An event in 2006 to help the Roma (Gypsies) of Kosovo

The 10th Annual California
HERDELJEZI FESTIVAL
This traditional Romani holiday builds community and celebrates the season of movement & outdoor life.

SATURDAY MAY 20th 2006
12pm - 12am
IVES PARK
Downtown SEBASTOPOL
Tel: 707 - 823-7941

Yuri Yunakov
Seido Salifoski
Nesho Ajvazi
Danny Fender Orchestra
Rumen Sali Shopov with
Edessa & Anoush
Brass Menagerie
Shuvani
Nadia Hava-Robbins
Lolo and Flamenco Dance
and so much more!

Romani art, handcrafts, food, CDs, literature (for sale)
This event is supported by Alliance for California Traditional Arts in partnership with The Fund for Folk Culture, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The James Irvine Foundation

Background: California Herdeljezi Festival

The 10th Annual California Herdeljezi Festival, a two-day traditional Romani (Gypsy) folk arts festival will be held May 20th, 2006 in Sebastopol California. The festival celebrates the folk art traditions of Roma (Gypsies); featuring traditional music, songs, dances, stories, foods, crafts and customs of the Roma, within a strong community-building context, and with a goal of creating a sense of 'mahala' (shared community-neighborhood) amongst all who participate.

For its first several years, of the California Herdeljezi Festival was held on the grounds of a neighborhood cul de sac and nearby local church in a small town in Western Sonoma County. Having outgrown this space by the fifth annual festival, the location was moved to the downtown block of Graton; where over 700 people attended.

In 2003 the 7th Annual Herdeljezi Festival was expanded to a two-day event, this time at a community center and beautiful park in downtown Sebastopol, the largest city in Western Sonoma County. 2003 was the first year that a grant from the California Arts Council enabled small fees to be paid to artists, technicians, and festival coordinators. More than 900 people attended this highly successful gathering.
Preparation for the Herdeljezi Festival begins months before the actual event. VOR president Sani Rifati takes the lead in soliciting input from other cultural experts such as Esma Redzepova (The Queen of "Gypsy" Song), Ian Hancock (Rom scholar and professor of linguistics at the University of Austin, Texas) and Carol Silverman (professor of Folklore and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Oregon with a specialty in Romani music), as well as Romani friends and family from diverse countries. Volunteers attend planning meetings, make arrangements for and with the participating artists, and work with local partners such as the Sebastopol City Council and Sebastopol Parks and Recreation Services as well as many local businesses.
Past Festivals have included celebrated performers such as Rumen Shopov, master Bulgarian Rom musician and band leader; Sani Rifati, drummer, dancer and dance instructor in the Balkan Romani tradition; Kitka, Bay Area Balkan Women's Choir singing Romani folk songs; "El Lolo" Mario Torres, a Spanish Rom Flamenco singer-guitarist; Kajira and United We Dance , Soloist, and belly-dance troop, performing in the Romani tradition; Edessa and Anoush, two popular Bay Area Balkan Bands; Jaime del Rio and his Flamenco musicians and dancers; and many others.

In addition to the high caliber music, dance, and spoken word performers, some of whom come from as far away as Vancouver, BC, New York, Virginia, Iowa, Washington, Oregon and Southern California to participate in the festival, past festivals have included other expressions of Romani culture and folk arts such as: henna painting, an exhibition of traditional Romani handcrafts such as crocheted and embroidered tablecloths, decorative pillows, hand knit clothing, etc., photo exhibits and screenings of video documentaries, traditional Romani circus arts, etc. The involvement of the surrounding community is enhanced by a parade through the neighborhood, featuring music and dance. The day's festival lasts all afternoon and evening, and includes the ritual lighting of the fire and burning of the symbolic "biggest" log, maintaining this important Romani cultural tradition celebrating the spring-summer season of movement and outdoor life.

2005 Begins
Decade of Roma Inclusion

Roma Decade News Website:
http://www.romadecade.org/

Open Society Institute
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/roma

+ ROMANI LINKS +

Photo Mythology, Rana Halprin

"This series of photographs is a visual story of the Romani I have known and their struggle to maintain their traditions in the face of modernity. Highlighting children from California (USA) to Italy..." Link

The Romani Archives and Documentation Center
http://radoc.net

Patrin
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/patrin.htm

Romani.org
http://www.romani.org/

Union Romani de Andalucía
Site under construtction. Contact info only.
http://www.unionromani.org/equal/equal.html

Union Romani
http://www.unionromani.org/

Voice of Roma
http://www.voiceofroma.com/

La Romita
http://members.tripod.com/LaRomita/