Description
The project proposes fighting stereotypes and prejudice so widely spread both in Norway and Romania, addressed to the Roma's cultural community, and invites to tolerance and understanding the issues, (born out of the poverty or a social exclusion situation), by challenging the public to be a part of a dialogue, built on the idea of cultural diversity, between talented and well-known Romanian jazz performers of Roma ethnicity and the public of a great festival of Norway (on the occasion of two editions thereof), as well as the public met within the framework of two tours, in Norway and Romania. The project seeks to change the mentality of the majority population in Norway, and that of Romania, concerning the Roma. The project will do so by highlighting the positive side of the Roma. It will focus mainly on their integration and capacity for cooperation and for entering into dialogue, especially when their value and their musical talent is being recognised by society. The objective to change the mentality of the majority community by emphasising the social success for the Roma minority community through the organisation of concerts, jam session and workshops. All these events/activities will take place in the Romanian cities Bucharest and Pitesti, and the village "Zece Prajini", as well as in the Norwegian cities of Tromsø, Narvik, Bodo, Oslo. The donor project partner's ( Barentsjazz - Tromsø International Jazz Festival (Norway)) main activity is providing high end local, regional, national and international jazz acts to the concert stage in Tromsø. The partner shall promote and organise under the aegis of Barentsjazz the suite of events 'Another Face of Roma Culture' with Romanian artists in concerts.
Summary of project results
The project Another Face of the Roma Culture attempts to contribute to the fight against prejudice towards the Roma ethnics by showcasing renown and talented Roma jazz and ethno musicians in the frame of a well-known festival in Norway as well as in concerts both in Norway and Romania. The concerts outside the festival were held by the band RoManouche, a band specially made for the project, promoting Romanian musicians, Roma musicians (of Romanian and Bulgarian nationality), and Norwegian musicians. The exquisite talent of the Roma artists threw a light on the positive face of their culture highlighting the huge potentiality of the Roma ethnicity to engage in dialogue, cooperate with the representatives of other ethnicities or nations. Presenting the positive aspects of the Roma culture to a wide public mostly from the majority ethnic group (Norwegian and Romanian) the project reached its objectives by initiating and supporting a series of cultural events in order to encourage the integration of ethnic minorities (7 concerts in Barentsjazz, one showcase and one jam session ad-hoc and 2 workshops within the same festival, one jam session of RoManouche band also in Barentsjazz, 3 concerts in Norway with the band RoManouche and at the same time one unpremeditated jam session in Trondheim, Norway, 4 concerts in Romania, also with the RoManouche, one jam session together with 2 authentic traditional musicians, one workshop and one concert of the RoManouche band soloists in a less conventional location in Bucharest, Aula Magna of the Academy of Economic Studies, creation of a photo-video album documenting the project. The exchange of experience in education and musical interpretation (the third specific objective) has got fulfilled by the 2 workshops in Norway in Barentsjazz (jazz studio) and 1 jazz and ethno-jazz workshop for a completely new public (students and professors of a scientific background) with 2 Roma musicians, 1 Romanian instrumentalist and 1 Armenian one. The public promotion of these events contributed fully to paving the way for a genuine cultural dialogue between the wide public and artists and most likely it had a strong effect, together with the actual shows to spread a positive image of the Roma culture, generating a more tolerant view regarding the social problems of the Roma ethnic group. The great admiration the Roma artists achieved an attenuation of the strife between Norwegian and Roma, and even between Romani or Roma ethnic groups.
Summary of bilateral results
The organizational partnership between the Association Dynamic Art and Barentsjazz represented a benefit per se for both partners and also an opening to future collaborations. Through the joint and sustained effort of the partners, this project has been completed. This was the first and most important result of the collaboration. The achieved results are related to the performance of the concerts both in the festival and in the concerts in Norway and even in Romania. The Norwegian partner and its involvement led to greater visibility of the project than if it had been done only by project promoter, unfamiliar with local promotional mechanisms. Musicians, in their turn, themselves belonging to such diverse national and ethnical backgrounds, enjoyed an intense experience of intercultural collaboration. Exchanging features of such different formation musical schools has been deep apprehensive achievement. Moreover musicians coming from all Europe areas exchanged important specialized information and instrumental practice regarding jazz and ethno music. Students and amateur performers of jazz and traditional dances benefitted of unique insights coming from renown musicians, each with a bright artistic career.