WOMNET Gathering 2026 | Digital Presence, Pride, and Romani Women’s Identity in Online Spaces
The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is pleased to announce the 2026 WOMNET Gathering: Digital Presence, Pride, and Romani Women’s Identity in Online Spaces. The event will take place virtually via Zoom on 19 June 2026, from 16:00 to 17:30 CET.
This year’s gathering examines the profound impact of digital landscapes on identity, visibility, and representation. Participants will explore how Romani women leverage online platforms for storytelling, activism, journalism, and community-building, while simultaneously navigating systemic challenges such as antigypsyism, racism, and misogyny.
The discussion will address both the opportunities and obstacles of digital participation, highlighting how Romani women are transforming online spaces to foster pride, solidarity, and collective agency. Bringing together a diverse panel of activists, journalists, scholars, artists, and community leaders, the event aims to reflect on the pivotal role of digital technologies in shaping more inclusive and equitable futures.
Registration link: https://forms.gle/WwmmXpzKwCgbsi5x6
Please register by 17 June 2026.
Programme
16:00 – 16:10 | Welcome Remarks
Dr. Anna Mirga Kruszelnicka, Executive Director, ERIAC
16:10 – 16:30 | Key note speech by Selma Selman, visual and performance artist
16:30 – 17:00 | Panel Discussion
Moderated by Manuela Demir Kariman, Head of Pride and Community Outreach, ERIAC
Panelists:
Anda Constantin, Program Specialist, Roma for Democracy Romania
Mariana Gil, Creative Communicator and Activist
Viola Popenko, Human Rights & Policy Expert
Aldessa Georgiana Lincan, Director and Co-founder of the Romnja Feminist Library
Alisa Cuuna, Actress, Educator & Founder of the Power of Choice Foundation
Lela Savić, Journalist, Educator and Media Entrepreneur
17:00 – 17:25 | Open Floor Discussion
Moderated by Manuela Demir Kariman, Head of Pride and Community Outreach, ERIAC
17:25 – 17:30 | Closing
Poetry reading by Urma Menekshe, Romani Language Teacher
Participation Guidelines and Space Commitments:
We are all responsible for creating a respectful, supportive, and inclusive environment. During our time together, we form a temporary community grounded in shared values and mutual accountability. Maintaining this space with intention, care, and respect is a collective responsibility. All exchanges should be rooted in respect, openness, and consideration for others. ERIAC’s founding commitment to diversity underpins this space and guides our interactions. You are encouraged to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. Your boundaries are valid, and there is no need to apologize for them.
The event is open to the public.
For further information, please contact: nadja.greku@eriac.org
WOMNET Gathering 2026 – Programme Contributors
Selma Selman
Selma Selman is a visual and performance artist of Romani origin hailing from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Spanning performance, video, painting, and installation, her multidisciplinary practice is often rooted in autobiographical narratives that confront social injustice, gender-based violence, and systemic discrimination.
Her works have been featured at exhibitions including documenta fifteen, the Venice Biennale, Autostrada Biennale, Manifesta 14, and the Istanbul Biennial, as well as at international institutions like Gropius Bau, Stedelijk Museum, Schirn Kunsthalle, and MoMA PS1. Selman is also the founder of the foundation Get the Heck to School, which supports Roma girls facing poverty and marginalization.
Image: Selma Selman, Courtesy of the artist and Kunthuis SYB, Beetsterzwaag (NL), taken during her solo exhibition 600 Years of Migrant Mothers, Photo credits: Vanesa Miteva
Mariana Gil
Born in Porto, Portugal, in 2005, Mariana Gil is a student of Communication, Media, and Creative Industries. Raised within her Romani family, she combines academic knowledge with public speaking, activism, and digital content creation. Refusing to be defined by a single path, her journey is deeply interdisciplinary. In 2022, at just 16, she debuted as a speaker on the national TV show Scroll (RTP1), discussing cultural appropriation. Since then, she has been a featured speaker at prominent events, including the closing ceremony of the Humanity Summit 2023 in Lisbon, focusing on human rights, culture, and education. Mariana also explores creative expression through fashion and digital media, having been a finalist in a major national beauty campaign (Cabelos Pantene 2023). She continues to use communication as a powerful vehicle for critical thinking, citizenship, and empowerment.
Anda Constantin
Anda Constantin is a Roma human rights activist from Romania and serves as Program Specialist at Roma for Democracy Romania. Her work focuses on Roma political participation, democratic resilience, representation, and the impact of anti-Roma racism on democratic systems. She has been involved in civic engagement, electoral observation, advocacy, and communication initiatives aimed at strengthening Roma voices in public and political life. As a Roma woman, her perspective is shaped by the need to challenge racism, sexism, and political exclusion, particularly in spaces where Roma women remain underrepresented. Her approach is grounded in the belief that Roma communities must have the power and space to shape democratic life.
Viola Popenko
Viola Popenko holds a master’s degree in Human Rights from the Central European University and has published extensively on issues affecting Roma communities, including forced evictions, segregation, and legal discrimination. Her work has been featured by Minority Rights Group International, the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), and the Council of Europe, among others, and in 2025 she began her PhD studies at National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, researching ethnic affairs in Ukraine within the context of the country’s EU accession process. She has held roles including Country Coordinator at the Roma Education Fund and Human Rights Monitor at the ERRC, where she supported grassroots leadership and scholarship initiatives. Viola also served as both Project Assistant and Project Officer at the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, leading anti-discrimination and diversity initiatives in cooperation with EU and national stakeholders. Most recently, she has been working as a Programme Analyst for the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund at UN Women, focusing on issues affecting women in humanitarian crises and consequences of war.
Alisa Cuuna
Alisa Cuuna is an actress, commercial model, educator, and cultural programmer with a Roma background. She is the founder of the Power of Choice Foundation and is committed to promoting the visibility, inclusion, and empowerment of Roma, Sinti, and other underrepresented communities.
She currently performs in the theatre production Dear Settela (Lieve Settela) and works at the oldest theatre in the Netherlands Leidse Schouwbrug-Stadsgehoorzaal. In addition, she will soon join The Hague University of Applied Sciences as an educator, where she will contribute to the further development of the Diversity and Inclusion minor, with a particular focus on the position of Roma and Sinti communities.
Through her artistic, educational, and social work, Alisa brings together diverse perspectives and encourages dialogue on representation, equal opportunities, and social inclusion.
Aldessa Georgiana Lincan
Aldessa Georgiana Lincan is a Roma decolonial feminist from Romania. She is the director and co-founder of the Romnja Feminist Library, a transnational initiative lfounded in 2023 that creates spaces for Roma feminist and queer knowledge production, collective memory, and self-representation. Her work focuses on narrative change, decolonial feminist organizing, and building solidarities across movements and borders.
Lela Savic
Lela Savic is a Roma journalist, educator, and media entrepreneur based in Montréal, Canada. Born in Serbia and raised in the Roma diaspora, she entered journalism to challenge stereotypes and improve Roma representation in media.
She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of La Converse, an award-winning bilingual media organization focused on dialogue journalism and amplifying marginalized voices. Her work addresses identity, migration, representation, and social cohesion.
Savic has worked with outlets such as Métro, Radio-Canada, and La Presse, and currently teaches decolonizing journalism at the University of Toronto. She also speaks internationally on media representation and inclusive journalism.
She holds degrees from Concordia University and the Université de Montréal and is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her work in advancing community-centered journalism.
Urma Menekshe
Urma Menekshe is a Roma educator, activist, researcher, author, and cultural promoter from Prizren, Kosovo. She is a PhD candidate at Pamukkale University and holds degrees from the University of Prishtina and the University of Prizren.
She is the only Romani language teacher in Prizren and works to preserve and promote the Romani language in education. She is the founder of “Romane Pustika,” the first Roma mini-library in Prizren, and has also created a Roma literature corner within the Government Building.
As an author, she has published three books in Romani, contributing to the visibility of Roma literature in multiple languages. She is also active in theatre with Romano Teatro, using art to promote Roma identity and culture.
Her work focuses on education, cultural preservation, and empowerment of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, with support from various institutions and organizations.