Czech Romani theater ensemble premieres play about emigration to England

The KHAMORO World Roma Festival this year premiered a theatrical production called “Djelem, Djelem“, named after the Romani anthem; under the direction of Kateřina Volánková, the amateur Trajo (Life) ensemble from Rokycany, Czech Republic staged the play at the D21 Theater. “They are actually Romani amateurs – not in terms of their performances, but in terms of the fact that they have not been paid to produce this original play about emigration to Great Britain,” KHAMORO spokesperson Vojtěch Lavička told news server Romea.cz. 

Trajo was formed last September at the instigation of Romani author Ilona Ferková. “She came to us and said they would like to establish a theater group in Rokycany like there used to be in the 1960s and 1970s,” Claudie Laburdová of the Slovo 21 organization, which organizes KHAMORO, told Romea.cz. 

“We reached out to Kateřina Volánková, a director, and Ilona Ferková told her the story of her own emigration to England, they wrote a script, and from that quite a nice production has been staged,” Laburdová said. More than 100 people attended the premiere at the D21 theater.