Roma Protest

ROMA PROTEST is an evening comprised of the most varied artistic modules, dedicated to the situation of the Roma people. It arises in light of the way in which asylum seekers from ‘safe homelands’ are being deported. Roma artists articulate positions of identity, danger, politics, history and pain through performance, photography, lectures and music.

8:30pm TANJA OSTOJIC: NAKED LIFE / PERFORMANCE

Serbian artist Tanja Ostojic uses her work to explore the themes of migration, feminism and minorities. Her approach to art is uncompromising, personal and intimate. Her own life becomes the subject matter and a key part of her art works. As such it becomes difficult to mark the split between art as a profession and her private life. In the project, ‘Looking for a Husband with an EU Passport’ she, a non EU citizen, posts a naked photo on the internet in the search for a husband and shows how the lives of (female) migrants are influenced by external forces. She came to Kampnagel in 2010 with her performance ‘Integration Impossible’. Now, at the KRASS Festival, Ostojic presents her performance NAKED LIFE, taking stories from the lives of the Roma population, who must face brutality and marginalisation on a daily basis. She not only exhibits stories of discrimination and violence, but also her own naked and vulnerable body.

9:30pm NIHAD NINO PUŠIJA/DZONI SICHELSCHMIDT: PARNO GRAS / PHOTO LECTURE

The photo series PARNO GRAS: MUKLINE EVROPLJANURA (The white horse: the neglected Europeans) focuses on the lives of the Roma population in Europe. It scrutinises their existence, their social and political status, as well as their status as refugees. Born in Sarajevo in 1965, Nihad Nino Pušija studied Politics and Journalism in Sarajevo and spent many years with the Roma population, working as a photo journalist. Many of the 12-15 million Roma people living in Europe are confronted with prejudice, intolerance, discrimination and social marginalisation every single day. In their lecture, Nihad Nino Pušija and Dzoni Sichelschmidt report on the current situation for the Roma population.

10:30pm JONY ILIEV & BAND: CONCERT

Full of passion, driven to and fro between happiness and despair, between seemingly never ending poverty and discrimination on the one hand, and freedom and irrepressible zest for life on the other hand, Jony Iliev & Band captivate audiences with their own virtuoso compositions and songs, sung in their mother tongue of Romani. The enrapturing vocal talents of Jony Iliev and his excellent band stand out from classical gypsy music. It is not just the unbelievable vocal versatility, but above all the astoundingly imaginative compositions: you can hear rumba rhythms alongside klezmer and jazz sounds. After the concert, DJ Ramovilo will mix Balkan breaks with gypsy soul and brass techno.