In this podcast, I was honoured to chat to mo pral (my brother/mate) Bob Lovell Kamulo, a leader of the Romani community in Aotearoa, a holder of Romani customs and culture, and a speaker of the Welsh dialect of Romani – ‘Kale’.
In the cast we discussed:
- The origins of the Romani people
- Historic persecution of Romani
- That Romani are a distinct racial and ethnic identity proven by language and genetics
- ‘Gypsy’ is an ethnic exonym and specifically describes the Romani people (it is NOT a lifestyle choice!)
Bob also weaves some great tales from a Romani perspective.
I hope you enjoy this cast, it was one of my favourites to record and it was an honour to sit down with Bob, a living treasure.
Romani include Sinti, Kalderash, Manouche, Kale, Romanichal and other sub-groups. Known colloquially as ‘Gypsies’ (a term considered derogatory by some Rom and embraced by others as a self-definition). Romani people are descended from nomadic people from north-western India who travelled out of the sub-continent around 1500-500 years ago, and migrated throughout Europe and eventually the world. Romani people are one of the most discriminated against, and persecuted minorities throughout history and still suffer extreme societal prejudice and discrimination, especially in Europe.
Opre Roma!
