The aim of the project was to organize the Hungarian-Speaking Roma Summer University through which we wanted to contribute to the cultural recognition of Roma in Harghita, Covasna and Mures counties. Their current situation can be characterized by a lack of cultural recognition or a cultural “invisibility”, meaning that Roma are not included in historical narratives and cultural products representative of the region. Our summer university aimed to contribute to change this by including Roma cultural values and products in the cultural heritage of the region.
The Summer University, entitled the Cultural Recognition. Summer University of Hungarian-speaking Roma was organized between September 28 and October 1, 2023 at the Natur Air Park in the village of Sub Cetate (Zetea County), Harghita County.
The program of the summer university was as follows: on Thursday, September 28, 2023 a round table discussion was organized entitled The Force of Resistance – Human Rights, Political Correctness and Roma Representation. It aimed at analyzing the issues of Roma portrayal in the media and public sphere. In the evening a cultural event was organized, the Perkucigó performance. This is a theater-concert performance enriched with stand-up elements, which presents the identity crisis of Zsolt Fekete, an actor of Roma origin.
On Friday, September 29, 2023, three events took place: a hip-hop workshop, a round table with young Roma artists and intellectuals, and a workshop on Hungarian-language Roma literature in Romania, entitled In Double Minority. The day ended with a screening of the film 3000 Pieces directed by Császi Ádám, which explores the real-life experiences of the actors as they tell their stories of abuse, drug addiction and life outside the law.
Two events were organized on Saturday 30 September. First a panel discussion about Roma cultural recognition and second a public debate about Roma cultural representation with the inclusion of all camp participants. On Sunday, October 1, 2023 the official closing of the camp was organized, i.e. an evaluation workshop aimed at analyzing the event and gathering feedback from the participants. At the same time it was discussed how these events can be continued.
For details, see the Facebook page of the Summer University.
The project was financed by Departamentul pentru Relaţii Interetnice.