Ivana Nikolić - Proud to be Roma

Ethnic coming out of young makers with Roma and Sinti background

Proud to be Roma – Ethnic Coming Out gives a positive voice to young makers from various European countries with a Roma and Sinti background. They are proud of their cultural identity, although they face long-term discrimination and exclusion in several European countries. Did you know, for example, that Charlie Chaplin, Rita Hayworth and Antonio Banderas have a Roma or Sinti background? Why do young Roma still feel the need to hide their origins? Proud to be Roma addresses this issue in an accessible and playful way and brings together past and present.

The makers come from various countries and bring their own culture and worldview to the stage, where they enter into dialogue about the here and now. Swami, Demila, Natasha and Vittorio, the young protagonists in Proud to be Roma, talk about their difficulties with regard to their so-called ethnic coming out, 'coming out of the closet' as it were and declaring which ethnic group they belong to.

After the performance there will be a discussion with a Dutch Roma activist about the situation of Roma in the Netherlands, which is partly influenced by a prevailing social culture of silence. The makers wonder when this will change.