Khamoro 2022 Festival in Prague: Romani musicians and dancers
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A procession of Roma dance and music ensembles set out in the center of Prague today shortly after noon. The parade of artists was part of the Khamoro Roma Culture Festival, whose 24th year is now taking place in the Czech capital. About two hundred artists came out of Wenceslas Square in the Old Town Square, to which tourists and residents of the city gradually joined. The festival, which has offered concerts, exhibitions and theater performances since May 29, will close with a gala concert by Roma musicians on June 4. The festival program, organized by Slovo 21, is on the event website.
According to the organizers of the largest festivals of professional Roma musicians in the world, Khamoro (S). Prague has hosted it since 1999. In recent years, the event is visited by about 10,000 people a year. The first parade was organized by the organizers in 2001.
From Václavák to Staromák
Romani dancers and musicians from various parts of the Czech Republic met in the lower part of Wenceslas Square, from where shortly after noon they headed Na Příkopě Street to the Old Town Square. The procession, which was adorned with horse-drawn carriages and flagged people, stopped again on its way.
Costumes in traditional costumes, including children’s dance ensembles, demonstrated their art to the onlookers at Ovocný trh and Celetná Street along the way. After arriving at the monument to Jan Hus on the Old Town Square, the procession parted and they were shown to the people in the square individual folklore ensembles.
Festival and traditional parade through the city performed after a break caused by the covid-19 pandemic and related government measures. The subtitle of this year’s festival events was “Let’s meet”, as stated by the director of the organizing organization Slovo 21 Jelena Silajdžicová.
This year, the bands Imperio and Connection from the Czech Republic, the Israeli Mediterranean Gypsy Swing Experience and the brass band The Elvis Ajdinovic Orkestar have performed at the festival so far. Le Chhavendar and dancers from the Lucia Guarnido Studio Ballet will perform at Saturday’s closing gala concert at the Archa Theater. There will also be a performance of part of the only Ukrainian professional Roman theater ensemble, the Romans Theater, some of whose members fled to Poland before the war in Ukraine.
The atmosphere of the Roma festival parade was amazing. However, it was disturbed by rain in the Old Town Square. (2018) David Winter
A colorful parade passed through Prague as part of the Khamoro festival. (2019)
Author: ČTK