Khamoro Once Again Brings the Best of Roma Culture

photo: Khamoro website

Roma culture has much to offer, and Khamoro proves it year after year. At the end of May, Prague will once again come alive as visitors gather to experience the best of the contemporary Czech and international Romani cultural scene. Music, exhibitions, theatre, and much more await visitors at the Khamoro World Roma Festival.

Stars Across Generations

Traditional Roma music, stars of the Czech and international scene, contemporary popular music, classical music inspired by Romani motifs, gypsy jazz, and a rich accompanying programme: Khamoro is a celebration of Roma culture and art in all its forms. But it is also an opportunity to come together and experience the unique atmosphere of the world’s largest Roma festival.

This year’s festival opens with the traditional Khamoro Party, which returns to an open-air setting on Střelecký Island after several years. Visitors can look forward to well-known songs by the band Kaminiko. The legacy of the legendary group Gulo Čar will also be celebrated. Another band performing at the festival, 4Gypsy Soul, was founded by the sons of members of this iconic group. The evening will also feature a performance by Ladix B and singer Natálie Kuchárová.

“The Khamoro Party showcases contemporary Romani music. We want to show that Romani musicians are not limited to traditional music, but are also making their mark in pop, rap, funk, and other modern genres,” says Džemil Silajdžić, the festival’s producer and artistic director.

You can never get enough of traditional Roma music!

What would Khamoro be without traditional Roma music? David Kraus with the Gipsy Brothers will represent the Czech scene. The band’s lineup will come as no surprise to fans of Roma music. With David Kraus’s energy, well-known Roma musicians have put together the programme. But there will also be room for new faces. Roma students from the International Conservatory in Prague will take the stage.

This year, musicians from Moldova will visit Prague. The songs of the Enigma Romilor ensemble feature popular melodies of Russian Roma. The fifteen-member ensemble will bring a burst of dance, colour, and emotion. The influence of Eastern Romani folklore is also evident in the songs of musicians from Lithuania, who will be performing at Khamoro for the first time this year. “Among others, we invited the Lithuanian ensemble Sare Roma this year. Their songs combine melancholic melodies with catchy, emotional rhythms,” adds Džemil Silajdžić.

The Spanish group Sangre Gitana will also present traditional Romani music to the Khamoro audience with a strong dose of flamenco. In their interpretation, this combines traditional elements with jazz and contemporary dance. The Hungarian group Vojake Shave is preparing an energetic display of traditional Roma couple dances known as čapáš. The group’s Romani name translates to “cheerful men,” and there will certainly be no shortage of cheer at their performance. And audiences looking forward to Balkan music won’t be disappointed either. The work of the Bulgarian group Karandila Orchestra ranks among the best that Balkan Roma brass music has to offer.

Classical music, gypsy jazz, or cimbalom music?

In addition to traditional music, gypsy jazz – characteristic of the Sinti people of Western Europe – is an integral part of Khamoro. The members of the German Reinhardt Sinti Jazz Ensemble come from a legendary jazz dynasty, whose most famous member was the founder of gypsy swing, Django Reinhardt. The second group will present something truly special at Jazz Dock. The Basily Gipsy Band & Marius Preda from the Netherlands have managed to combine gypsy jazz and the cimbalom. Marius Preda is even considered the world’s first jazz cimbalom player.

But there will also be classical music inspired by Romani motifs. International Italian star Santino Spinelli will be coming to Khamoro together with his family ensemble, the Alexian Group. Santino Spinelli has performed for two popes and has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He has performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, such as La Scala in Milan and Carnegie Hall in New York. This year, we are fortunate to welcome him to Khamoro.

Stories That Should Not Be Forgotten

However, the festival is far from limited to music. Powerful stories also come to life on stage through theatrical productions. The documentary play Rukeli tells the tragic story of a Romani boxing star, but also explores the power of friendship that blossomed during the era of Nazi Germany. But there is no shortage of Romani heroes here either. The story of one of them – Josef Serinek, a partisan commander and prominent figure in the anti-Nazi resistance – is the subject of a production at the Minor theatre.

A new format at this year’s festival is “Debate for Puppets,” created at Prague’s DAMU in collaboration with the Divadlo Archa theatre. Storytelling will also take place in a special evening accompanied by musicians from the Gilora project. The storytelling will be complemented by halgata – emotional Roma songs that often bring listeners to tears.

Exhibitions that help us remember

The horrors of the Nazi regime and the fates of Roma imprisoned in concentration camps will be commemorated by the exhibition When Numbers Cry by Roma artist Alex Dzurko. The second exhibition will present the work of Iveta Horváthová. We can also look forward to the exhibition Ma Bistrass by the acclaimed photographer Luigi Toscana, featuring powerful portraits of Roma and Sinti who survived Nazi persecution. He set out on a journey through Central and Eastern Europe to seek out survivors and capture their stories in interviews and large-format photographs. When you look at them, you are looking into the eyes of people who survived the horrors of the Second World War.

There will also be film screenings, a children’s day with a musical programme, and one of Khamoro’s most popular events in the historic city centre: the Parade. Roma dance groups from all over the Czech Republic, 350 performing children, music, traditional costumes — in short, an unforgettable experience.

The Khamoro Festival will take place from 24 to 30 May. The complete program is available at www.khamoro.cz.

You can also follow the festival on Instagram or Facebook.

• Khamoro on Instagram
• Khamoro on Facebook