The Romani flag has flown on Mount Everest for the first time ever. "Even some Roma who had stopped identifying as such are proud now," Gennaro Spinelli exclusively tells Romea.cz

The feat is not an athletic record, just a simple, strong gesture. Spinelli posted video from the trip to his Facebook profile on Wednesday, 30 April and the footage was seen worldwide.

“My friends, we made it. We’re more than 5,300 meters above sea level. We’re at the Everest base camp. We’re at the foot of the highest mountain in the world,” Spinelli, wearing sunglasses and a bandana with the Romani flag on it, says breathlessly in the video.

It’s no wonder Spinelli is out of breath – every step there is an effort, and his body is quickly depleted due to the lack of oxygen at such an altitude. Yet despite all the physical difficulties, he is smiling.

Spinelli has every reason to smile. He has kept his promise to bring the Roma among the nations which have raised their flags at the foot of the highest mountain on Planet Earth.

“There’s just one symbol that unites us all, and that is this flag, and starting from today this is flying on Everest for all the Romani and Sinti people of the world!” explains Spinelli, who said this is an historic moment connecting Romani culture with its Indian roots, with Nepali culture, and with the entire region. “During this journey I found so many elements of my culture in this country, even specifically in this place, this is an exceptional place,” Spinelli adds, saying: “The Roma are not just a minority that survives. The Roma are here. Even after thousands of years we want to be seen, to be respected, and to exist in dignity, everywhere in the world.”

In this exclusive interview with news server Romea.cz, Spinelli describes what led him to bring the Roma flag to Mount Everest. 

Q: Is the April date of your Himalayan ascent accidental, or is the timing directly linked to International Romani Day?

A: We chose this time period because it is close to 8 April, when International Romani Day is celebrated, and that means we have an opportunity, at least once a year, for us to be spoken of not as a social problem, but as a colossal source of cultural wealth. These dates were also one of the very few ‘windows in time’ when it’s possible to climb Everest due to the weather. Right now, more than ever before, our culture needs unity, and it was a huge honor for me to bring the Romani flag to Everest for the first time in history! Our flag is our symbol. It’s our strength and our future. Bringing it out to the highest mountain on the planet is a symbol of the beauty, the size, and the strength of Romani culture, which has longed to exist for thousands of years and is asking to be treated with dignity worldwide.

Q: What did it feel like to stand with the flag at the foot of the highest mountain in the world? What was going through your mind at that moment?

A: After months of preparation, 150 kilometers of walking up and down, with the lack of oxygen and with the great effort it took to be there, I had no choice but to feel light-hearted, free, truly. I was on the roof of the world with our flag, which had been signed by hundreds of activists, politicians, and organizations. It was a unique emotion that almost brought me to tears, because we had dreamed of this, we had been working for it, not just for ourselves, but for Romani people the world over. 

Q: What does the Romani flag mean to you personally? How did you get the idea to have the flag signed by Romani organizations? 

A: Our flag is our symbol, our soul, our unity. The Romani flag means the unification of Romani people worldwide, and we’ve done that, we’ve carried it higher than anything else. We decided not to bring the logos of any organizations, but the signatures of people who dream of our culture being perceived as an added value for the world. The Romani flag belongs to everybody, Romani culture belongs to everybody. This is represented by the signatures, symbolically: solidarity and the pride of being part of this.

Gennaro Spinnelli with the Romani flag on Mount Everest in Nepal. (PHOTO: used with the permission of Gennaro Spinnelli)

Q: What did you mean when you said: “This flag does not belong to any organization. It belongs to all Roma and Sinti?” 

A: That sentence means we are free. Our flag is the symbol of us all, a symbol of resistance, resilience, and realizations that belong to nobody but us Roma. That’s why it was created, to connect us across nations, territories, groups, and stereotypes. 

Q: What does your Romani-ness mean to you, what is your relationship to Romani culture, specifically, to music? 

A: For me, being Romani means solidarity, traditions, and family. For me, being a Romani man means meeting brothers the world over whom I never knew I had and the joy of knowing them. Being a Romani man is, for me, the beauty of the fact that new aspects of this culture are still coming into being in the world. To be a Romani man, for me, means that my grandfather took me into the woods on horseback, that my father taught me to play the violin in the Romani style, and that my grandmother cooked in copper pots and sang songs. Music is the means through which I bring our culture, our pride, to the world today and through which I do my best to break down stereotypes. Art is the most powerful medium we have to let others know who we are.

Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced when preparing for this expedition?  

A: The physical preparations, but that’s not enough in and of itself, you need very strong motivation. During the journey, many people give up – they get injured, or they don’t feel well, even those who are much more experienced than I. So the psychological side of this becomes essential, you have to really want it an awful lot, especially once you make it past 5,000 meters above sea level where there is little oxygen, your backpack seems to be full of rocks, and your legs don’t obey you anymore. In such a case, your will is everything, and for me personally, the awareness that I was doing this not just for myself, but also for all of our people, gave me tremendous strength. 

Q: When you climbed to your goal and sent your video of the flag out to the world, what kind of response did you get? 

A: We got thousands of messages from all over the world, from Brazil to Australia, because Romani people are everywhere, and everybody was enthusiastic. Thanks to that, one realizes that it is really possible for one flag to represent us, that we all recognize each other in this culture of which we are proud. This action has clearly demonstrated that Romani pride is unbelievable, we are strong the world over. All you have to do is read the commentaries on social media to understand how much pride this sparked. Even some Roma who had stopped identifying as such are saying they are Roma with pride today, and that makes all the effort worthwhile. 

Q: Are you already thinking about your next projects or challenges? 

A: Just this April we held 15 events as UCRI. We opened Romani Week with a concert of Romani music in one of the most important theaters in the world, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and we closed Romani week with the Romani flag on Everest. We have many initiatives underway, but out of modesty I will let our actions speak for themselves, not our words. However, I assure you this is not the end, amazing things await us. 

Q: What would you like to say to Romani people in the Czech Republic? Your post is being shared right now among local Romani communities here. 

A: Never give up, be proud of who you are, and always carry our culture with respect. My brothers and sisters, you are not alone! There will always be proud Romani people in the world who will come to your aid and who won’t abandon you. Together we can do it, OPRE ROMA!