5 Stories to read on International Romani Day

5 Stories to read on International Romani Day
Today, April 8, celebrates Roma people and culture around the world, while challenging the issues and persecution they face. Revisit some of our best features challenging stereotypes and highlighting their stories.

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

Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day
Activism

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
Music

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
Sport

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
Music

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
Sport

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

Nydia Blas explores Black power and pride via family portraits
Culture

Nydia Blas explores Black power and pride via family portraits

Love, You Came from Greatness — For her first major monograph, the photographer and educator returned to her hometown of Ithaca, New York, to create a layered, intergenerational portrait of its African American families and community.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Sign up to our newsletter

Issue 81: The more than a game issue

Buy it now