Welcome back to a fresh season of the Romani Tea Room, the podcast series presented by the European Roma Rights Centre. In this episode, we explore the topic of LGBTIQ+ rights within the Romani community, as we follow the journey of Ana Jovanović, a trans woman from Serbia of Romani descent. So, make yourself a comforting cup of tea, take a seat, and join us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

The clothes Roma wear are often heavily associated with their ethnicity, and a pervasive stereotypical image of how Roma, particularly Romani women, should dress is still common in our societies. At the same time, so-called 'Gypsy Fashion' sells well all over the world, but it is usually sold by non-Roma with the profits from appropriating Romani culture rarely returning to Romani communities. In this episode of the Romani Tea Room, Sophie Datishvili speaks with two Romani women who are reclaiming Romani fashion in different ways and challenging stereotypes about the clothes that Roma wear, a ..read more

Pork Chops, with turkey or beef and chicken and different spices; Meat with meat and even more meat; Tastefully mixed vegetables and dinners that are cooked with extra portions. This is the Romani kitchen and in this episode we are going to talk all about it. Our guests have a lot to tell you about Romani food. You will hear from two Romani food lovers, Jonathan Lee from the ERRC and Aaron Himenez Cortez who is joining our podcast from Catalonia; Anna Orsos from Hungary whose home cooking tastes like childhood memories and Nicoleta Calin, Romanian Roma, who turned recipes passed down for gene ..read more

76 years ago, on 16th of May – Nazi soldiers entered the Romani camp, intending to murder 6 000 Roma there. What happened next is still, one of the most incredible stories in history of Second World War – the Roma took up metal pipes, wood panels, stones, and barbed wire, and attacked the one hundred Nazi soldiers armed with rifles. They fought off the attack, and the Nazi’s retreated. May 16th has become the symbol of Romani resistance. In the first episode of the Romani Tea Room, grandchildren of the Roma holocaust survivors recall family memories. You’ll hear 5 incredible stories of resist ..read more

You are being watched - Campaigners and activists warn us about this. They say that the systems of mass surveillance and facial recognition in European countries violate human rights and hit vulnerable minorities even more.      In the EU mass surveillance is illegal. For private companies it is controlled by GDPR. There is also a law enforcement directive for the police, which giving a legal basis on how to deploy facial recognition, and other forms of biometric mass surveillance and when to do this. They are always justified for reasons of national security, but the quest ..read more

How can we start combating racism in ourselves, our schools, neighbourhoods, countries and our continent? Let's listening to a conversation between the Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency Michael O’Flaherty and Bernard Rorke Advocacy and Policy manager at the European Roma Rights Centre. They sat for a talk specially for the Romani Tea Room. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information ..read more

In February we marked 165 years since the abolition of Romani slavery on the territory of modern day Romania. Since the 14th century, Roma had been exploited and sold as property by the crown, nobilities and orthodox church. This racial domination of Roma lasted until 1856, but the scars of this not so distant history still remain. Two months ago, the ERRC’s Advocacy and Communications Manager Jonathan Lee interviewed Dr. Margareta Matache, a Harvard University scholar from Romania. The short version of the interview was published on the ERRC’s social media channels, but today we will listen ..read more

In the last decade for many Eastern European Roma, the UK has become a safe place. Fleeing from discrimination, segregation, extreme poverty and racism, many Romani families have saught a better life there, around two hundred and thousand people to be precise. After Brexit, they have become at risk of losing their right of residence. Some members of the community lack the documentation and digital skills necessary to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme known as the EUSS. The application can ONLY be done online. Sounds easy right? Not at all. For many Romani migrants this is simply impossible w ..read more

The 8th of March is International Women's Day. This year, the theme for this date is: “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,” It celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also highlights the gaps that remain.  Today we will look at those women and girls who are far behind in terms of equality, who struggle to put food on the table, and how their road to leadership or even proper, inclusive education is longer than for others. This is the life of many Roman ..read more