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
6: Interview with Mihaela Drăgan-- feminism, performance, and RomaFuturism
In this episode, Paulina and Jess interview Mihaela Drăgan, writer, actress, musician, and filmmaker from Romania, and co-founder of the Romani feminist theatre troupe, Giuvlipen. We discuss her work, early child marriage in the Romani community, Romani feminism, and the movement she founded, RomaFuturism, and the archetype of the Cyber Witch.
We have some suggestions for LGBTQIA+ Roma accounts to follow.
Lolo B Jones @imari_heart, co-founder of Dikhlo Collective and Traveller Pride
Elijah Vardo, who designed our logo @elijahvardo
The Romani Queer Alliance @the_romani_queer_alliance
Queer Roma @queerroma
Aurora Luna @baby_recklesss
The Living Altar @thelivingaltar
Antonella Lerca @antonellatx89
Diana Aspara @diana_aspara
Cherry Valentine @thecherryvalentine
And our crushes this episode are Dr. Magda Matache and Dr. Cornell West and their work for Romani and Black liberation. Margareta (Magda) Matache is a Roma rights activist from Romania, director of the Roma Program at Harvard FXB, and also a Harvard instructor. Cornel West, one of the nation's foremost Black scholars and an outspoken progressive activist, has announced his resignation from Harvard University, after the Divinity school did not extend tenure to him after his outspoken support for Palestine. Universities consistently undervalue their talented BIPOC professors, and Dr. West has done incredible scholarship and work for so many communities, and has supported the Romani community with Dr. Matache. We are very grateful to both of them for their work.
You can check out all the good work at The Roma Program: https://fxb.harvard.edu/the-roma-program/
And our other crush is the Serbian Romani girl band, Pretty Loud! They are the first Romani girl band, and they speak out for the next generation of Roma women, blending rap and hip hop with traditional Romani music. Their dance style integrates these elements as well. Their lyrics address feminism, race, representation, and social justice. And they're fantastic. Check them out on Instagram @pretty.loud
Note-- Jess apologizes for sometimes pronouncing Mihaela's name like a dirty American. It's Me-HI-la