5 Stories to read on International Romani Day
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Cristina Salvador Klenz
Today, April 8, marks International Romani Day. With discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities remaining “troublingly persistent” in the UK and beyond, we stand in solidarity with members against racism and oppression.
To mark the occasion, we revisit five Huck stories that celebrate the beauty and resilience in Romani communities and cultures from the UK to the West Coast of the USA, while highlighting the systematic racism and oppression they face.
HORSING AROUND: A WILD WEEKEND AT APPLEBY FAIR
The Travel Diary — Every year, a tiny town in Cumbria, UK, plays host to the Appleby horse fair – the largest gathering of Travellers in Western Europe. Read here.
A GLIMPSE INSIDE CALIFORNIA’S ROMANI COMMUNITIES
Between 1990 and 2003, Cristina Salvador Klenz spent time documenting a Roma community in the US. Her photos offer a vital insight into their everyday lives and the stigma they face. Read here.
HOW GYPSIES WERE LEFT BEHIND DURING THE PANDEMIC
Forgotten voices — GRT communities are some of the most marginalised groups in the UK. As Covid-19 exacerbated inequalities they face from living conditions to education, many are now at breaking point. Read here.
AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF SOUTH LONDON’S GYPSIES, ROMA AND TRAVELLERS
Capturing community — A project bringing together archival images of GRT people in South London seeks to allow the community to tell their stories on their own terms. Read here.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ANTI-GYPSY RACISM
Forgotten victims — For centuries, Romani people have faced violent oppression – so when will we start talking about the racism they face? Read here.
Latest on Huck
Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home
From Sayan to Savoie — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. First up, the Siberian-born, Paris-based composer and synthesist.
Written by: Maria Teriaeva
Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day
PCC forever — The Soho institution has claimed its landlord, Zedwell LSQ Ltd, is demanding the insertion of a break clause that would leave it “under permanent threat of closure”.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Remembering Taboo, the party that reshaped ’80s London nightlife
Glitter on the floor — Curators Martin Green and NJ Stevenson revisit Leigh Bowery’s legendary night, a space for wild expression that reimagined partying and fashion.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
A timeless, dynamic view of the Highland Games
Long Walk Home — Robbie Lawrence travelled to the historic sporting events across Scotland and the USA, hoping to learn about cultural nationalism. He ended up capturing a wholesome, analogue experience rarely found in the modern age.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The rave salvaging toilets for London’s queers
Happy Endings — Public bathrooms have long been contested spaces for LGBTQ+ communities, and rising transphobia is seeing them come under scrutiny. With the infamous rave-in-a-bog at an east London institution, its party-goers are claiming them for their own.
Written by: Ben Smoke
Baghdad’s first skatepark set to open next week
Make Life Skate Life — Opening to the public on February 1, it will be located at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city centre and free-of-charge to use.
Written by: Isaac Muk