20 February 2026: 170 Years Since the Abolition of Roma Slavery – Memory, Film and Cultural Responsibility

On 20 February 2026, Romania marks 170 years since the official abolition of Roma slavery in the Romanian Principalities. The act signed in 1856 brought an end to more than five centuries of enslavement of Roma people in Wallachia and Moldavia. Between 1385 and 1856, Roma were legally treated as property. They were owned by the state, by monasteries, and by private landowners. They could be sold, inherited, exchanged, and separated from their families. Their forced labour sustained estates, institutions, and households, while their legal status denied them autonomy and dignity.

Despite its duration and structural importance, Roma slavery remains one of the most silenced chapters of European history. In Romania, it is still insufficiently addressed in school curricula and underrepresented in public memory. Across Europe, awareness of this history is even more limited. The absence of recognition has lasting consequences. When historical injustice is not integrated into collective consciousness, its legacies continue to shape present inequalities in ways that often remain unacknowledged.

The abolition of slavery in 1856 did not bring structural inclusion. Formerly enslaved Roma received no land, no compensation, and no systematic support. Marginalisation continued under new legal and economic conditions. Contemporary forms of anti-Roma racism, exclusion, and discrimination cannot be understood without recognising this historical foundation.

The 170th anniversary is therefore not only a commemorative milestone. It is a call for historical clarity and responsibility. Remembering 20 February means acknowledging that Roma history is inseparable from Romanian and European history. It also means creating spaces where this past can be addressed openly and critically.

Film as Remembrance: Liviu Bărbulescu’s Work

Art plays a crucial role in shaping how societies remember. Film, in particular, has the power to make historical reflection accessible and emotionally resonant. On the occasion of this anniversary, Liviu Bărbulescu’s short animated documentary The Life and Miracles of Saint Nicodemus of Tismana is made available online for audiences worldwide.

The film was previously presented in 2025 as part of Amaro Kino, ERIAC’s travelling screening programme dedicated to Roma cinema and Roma-related narratives. Through Amaro Kino, the film reached audiences across different European contexts, contributing to conversations about memory, representation, and historical accountability. Now, with its online premiere, the work becomes accessible to a global public.

Bărbulescu’s film approaches the history of Roma enslavement through an original and carefully constructed visual language inspired by Orthodox iconography and naïve church painting. By drawing on familiar religious aesthetics, the film opens a critical reflection on the historical role of institutions, including the Church, in sustaining systems of enslavement. The juxtaposition between sacred imagery and historical violence creates a subtle but powerful tension.

Rather than relying on conventional documentary realism, the film uses stylisation and symbolism to invite reflection. Animation allows for a mediated engagement with a traumatic past without reproducing explicit imagery of suffering. The result is a work that is both visually distinctive and politically sharp. It does not simply recount history. It questions how that history has been narrated, remembered, or omitted.

As an online premiere attached to this anniversary, the film becomes part of a broader act of remembrance. It offers viewers an opportunity to engage with a difficult chapter of history through artistic interpretation and critical perspective.

The film can be watched below and on Liviu Bărbulescu’s official website (www.liviu.berlin).

Roma Voices and Cultural Engagement in Romania

The commemorative programme unfolds within a wider framework of cultural and educational initiatives. On the occasion of the 170th anniversary, the Roma Education Fund Romania, together with the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture and Amphitheatrrom Cultural Association, launch the joint project “Roma Voices.” The initiative is financially supported by the second Swiss Contribution to Romania, through the Romanian Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity, acting as Programme Operator for the Social Inclusion Programme.

“Roma Voices” seeks to address the persistent lack of awareness surrounding Roma history and heritage. By promoting non-discrimination, social education, and intercultural dialogue, the project affirms that recognition of Roma cultural and historical contributions is essential to democratic values and social cohesion.

A series of public events in Bucharest bring together representatives of the artistic and cultural sector, diplomacy, political leadership, and civil society. Across two cultural venues, discussions, screenings, and artistic interventions frame remembrance through the lens of Romani culture. The aim is not only to commemorate the past, but to situate it within contemporary cultural and political conversations.

On 20 February at 18:00, the exhibition “RAPORTORU. No Longer the Stranger from Within” by Eugen Raportoru opens at Căminul Artei Gallery. Bringing together paintings from the Samudaripen series with newly created works, the exhibition unfolds as an immersive environment of image, space, and sound, where materiality itself is treated as a carrier of history.

Later the same evening, at 20:00, the award-winning feature Gipsy Queen will be presented at a Gala screening at the National Theatre I.L. Caragiale, in the presence of Alina Șerban. Directed by Hüseyin Tabak, the film tells the story of Ali, a Roma single mother who turns to boxing in order to provide for her children. The screening marks both a cultural celebration and the beginning of the film’s nationwide cinema release on 27 February 2026, positioning it within a broader campaign advocating equal access to education and sport. Admission is granted based on prior registration via www.eriac.org  and is subject to available seating.

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture plays an important role in this context. ERIAC is a European institution dedicated to increasing the visibility, recognition, and self-representation of Roma in arts and culture. Through exhibitions, film initiatives, research, and public programming, it supports Roma artists and cultural practitioners while advocating for structural change in how Roma culture is perceived and supported.

In Romania, where the history of Roma slavery unfolded, this engagement carries particular weight. By linking remembrance with contemporary artistic production, ERIAC contributes to reshaping public narratives. Initiatives such as Amaro Kino and the support of filmmakers like Liviu Bărbulescu demonstrate that confronting history and supporting creativity are interconnected processes.

The 20th of February 2026 marks 170 years since the legal end of Roma slavery. It is a date that calls for remembrance and action. Through education and cultural engagement, this anniversary becomes not only a reflection on the past, but a commitment to a more inclusive and honest future.