Humanitarian organisation Alfa from Bihać, within the project "Joint, sustainable and creative preservation of Roma culture and heritage" funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina, organised a conversation and an exhibition on the cultural heritage and tradition of Roma men and women at the Elementary School Bihać and the Secondary School Bosanska Krupa. The works for the exhibition were created at previously held workshops organised by Alfa, and at the meeting, Roma children presented their tradition to their peers.

"I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn about the holidays of other people because I do not often have that opportunity, and I met new friends", said student Irna. Her colleague Senad had a similar opinion about the meeting. "I like that I learned the origin of the Roma people and something about the language.“

The exhibition itself presents recognisable symbols of Roma culture, such as the Roma flag, costumes, jewelry, and other cultural features.

The visitors of the exhibition also wrote their impressions in the book of impressions: "The exhibited works testify that the children participated in the workshops with pleasure and inspiration," noted student Sadeta.

"I am happy that we who worked on the creative workshops managed to show our friends that we are valuable and that we can talk about our culture and traditions with drawings”, wrote student Jasmina.

The opportunity for Roma men and women, especially young people, to share experiences and talk about their tradition is especially important because Roma frequently neglect their own heritage and culture in order to integrate more easily into society.

Thanks to organised activities, issues of discrimination were raised with the empowerment of young Roma men and women, as well as drawing attention to the necessity of buliding bridges within the educational process, which contributes to combating stigma and discrimination.

Growing up, in addition to the socialisation and education as processes that carry change, can be very confusing for young people. But for young people who are victims of discrimination and cultural exclusion, the path to growing up can be significantly more challenging than for others, which is why meetings like this one are very important.

The humanitarian organisation "Alfa" is a beneficiary of the joint programme of the European Union and Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkan and Turkey 2019-2022“. The views expressed in this text are the responsibility of the author and do not represent the official views of the European Union and the Council of Europe.