The Government-appointed Holocaust Commission

is scheduled this year to erect a permanent Memorial

to victims of the European Nazi regimes of the Second

World War.  It will be located in the Victoria Gardens,

close to Parliament in central London.

Although both the Government and the Commission itself

have turned a deaf ear to requests that Roma representatives

be appointed to the Commission, and its successor the

Holocaust Memorial…

photo taken in The Hague in 2011, 5 years ago, when Valery was in the Netherlands and we went together to see a common friend in The Hague, Paul Rafferty (in the middle).

The…

Dear all,

On 25 May 2016, I have sent a message to all 1100 Khetanes members (see below).

Who wants to continue our website in the years to come?

Khetanes has been started in 2010, almost 6 years ago. The butterfly logo has been designed by artists from the EvertyOne Group in Italy, who supported…

FUNDATIA SOCIAL CULTURALA A ROMILOR

 “ION CIOABA”

Sos. Alba Iulia, bl. 16, 2400 Sibiu, Romania;

Inreg. ca pers. juridica poz: 82/1998; autor. SC 249/98,nr inreg.: 2/927/IV

Cod fiscal nr.: 10682924

Tel.:040 369 402034 ;Mobille:040 744 920291 ; Fax: 040 269 229863     E-Mail: office@icfoundation.ro ;luminita_cioaba@yahoo.com…

For those who don't know Ueli, he was the husband of Mariella Mehr, the great author, poet and activist from Switzerland who fought during her whole life to open the files of the Swiss authorities and the Foundation Pro Juventute.

Pro Juventute had a semi-official policy regarding Romani (in Switzerland: Yenish) children. This special programme was called "Kinder der Landstrasse" or "Children from the Road. Romani children were separated from their own parents, in order to be raised…

Text below has been written by Thomas Acton:

Dr Donald Kenrick, one of the great names in Romani Studies and activism, and a kind and generous friend to so many, died this morning at 3.15 am after suffering a heart attack in the West Middlesex Hospital, where he had been for about a week.



He was my mentor in scholarship,…

Albert Siebelink passed away on 30 September 2015, at the age of 65 years

(oil portrait by George Vasilescu, made in May 2015)

International Gipsy Festival Tilburg,…

A child has died. Heaven has gained another angel

Hunger and fear are stronger than barbed-wire fences.

This morning when I saw the photographs of Aylan Kurdi, the small Syrian child that drowned on a Mediterranean beach in Turkey, I felt in my throat the kind of lump that prevents you from breathing…

Amalale,

In the past 3 months, many messages have been distributed by Open Society Foundations on establishing a European Roma Institute (ERI)

Extended correspondences and long Skype meetings with prominent Khetanes members (academics, artists and activists) on the ERI issue, made me decide to send the following letter to the Secretary General's Special Representative on Roma related issues, Mr. Ulrich Bunjes:…

EUROPEAN ROMA AND TRAVELLERS FORUM

                                                     …

Günter Grass

On 13 April, author and Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass passed away in the age of 87 years. For many years, Günter Grass supported Roma and Sinti. His wife, Ute, also got engaged in the Foundation "Stiftung zugunsten des Romavolkes". Günter Grass was one of the Honorary Supporters of World Artists Initiative "Khetanes". We are grateful for his firm dedication and commitment. May his soul rest in peace!…

From 3 to 8 June, the first International 100 Thousand Poets for Change World Conference will take place in Salerno, Italy. Also Poets from World Artists Initiative Khetanes will participate! (photo: Caffe Castorino will be providing participants with espresso during the…

Under this tab, you will find interesting news on art, culture, history and media, gathered by: Wout J. van Vloten. Wout is also editor of the World Artists Initiative "Khetanes" page on Facebook. Articles published here can also be found on his Facebook page or on the Khetanes page on…

Roma Stereotype blog

by Monica Bodirsky

Truth and Myth

Racial stereotypes are damaging because they are a distilled version of an entire culture or race. Stereotypes reduce a group or culture to a one-dimensional caricature by ignoring aspects of complexity and diversity. Sadly, despite the inaccuracies and often-ludicrous portrayals of Romani…

World Artists Initiative "Khetanes" started its website in October 2010. The site was initiated by Els de Groen, writer, poet, journalist and former Member of the European Parliament (2004-2009), where Romani issues were one of her priorities. In less than a month, 100 artists and scholars joined the website. Many more would follow. September 2014, we exceeded 1000 members…

Romani Eyes on Gypsy Film

Summary: The Romani figure has, since the time of silent film, found representation on the silver screen.  Whether as a main character, (or much more frequently as a cameo or a supporting role,) a myriad of cinematic displays of Romani people, with a distinct culture and history, have…

On 2 July 2014, The Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest opened its doors to host an exhibition of paintings, called “Confluence, influence – in art?”. All paintings have been made by the Roma painter and sculptor George Mihai Vasilescu, also present on this Khetanes site and member of the Visual Arts and Paintings Group. The exhibition of paintings of manele musicians, that will last until 8 July 2014, caused a stir in Romanian press and social media. The director of the…

There were 16 bands, but quite easily it could have been 20. That big was the enthusiasm of musicians to contribute to the benefit concerts at the first Roma-Ember Against Racism Festival in the Alte Kaserne in Zürich, even if they had to travel 10 hours or more.

The Guitar…