EU Justice Commissioner kicks up her heels in Brussels after Romani theater performance from the Czech Republic

ARA ART, a Romani theatrical group from the Czech Republic, gave a reprise performance in Brussels for the second time this year of their original play “…a zase jsme spali pindral” (“…and again we slept pindral“). While in the spring the group accepted an invitation to the Roma Week festival there and performed for Romani youth from all over Europe, the October reprise was part of the conference of the European Platform for Romani Inclusion as part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage.

The ARA ART production is based on original works by Romani authors and summarizes basic milestones in Romani history – and this time it was viewed not just by EU Commissioners and other representatives from the higher official structures of the EU, but also by representatives of European universities and nonprofit organizations dedicated to Romani inclusion. “The opportunity to represent Romani culture, the possibility to familiarize audiences with the still little- known history of the Romani nation, is understandably always an honor for us. The invitation to this prestigious event, naturally, is an appreciation of our work to a significant degree, and above all it motivates us to create more artistic projects,” said David Tišer, director of ARA ART.

Pavlína Matiová, the Romani actress and singer who is ARA ART’s artistic director, said:  “This is also a big commitment we want to approach with maximum responsibility. It’s a beautiful feeling when, just before you go onstage, you hear MEP Soraya Post, a Romani woman from Sweden, saying in her opening speech that our production is the best Romani cultural offering she has seen this year.”

After the performance, what is called a bashavel in Romanes was prepared for the audience, a musical program in which everybody, as is traditional in a Romani environment, literally gets to their feet. EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová, who is also from the Czech Republic, danced and sang along with everybody.