ROMAJAM
Nisville Foundation, invites young Roma and non Roma musicians to participate in an international project during 2023:
„Roma Jaming – ROMAJAM“
To participate in the project, instrumentalists and vocal soloists up to the age of 30 can send applications to the following e-mail addresses: nisville@nisville.com
Project is cofunded by “Musicaire – An Innovative Recovery For Europe”
Roma youth in Serbia are deprived of opportunities for exchange and international mobility due to political, economic and social issues present, which have been worsened due to the Covid pandemic. Jazz music represent for Roma youth a natural environment where they can freely express themselves and their culture. Professional Roma musicians are in frequent contact and often organize encounters involving youth. Project is putting its basis on these activities and relations in order to both expand and deepen Roma jazz music to Roma and non-Roma music youth that, usually, are not in position to take part in given limits of technical or financial resources, both institutional and personal, available.
Specificity of the project is to combine skills of professionals of music education and organizing capacity of a major festival in SEE promoting Roma music. Beyond skills taught/shared, it intends to promote autonomy and fits best for specific needs of young Roma and non-Roma musicians that will perform together. Plurality of experiences of professional musicians/trainers and of the Nisville Jazz Festival will bring a beneficial synergy, beyond intrinsic skills, presenting of Roma music as inherent part of European cultural mosaic.
Project involves a music festival and Roma professional musicians promoting transnational mobility of Roma jazz musicians and strengthening of their careers, as to reinforce music festival promoting Roma music as inherent part of European identity. Objective is to facilitate creativity and open artistic exchange of young and professional Roma and non-Roma jazz musicians of different cultural, social and economic origins, as to develop intercultural dialogue, cross-cultural cooperation. Young musicians to be involved will be able to identify differences and similarities, learning and sharing, exchanging ideas and communication, understanding, meeting new people and discovering “new worlds” through mobility, workshops, residencies, joint performing with non-Roma peers. Project also aims to raise awareness on richness of diverse Roma culture and its influence on European jazz music. Organizing of cultural events shall strengthen European belonging feeling among Roma youth, as increase awareness among general public that Roma music provided essential piece in European cultural mosaic.
Main identified needs and problems are: (i) Lack of opportunities for artistic and creative expression of the Roma community; (ii) Ignorance of Roma culture, traditions and art, both among the general public and among the target group itself and (iii) Limited participation of the Roma community in the cultural events in the community.
Although municipalities have community centres, their limited budget does not allow them to support domestic demand, the creation of new cultural items only, promoting them and attracting new audiences. In practice, the Roma population is largely isolated from cultural life.
The objective of to facilitate creativity and open artistic exchange of young Roma jazz musicians by connecting them with non-Roma music youth of different cultural, social and economic origins, as to develop different levels of intercultural dialogue and cross-border movement, through performance in Nis, Sofia and Skopje. Roma and non-Roma youth to be involved will be able to identify differences and similarities, learning and sharing, exchanging ideas and communication, understanding and opening to meeting new people and discovering “new worlds” through mobility, workshops, residencies, joint performing.
Mobility of Roma and non-Roma music youth in SER/BUL/NMCD is a sustainable outcome given that Nisville Jazz Festival and Roma professional musicians have collaborated on numerous individual initiatives in the past within Nisville’s Saban Bajramovic Stage, its permanent part for 28 years, where interest of Roma music youth, as of professional musicians, was significant.
Outcomes are:
- Increased international mobility and intercultural knowledge of Roma and non-Roma youth
- Cultural/education structures in targeted areas empowered in using Roma jazz music as socially-inclusive tool in multi-ethnic communities
- Increased awareness and support of citizens for using music as tool for building culturally diverse and inclusive community.
Project outputs are: 20 Roma and non-Roma youth trained on understanding of culture as a vehicle of change in the society; 20 Roma and non-Roma youth jointly performed at 5 jazz concerts in Nis, Sofia, Skopje and SE Serbia; 1 artistic and education residency of professional Roma jazz musician conducted; 1 Romani Day and Intl Jazz Day event held; 1 joint webpage linked with social media; 1 seminar held on new practices in presenting Roma music and audience developing; 3 public discussions held on using music as tool for inclusion and intercultural dialogue; 1 video compilation with “live” recordings of concerts held in targeted venues, Intl Jazz Day in 2023.
The project aims to promote and disseminate Roma culture through intercultural dialogue, crossborder movement mixing Roma & non-Roma youth through joint activities and performing in SER/BUL/NMCD. Project provides transnational mobility through music youth performances. Indicator of success will be the nb of mobilities/residencies realized. Joint performances and events to be conducted shall reach a significant number of persons in SER, BUL and NMCD, to be enhanced with of media reporting.
