Alina Serban
Alina studied at UNATC Bucharest, New York University - Tischand graduated with a master's degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, winning numerous international awards for acting. She is the initiator of the theatre with a Roma social message, writing and directing “The Great Shame”, the first play by a Roma director who entered the repertoire of a state theatre in Romania. She was Romania's representative at Cannes in 2018 with the film "Alone at my wedding". For her lead role in "Gipsy Queen", she was nominated for the German Academy Awards and won the Best Actress Award from the German Actors' Union. In 2019, she made her film directorial debut with the short film “Forgiveness Ticket”, the first film about Roma slavery written and directed from a Roma perspective.
Elena Radu
Elena comes from a traditional Roma family and is a Romani language teacher and school mediator at school no. 136 in Bucharest. She is a single divorced mother and has two children, a 20 years old daughter, student at the Faculty of Sociology at University of Bucharest and a boy in kindergarten.
Also, Elena is involved in educational projects and programs for Roma students, collaborating with various Associations and Foundations that have intercultural education as purpose, including Roma Education Fund.
Emanuel Barica
Emanuel was born in Botoșani and comes from a traditional Roma family, but has lived in Berlin for six years where he works as an artist. He recently made illustrations for Roma Heroes, an educational game that allows players to discover stories about the true heroes of Roma history.
Feraru Luminita
Feraru Luminita comes from a family of Roma musicians and works at Center for Preservation and Promotion of RomanianTraditional Culture, from Giurgiu city. Feraru Luminita is 53 years old and she is a Roma single mother. She is divorced since her son was 7 years old. Now her son is married and he has a 6-year-old daughter.
Also, for more than 10 years she gets involved in educational projects and programs for Roma students, collaborating with various Associations and Foundations having as purpose intercultural education, including Roma Education Fund.
Petronia Scripcariu
Petronia Scripcariu has been a Romani language teacher and school inspector for minorities in Botoșani County since 2008. Petronia comes from a traditional Roma family and she is a single mother. She has an adopted daughter, who is also her niece, the daughter of her younger brother. Her daughter is 25 years old years old and is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations in Birmingham, UK.
Also, Petronia is involved in educational projects and programs for Roma students, collaborating with various Associations and Foundations that have intercultural education as purpose, including Roma Education Fund.
Raisa Mihai
Raisa graduated from the “George Enescu” National College of Music and the National University of Music in Bucharest, classical guitar department. She has won numerous international and national awards at various classical guitar festivals. In 2018, she started to form a duo together with Ana Maria Bibescu, ARTissimo Guitar Duo. They participated in guitar competitions and won first prize at Kyustendil International Guitar Competition and Montenegro International Guitar Competition, as well as second prize at Transylvania International Guitar Competition. Raisa comes from a traditional Roma family fromBucharest.
The National Day of the Romani Language
“La multi ani – The National Day of the Romani Language in Romania” – 16 June
This short video was made in partnership with Faculty of Romanian Language, University of Bucharest for celebrating the Romani Language and its teaching in Romanian schools. The establishment of June 16 as the Day of the Romanian Language in Romania was possible thanks to Professor Gheorghe Sarău who, in 1992, published the first Roma dictionary in Romania - Small Roma-Romanian dictionary, Bucharest, Kriterion Publishing House.
