World day of Romani language: preserving language, culture and identity

The Romani language is an important carrier of the history, culture and collective memory of the Roma community. For centuries, it has been preserved primarily through oral traditions and passed down from generation to generation. Despite its rich cultural heritage, the language continues to face numerous challenges, including limited opportunities for its use in education, public life and the media.

World day of Romani language proclaimed by UNESCO in 2015, is therefore not only an opportunity to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity, but also to raise awareness of the importance of protecting linguistic rights, combating discrimination and creating conditions that support the preservation and development of the Romani language.

Literature also plays an important role in preserving, developing and promoting the Romani language. To mark this year’s World day of Romani language, we highlight the poetry collection Odzval se bom tvojemu klicu / Šunavava pe klicoske treske (eng. I will respond to your call) by Roman Hudorovac, written in Slovenian and the Lower Carniolan dialect of Romani. The author presented his poetry during a facilitated group discussion we organised in Metlika in October, where he shared some of his poems with the participants.

His work reminds us of the importance of creating spaces where members of the Roma community can tell their own stories through their own voices, language and creativity.