JEKHIPE Masterclass with Nikola Ludlová
The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is releasing the masterclass Roma Culture and Arts as Political Practice in Czechoslovakia, with Nikola Ludlová, produced in the framework of the project Reclaiming Our Past, Rebuilding Our Future: New Approaches to Fighting Antigypsyism (JEKHIPE).
This masterclass examines how Roma culture and the arts have functioned as a form of political practice, particularly in Czechoslovakia. It begins by highlighting the broader power of art across history as a tool for shaping ideas, evoking empathy, and influencing social and political change. Within this context, it focuses on the politics of representation, showing how Roma have long been depicted by non-Roma in ways that reinforced exclusion and stereotypes, and how cultural production became a crucial means of self-representation and resistance.
The lecture then traces the development of Roma cultural activism, from early individual figures like Elena Lacková to the collective efforts of the Union of Gypsies–Roma (1969–1973), which connected cultural work with political demands for recognition and rights. Despite later suppression, these initiatives laid the foundation for ongoing cultural expression and institutional development.
About the author
With a background in contemporary history and Romani studies, Nikola Ludlová works across multiple disciplinary and professional contexts. As independent historian, she has focused on the entanglement of science and politics, specifically in the area of knowledge production on Roma. In cultural sector, she is dedicated to advancing social justice and environmental responsibility in the arts, rethinking institutional models to make them more inclusive and accessible. Her expertise spans decolonial aesthetics, critical museology, relational and identitarian art, and participatory art mediation that opens space for both broad audiences and groups historically excluded from access to culture. In her emerging curatorial practice, she approaches curatorship as a social practice grounded in dialogue, care, and collective agency.
JEKHIPE Research in Czechia by Gwendolyn Albert
Six research fellows from Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Czechia, and Sweden were selected to produce in-depth papers documenting historical and contemporary forms of antigypsyism, Roma civil rights movements, and cultural history in their national contexts. These papers are designed to generate new historical evidence, enrich academic and policy debate, and inform public-facing outputs. Each study is published in both the national language and English to ensure accessibility at local and European levels.
The paper Czech Antigypsyism and Roma Cultural Resistance authored by Gwendolyn Albert explores the enduring history of antigypsyism in the Czech lands, detailing a legacy of systemic exclusion that spans from the Holy Roman Empire to the modern day. It documents critical human rights violations, including the Roma and Sinti genocide during the Holocaust, postwar forced sterilizations that continued into the 21st century, and the state-mandated assimilation and segregation of the communist era. The research notes that even in the post-1989 democratic transition, Roma communities have faced ongoing challenges, such as systemic educational discrimination and the rise of racially motivated violence by ultra-right groups.
In response to this oppression, the paper highlights a robust history of Roma resistance and cultural preservation. It details how Roma have used literature, music, and visual arts to reclaim their narratives and fight against erasure. From the establishment of institutions like the Museum of Romani Culture to contemporary legal battles against school segregation and for forced sterilization compensation, the research illustrates how Roma activism continues to challenge societal status quos. Ultimately, the paper emphasizes that while artistic and political resistance has successfully crossed into mainstream awareness, achieving full human rights for Roma remains an unfulfilled social necessity.
About the author
Gwendolyn Albert is a human rights activist who is an ally of the Romani minority. For more than a decade she has been communicating information to the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the OSCE and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about issues affecting Roma in Europe (mainly on dignified remembrance of Romani Holocaust victims, discrimination against Romani children in education, and the forced sterilization of Romani women). Since 2004 she has collaborated with civil society organizations both domestically in the Czech Republic and internationally on a broad range of human rights issues, including cost-free access to legal aid, how to re-educate domestic violence perpetrators, and safeguarding the rights of asylum seekers. In August 2020 she was given the Award for Humanity by the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust in the Czech Republic in recognition of her work on the issue of redress for those who have been forcibly sterilized in the former Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic. She received the Alice G. Masaryk Human Rights Award from the Embassy of the United States of America to the Czech Republic in 2021, together with Elena Gorolová and Monika Šimůnková, for her work on that same issue.
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them
About JEKHIPE
JEKHIPE is a European Commission-funded initiative (CERV) led by ERGO Network, ERIAC, and CEPS, in collaboration with national partners: Slovo 21 (Czechia), Central Council for German Sinti and Roma (Germany), UCRI and Romni (Italy), Amare Romentza (Romania), FAGiC and Romane Siklovne (Spain), and Trajosko Drom (Sweden). Together, these organizations address historical injustices, such as the lack of recognition for the Roma Holocaust and slavery, while promoting institutional representation in arts and education. By engaging policy-makers and grassroots communities, JEKHIPE seeks to contribute to the establishing of clear mechanisms for governmental accountability across Europe.
Together, these organizations address historical injustices, such as the lack of recognition for the Roma Holocaust and slavery, while promoting institutional representation in arts and education. By engaging policy-makers and grassroots communities, JEKHIPE seeks to contribute to the establishing of clear mechanisms for governmental accountability across Europe.
The project aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Establish expert and/or truth commissions on antigypsyism.
- Develop policy recommendations for EU and national policymakers on transitional justice approaches to address antigypsyism.
- Raise awareness of institutional antigypsyism and policy and legislative developments in the fight against antigypsyism.
- Promote Roma identity, history, and culture to prevent and fight antigypsyism, including incorporating Roma history and culture into school curricula.
- Empower Roma communities and NGOs to recognize and fight antigypsyism.
- Capacitate local Roma civil society and key stakeholders in countering antigypsyism.
Detailed records of project outputs, including research data and scholarly publications, are publicly accessible via the project’s dedicated website: antigypsyism.eu
