Romanistan
The authors of Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling present: Romanistan! Do you love rebels? Do you want to live in a place where outcasts shine their brightest? Welcome to Romanistan! We're your friendly neighborhood Gypsies, celebrating Romani identity and outcast culture, and practicing good diplomatic relations with other marginalized communities.
We love the rebels who are living their truth, even if it clashes with tradition. We also love tradition and honoring our roots. This podcast is for everyone who loves and supports Roma & related groups, and anyone who feels like a misfit and wants to uplift others to create a beautiful community.
We feature pioneers in culture, fashion, art, literature, music, activism, cuisine, and everything good. We adore the intersections of gender, sexuality, spirituality, ability, and identity. We cover all topics, from the difficult to the glorious. Let's sit crooked and talk straight.
Hosted by Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele. We reclaim the slur Gypsy, but if you aren’t Romani, we prefer you don't use it. xoxo.
P.S. The Romani people are a diasporic ethnic group originally from northwest India, circa the 10th century. Now, Roma live all over the globe, and due to centuries of oppression, slavery, genocide, and other atrocities, Roma are still fighting for basic human rights. We seek to raise awareness of who Roma are, and highlight Romani resilience, creativity, & culture.
Romanistan
Good Morning, Romanistan! Episode 1
Good morning, Romanistan!
Here’s our first talk show. We hope you like it. You can get the full, unedited version for $5 a month on our Patreon, or you can donate to our Ko-fi fundraiser to support us.
Here are some links for you to explore!
“The Roma Artist Sewing a New History for Her People” New York Times, about artist Malgorzata Mirga-Tas
“Roma Face Discrimination at Every Stage of Crminal Proceedings in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” ERRC
“Scarlet Witch WandaVision Variant Cover”, Screen Rant
“Moving Change Welcomes Gypsy and Traveller Members Network Event,” Travellers Times
Happy Three Year Anniversary to Dead Scared Entertainment, a Romani Horror Media Company!
167 years ago, 500+ years of Romani slavery in the Balkans was abolished. We recommend these resources:
“Roma and African Americans Share a Common Struggle,” The Guardian, by Margareta Matache and Cornell West
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/10/5/it-is-time-reparations-are-paid-for-roma-slavery/
“It’s Time Reparation are Paid for Romani Slavery,” Al Jazeera, by Margareta Matche
And this great post by @nenaromani and @movimento kethane on Instagram
Jez’s monthly tarot column for Bustle
Thank you for listening to Romanistan podcast.
Please rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen or can give us 5 stars. It helps us so much.
You can find us at romanistanpodcast.com, where we have a blog, all of our episodes, merch, links to our patreon, fundraiser, & social media. On Instagram, TikTok, & Facebook @romanistanpodcast, and on Twitter @romanistanpod
Email us at romanistanpodcast@gmail.com
Romanistan is hosted by Jessica Reidy aka Jezmina Von Thiele and Paulina Verminski
Conceived of by Paulina Verminski
Edited by Cherub
With Music by Viktor Pachas
And Artwork by Elijah Vardo