Astar e iag - the Roma community in Govanhill is keeping the flame alive
A temporary exhibition organised by the association Romano Lav, showcased the past and the present of the Roma community in Govanhill and launched a new archive.
By Sorana Horsia
"We try as much as possible to pass on our culture and heritage to our children," said Sonia Michalewicz, the lead singer of Roma band, Romane Cierhenia, turning towards the young girls standing behind her in colourful dresses. "And to yous! So that you know more things about Roma people. Good things as well"
Sonia and the band members grew up surrounded by instruments within a close-knit Roma community, in a Polish village. While now they live far away from their home country and have settled in Govanhill, music remains a key way to preserve and share their heritage.
Romane Cierhenia sang and danced as part of the opening of the exhibition Astar e iag, which means ‘Feed the flame’. The title is a reference to the speech of the Holocaust survivor Raymond Gurême. During the 2016 commemoration of the Roma Genocide Memorial Day at Auschwitz-Birkenau, he said: "You must resist the discrimination, racism, violent evictions to which the Roma and Travellers are falling victim across all of Europe…. We, the old ones, have lit the flame. Now, it is up to young people to feed it, make it grow, so that we become stronger."
Romane Ciehenia have definitely kept alive the flame lit by their parents. Photos of their families taken in the 70s in Poland were hung on the walls of the exhibition space. The black and white images showed old and young women in elaborate dresses, men with instruments in their arms, and people dancing. Their smiles seemed captured in time. The photos are part of the collection El manush karan tut te khelen (‘People make you dance’), which marks the beginning of the community archive of the Roma people living in Govanhill. Clothing and ornaments presented in a glass display case were also part of the ongoing archive.
From El manush karan tut te khelen [the people make you dance]: a retrospective with Romane Cierhenia to 1970s Poland. Romano Lav Community Archive’s first public collection. Produced by Sonia Michalewicz in collaboration with Ashli Mullen.
While the exhibition was a commemoration of the history of Roma culture, it was also a celebration of its continuity. Intimate portraits of Roma youth from Govanhill gave the impression of watching those attending with their eyes full of mystery and courage. Young members of the Roma community took the pictures with the help of the community artists Morwenna Kearsley and Alex Popa, as part of the Culture Collective residency at Street Level Photoworks.
Young people were a central part of the exhibition. They launched the opening of the event with an unusual concert, showcasing their creativity through instruments never seen before, made of all types of materials, under the guidance of the local artist Lorenzo Tebano. Their concert, a collection of uncoordinated sounds, put a smile on the faces of visitors who got to experience the unbound energy of these children.
Besides being a chance for the Roma community in Govanhill to display their heritage, the opening of the exhibition was an opportunity for the locals to interact with Roma music and the culture. As the event reached its end, the imaginary barrier between the visitors and the members of the band Romane Cierhenia disappeared. Everyone was dancing to the traditional Roma songs, passed on through generations.
The exhibition Astar e iag (Feed the Flame) was organised by the local Roma association Romano Lav. It took place between the 25th and 26th of June. The launch event happened on the 22nd of June.