamoro is not only about music, but also about expert topics. International conferences are a regular part of the biggest Roma festival. This year, as you can see from the previous lines, it focuses on arts. The conference concept has been prepared by the visual artist Emília Rigová and the culture manager Alica Sigmund Heráková.
EMÍLIA RIGOVÁ
Internationally acclaimed visual artist. She studied sculpture at the Academy of Arts in Bánská Bystrica and received her PhD. in 2011 for her work Sculpture as Metalepsy in the Digital Age. She exhibits in Slovakia and abroad, and she also works as a curator, educator and writer. She teaches art courses in sculpture, multimedia and intermedia. Her group exhibitions include, for example, FUTUROMA at the Venice Biennale. In 2018, she received the Oskár Čepan Award.
ALICA SIGMUND HERÁKOVÁ
Writer, producer and culture manager. Since 2018, she has been a member of the Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs. For five years, she has run the internet channel Tuke.TV. She edited the two-volume publication Amendar: Pohled do světa romských osobností [Amendar: A Glimpse to the World of Roma Personalities] published by the Museum of Romani Culture. She is also a dramaturgist of accompanying events at the Roma and Sinti Centre in Prague. Her key topics include media representation, Roma participation and gender equality.
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Programme of the conference on the link here
The speakers of the international conference include, for example:
IAN HANCOCK
Romani scholar, linguist and political activist. He is the director of the Roma Studies Program and the Roma Archives and Documentation Center at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has been a professor since 1972. He also served as the International Romani Union's representative to the United Nations and was a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council under President Bill Clinton. He has had a major impact on the international Roma civil rights movement, publishing more than 300 books and articles on the Roma people and language and establishing one of the largest archives of books and documents on the Roma.
MIHAELA DRAGAN
Multidisciplinary artist with education in theatre based in Bucharest. In 2014, she founded the Giuvlipen Theatre Company. As an actress, she also works in Berlin. She is also a Theatre of the Oppressed trainer, working with Roma women on their specific issues in Romania and with refugee girls in Germany. She was one of the six finalists for the 2017 New York Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award, which acknowledges the exceptional theatre work of 20 women around the world. In 2020 she was once again nominated for this award, and she was a recipient of the Special Award of the League.
DAVID TIŠER
The first LGBT activist among Czech Roma, screenwriter and actor. He has graduated from Romani studies at the Charles University. He made documentaries for Czech Television, wrote the autobiographical screenplay for film Roma Boys - A Story of Love (2009) and starred in the National Theatre's documentary My Neighbour, My Enemy (2011-2012), for which he was nominated for the Alfréd Radok Award. He served on the Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs. He has been educating students, teachers and social workers. He has also collaborated with the Husa na provázku Theatre.
MÁRIA HLAVAJOVÁ
Researcher, educator, curator, and founding general and artistic director of BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht. In 2012, she organized Call the Witness, Roma Pavilion at 54th Venice Biennale in Venice, and in 2013 she co-edited We Roma: A Critical Reader in Contemporary Art which inquires into the contemporary world through the lens of Roma artistic and intellectual practices, gathering knowledge from the Roma way of life.
SEAD KAZANXHIU
Visual artist from Albania. Graduated from painting at the University of Arts in Tirana. In his works, he often comments on the position of Roma and their unjust marginalization. He won the 2022 Ardhje award for young Albanian artists. He is the Vice Chair of the Pakiv Board of ERIAC, and also Vice Chairman of the Committee on National Minorities in Albania. He has exhibited in Tirana, Budapest, Brussels, Prague, Brno, Göteburg, Berlin, Dresden, Krakow, Bucharest and New Orleans.