Romani Cymru
Romany Wales Project
Wales’ first Romani research and archival project has quietly been making important progress as an informative publishing initiative for historical Welsh culture. Romani Cymru has been set up and sponsored by Conwy-based ValleyStream, a cultural media company whose owners have strong Romani connections. The Project is working closely with Welsh Romani and non-Romani (gajo) folk, helping to save this fast disappearing unique heritage which is so recognised internationally by many academics and scholars.
Spokesperson Angela Davies said: “Most of this culture has already been lost but there is still a narrow window to save what is left. Apart from the historical archival work, Romani Cymru is also assisting in bringing about a fresh awareness of the real Welsh Romani culture and in dispelling the biased stereotyped views held by the general public “that all travellers are Gypsies”, which simply is not true”. Travellers in reality can be anyone. Many media journalists often wrongly headline traveller incidents as being caused by “Gypsies”. Sadly, this has contributed in recent years to creating a false image , fueling fresh discrimination against the real Romani fokendi who are often quietly living today in settled commnunities.
Our British Romani culture has been shamefully ignored for far too long and its time to correct this. Britain greatly owes the Romani community a moral national debt - starting with respect. Today this country’s system is failing in all 4 corners yet people still keep telling Romani’s they live wrong, but what can you expect when you’ve removed their way of life for an alternatively worse one. The Romani way stands for freedom something that’s becoming a thing of the past for all people living in the UK.
Whatever modern day problems our lives have all been enriched by Romani existence amongst Britains population. Few Britons realise that they often speak words every day which derive from Romanes, including dad, chav, pal, posh and lolli.
To assist awareness of Welsh Romani culture ValleyStream, working with S4C, has just released an award-winning film about Welsh Gypsies, Eldra, on DVD for the first time. The film went on to win 5 BAFTA Cymrus and other international awards. A period drama set in the 1930s, it’s based on the childhood of real-life Romani Eldra Roberts, a descendant of the famous Sharo Rom Abram Wood/Roberts Welsh Gypsy Tribe. The film explores the tensions between the small quarry community and the Welsh Gypsies who settled amongst them.
Romani Cymru welcomes information from anyone with Welsh Romani connections or memories relating to Welsh Romanies. The Project team can be contacted at www.valleystream.co.uk.
UK Vardo Project
Gypsy caravans are known by several names: living vans, caravans, wagons, waggons or vardos (their traditional Romani name). But whatever they’re called, they all developed in the UK from the vans of showmen travelling between circuses and fairs in the 1800s.
