Giuvlipen – The Romanian Feminist Roma Theatre Company

Romania has a problem with its Roma minority. Roma citizens represent a 10th of the country’s population and are the most likely to live in extreme poverty, with no or limited access to healthcare and education. Romania’s racism against Romas goes back centuries, when monasteries and local barons kept them as slaves, and, although there are numerous government or EU-funded programs to address the matter, little change is seen in the individuals’ lives. The general perception, shaped by mainstream media, remains that they are lazy, and they steal, while not much else is known about their problems.

In this climate, Roma actress Mihaela Drăgan co-founded the first “Romanian feminist Roma theatre company, Giuvlipen”, in 2014, so she could offer a different approach to Roma art, one that focuses on what people have to face in their everyday life, rather than just on the “exoticism” of Roma dancing or music.

“There was no word for feminism in Romani, so Dragan and her colleagues created one: Giuvlipen. The troupe has staged performances inspired by real events that deal with discrimination, arranged under-age marriages, lack of access to education, mental illness and Roma LGBT issues.”

Mihaela Drăgan is performing at Maxim Gorki Theatre and other venues in Berlin at the end of the month, in case you want to check her out.