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The Barvalipe Roma Online University is an online educational platform where Roma and non-Roma can access knowledge about the Roma identity(ies), history(ies) and culture(s) thorough a collection of high-quality lectures delivered by leading Roma scholars. The long-term goal of ERIAC through this initiative is to become the referential source of knowledge about Roma culture, history and identity and the expert consultant for governments, public institutions, higher education institutions as well as for the Roma community.
The courses launched throughout 2020 and 2021 consist of a total of 30 lectures delivered by renowned Roma scholars. Together with the Digital Library of Critical Romani Scholarship and the So Nakhlo blog, they comprise a complete curriculum of Roma Cultural History that proposes a canon and acts as a reference for Roma cultural history.
Within the 2022 International Cultural Outreach program, ERIAC focused on the production of educational videos in a conversational tone, that are easier to digest for larger audiences. The idea of the Barvalipe Masterclass was born from the desire for a more appealing presentation and higher-quality production.
In the frame of the Barvalipe Masterclass, ERIAC presents engaging speakers with excellent rhetoric skills, who are the most prominent Roma academics and voices in their field of expertise.
We invite you to watch these thought-provoking sessions and learn about the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Romani people.
As the series continues, we will explore other aspects of Romani culture and history, including Romani poetry, art, and language. We encourage you to stay tuned for further masterclasses and to join us on this journey of discovery and appreciation.
Dr. Adrian Marsh: An Introduction to Romani History, Ethnicity and Identity, part I and part II
Dr. Adrian R. Marsh is of U.K. Romany-Traveller origins, a researcher in Romani Studies and an expert consultant in Romani and Traveller early years education, working with Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities and NGO’s (such as ERIAC, the RomArchive, and the Edirne Romanlar Foundation) in the UK, Sweden, Turkey, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and across Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
His lectures serve as an introduction to Romani history, ethnicity and identity. Divided into two parts, the lectures provide the essential facts about Romani people and are engaging for both Romani and Traveller viewers, who wish to know more about their communities’ histories, as well as for non-Roma who are interested in accessing the results of scholarly research and historical study, which remain excluded from most school curricula.
Dr. Iulius Rostas: An Introduction to Antigypsyism
Dr. Iulius Rostas is a Visiting Professor at the National School of Political Studies and Administration (Romania) and teaches courses on racism at the University of Stuttgart and Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, currently living and working in Berlin. He has worked for the Open Society Foundations, the European Roma Rights Center and the Government of Romania and consulted the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the World Bank, the European Commission and the Roma Education Fund.
In his lecture, Dr. Rostas provides a comprehensive overview of antigypsyism as a social phenomenon, including an insight into definitions and assumptions, examples to manifestations, mechanism, features and consequences of antigypsyism. He also presents examples for concrete actions to combat it through acknowledging past history of oppression, educating citizens, police reform and legislative review, implementing coherent and inclusive policies, among other.
Dr. Delia Grigore is a Roma writer, researcher, and activist from Romania with a Ph.D. in visual arts from the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore of the Romanian Academy. She serves as president of the association Rroma Centre “Amare Rromentza” and has been working in the Roma movement for more than two decades. An author of three books and numerous articles and studies on Romani culture and literature, she edited Rromane Dikhimata (Rromane Perspectives): Anthology of Rromani Literary Creation in 2018. A poet and writer, Grigore is a lecturer at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Rromani Language and Literature Section, and also a member of the Writers Society “Costache Negri” in Romania.
Romani poetics is the study of Romani poetry that explores the mythos, tropes, structures, forms, and discourse in literature, especially poetry, produced by Romani authors. In seeking to understand the poetics of Romani poetry and Romani poets, Dr. Grigore’s masterclass argues that Romani writers represent part of the creative genius of the Romani people and one that is grounded in orality – the inheritance of a spoken not written tradition that is retained in the structures of Romani poetry, in its tropes that feature mobility, movement, and the mechanisms of migration (amongst others), and a discourse around identities that frequently takes the form of the lament, elegiac and heroic.
Mihaela Zătreanu, an educator and advocate for Roma education, has over 15 years of experience. She pioneered Romania’s first Romani language curriculum and authored textbooks for Roma children. As an educational inspector, she shaped policies to enhance Roma school participation. At the European level, she led efforts for equal rights and opportunities for Roma. Zătreanu also served as an educational expert for the Council of Europe, contributing to Roma children’s education policy development. Additionally, she directed cultural programs promoting a positive image of Roma at the National Cultural Centre – Romano Kher. Romani is one of the larger minority languages in the area represented by the Council of Europe and in the European Union countries. Romani is part of the so-called Indic diaspora languages spoken by traveling communities of Indian origin outside of India. Romani and Romanes are the general names for the language of the Roma, Sinti, Kale and all other ethnic groups in Europe who speak or spoke an Indic/ Indo-Aryan language. There are upwards of 3.5 million speakers in Europe, and upwards of 500,000 in the rest of the world. The actual number may be much higher. The various dialects or varieties of Romani derive from a single ancestor idiom and the differences among them resembles to a considerable extent, the kind of differences found among dialects of major European languages such as Italian or German. However, linguistic diversity does not represent an obstacle toward political unity. The Romani language is a powerful tool for unity, advocacy, empowerment, and cultural preservation within the Roma community, but also a key element for the educational inclusion of Roma children. Its recognition and promotion are integral to the political, social, and cultural advancement of the Roma people.
Miguel Ángel Vargas, a Spanish artist from Andalusian-Gitano roots, holds a degree in Art History and is pursuing a PhD in Contemporary History at the University of Seville. With a background in Theatre Direction, he’s deeply involved in flamenco and theatre, particularly passionate about portraying the stories of Gitano fieldworkers from Lebrija. His extensive portfolio includes roles as actor, musician, director, and technician across Spain, Germany, and England. Committed to philanthropy, he’s involved in research projects and teaches in diverse settings, including a women’s prison in Seville and the MA scenography program at Saint Martin School in London. A voracious reader and avid conversationalist, he embodies the essence of creativity and empathy.
In his masterclass, Miguel Ángel Vargas explores the evolution of Romani performing arts across different contexts, spanning from the dawn of modernity to the challenges of the twenty-first century. Through examples such as Romani Turkish Puppet tradition and Spanish Golden Age Theatre, Vargas highlights the capacity of Romani artistic agency to transcend genre limits and adapt public discourses.
In this masterclass, Dr. Maria Bogdan delves into media representation, particularly focusing on the transformative role of social media in empowering Roma communities to dismantle stereotypical images. From exploring the theoretical foundations to examining self-representation in the digital age, this session challenges and redefines our understanding of Roma imagery in mainstream media. It underscores the significant power of media in constructing societal discourses and different politics of representation and diversity
