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Amen sijam Roma!
Venice,
September 16, 2007 -- On Sunday, September 16, on a warm late-summer evening,
over thousand citizens of Venice and their guests from around the world enjoyed
the groovy Gypsy music performed in Parco di Villa Franchin in Mestre by the
world-renown performer Esma Redzepova and the Ensemble Teodosievski from
Macedonia.
Among
them were Roma refugees from Kosovo who have lived in Mestre since the Balkan
conflict in the late nineties, as well as the representatives of civil society
and the administration of the City of Venice.
The
concert that lasted until late night was made possible by Paradise Lost - The First Roma Pavilion at the
Venice Biennale and the Cultural Councilor of the City of Venice. They
partnered to organize a festival of Roma Culture in Venice - the Cultural Cont@mination 2007 will feature concerts, fashion
shows, literary events and round table discussions.
Esma
has sung on all the continents, for 89 presidents and hundreds of peasants, but
always “with the dedication and intensity of a woman who gives from every
cell”. This dynamo barely brushes five feet but has moved pavilions of
thousands and has introduced them to the magic of Gypsy music. The critics call her “world class
artist and cultural icon who carries the torch for her people wherever she
goes.”
All
of the proceeds from the concerts that Esma and the Ensemble Teodosievski give
around the world go to the foundation that Esma established years ago. The foundation supports a music school
for talented and poor children in Macedonia, as well as dozens of children that
Esma has adopted. The complex where the 47 children she has adopted live also
houses the "Home of Humanity and Museum of Music," a school, health
clinic and a gathering place for support groups.
Esma
is also involved with women's rights: she is still actively supporting the
organization that she helped found a couple of years ago in her hometown of
Skopje, called the Association of Romany Women (ESMA). Previously active in
national campaigns against violence against women, the Association of Romany
Women is at the moment advocating stronger participation of women in national
Parliament.
Before
the concert Esma Redzepova visited the Roma Pavilion, where Timea Junghaus, the
curator of Paradise Lost, gave her a tour of the exhibition.
Roma
Pavilion News interviewed Esma on the phone, after she returned to Macedonia,
only a week before she would leave on a one-month tour in Australia.
RPN: Esma, is this first time for you to sing in
Italy? Was it a good concert?
ER: No, this is not for me the first time to perform in
Italy. I sang here first in 1958,
and then again many times, I don’t even remember when. The audience in Venice was excellent;
they received me very warmly and danced with me.
RPN: Together with the Ensemble Teodosievski, you also
visited Paradise
Lost-The First
Roma Pavilion. What do you think about the exhibition?
ER: The exhibition was prepared on a very high level, and
from all the exhibited works I liked most the Horses Looking Glass by Daniel
Baker. The Pavilion plays a very
positive role in the promotion of Romany culture. But of course there are many cultural achievements that are
not mentioned there.
RPN: In particular a lot has been achieved in your
country, Macedonia?
ER: Yes. The first ever Roma Cultural Society, Phralipe was established in Macedonia, the
first ever private Roma TV station - BTR TV - was opened in Macedonia; Rahim
Burhan established in Macedonia the first Roma theater in the world. The first Romany municipality in the
world was also established in Macedonia – it is Shuto Orizari.
We have representatives in municipalities and in national Parliament, and we
have the First Queen of Roma Music. Prejudices against Roma are the past in Macedonia: we are even mentioned
in the Macedonian Constitution.
RPN: You are often called “The Queen of Gyspsy
Music”? Why is that? Who gave you
the title?
ER: I won this title at the First World Festival of Romany Songs and Music
held in India in 1976. The award was presented to me by Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi.
RPN: You have a big family?
ER: I adopted 47 boys. At the moment they are all married
except for one. I have 47 sons, 46 daughters in law, 117 grandsons and I don’t
even know how many grand-grand sons. I have adopted them because I love
children, and I love helping people. I was myself
adopted as a poor little girl, so I wanted to continue this by helping other
kids whose families couldn't afford for them to go to school or to take care of
them.
RPN: Your performance of the Romany hymn is quite popular
around the world?
ER: Yes, it is Dzelem,
Dzelem. Besides that, in September
this year I recorded the Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, the European anthem, for the
first time in Romany language.
RPN: There is an ongoing heated
discussion about the terms “Roma” and “Gypsy”: different people have very
strong reasons to support or oppose one or the other. What is your opinion
about that?
ER: I would not discuss positive
or negative connotation that those terms have, but would rather stick to the
language. There is no such word as “Gypsy” in Romany. It was made up by
non-Roma. When we meet, in order to identify each other, we say “Amen sijam
Roma” – which translates as “We are Roma”.
RPN: Is there something you would like to tell to the
readers of the Roma Pavilion Newsletter?
ER: Appreciate Roma! Roma are peace-loving people. They have never been in war
and have never occupied anyone. Roma are cosmopolitan nation.
Click here to see photos from the concert in
Venice.
Esma’s previous humanitarian work
50 humanitarian concerts around
Israel, proceeds donated to the victims of the devastating earthquake in
Skopje;
Concerts in Zagreb, Croatia for
the perished in the floods in Zagreb;
Charity concert for more than
20.000 workers in Bombay, India;
11 humanitarian concerts for
the Red Cross, Belgrade, Yugoslavia during which time approximately 4000 people
donated blood;
For more information: press.romapavilion@osi.hu
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