The Romani people worldwide are celebrating International Romani Day. This day commemorates histories first-ever World Roma Congress, convened near London in 1971. The initiative
of the congress the first World Congress of the International Romani Union, which took place near London in 1971, primarily thanks to the initiative of Grattan Puxon and Donald Kenrick of Great Britain, Matéo Maximoff representing French Romani people (the Manouche), Jarko Jovanović of the former Yugoslavia, and other Romani individuals and Romani studies scholars.
The Congress was attended by almost 30 people
and resolved to adopt the Romani flag and international anthem. World Romani
Congress The first World Romani Congress was organized in 1971 in Orpington
near London, funded in part by the World Council of Churches and the Government
of India. It was attended by 23 representatives from nine nations
(Czechoslovakia, Finland, Norway, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary,
Ireland, Spain and Yugoslavia) and observers from Belgium, Canada, India and
the United States, Among the chief goals of these congresses have been the
standardization of the Romany language.
Delegates
also officially established the official term "Rom" instead of
"Gypsy" was also approved at this meeting. The Rroma athem Gelem,
Gelem is a song composed by Žarko Jovanović, often used as the anthem of the
Romani people. The title has been adapted in many countries by local Roma to
match their native orthography and spoken dialect of the Romani language.
Some of the song's many titles include,
"Gyelem, Gyelem", "Jelem, Jelem", "Dzelem,
Dzelem", "Dželem, Dželem", "Đelem, Đelem",
"Djelem, Djelem","Ђелем, Ђелем", "Ѓелем, Ѓелем","Џелем, Џелем", "Джелем, джелем" (cyrillic),
"Opré Roma" and "Romale Shavale". In an interview with
reporter Mike Kalezić, Jovanović himself titled the song ‘Opre Roma’. After
experiencing firsthand the incarceration of Roma during the Porajmos (the
Romani Holocaust of World War II), Jovanović later composed the lyrics of
Gelem, Gelem and set them to a traditional melody in 1949.