*

On 8 April, the International Day of Roma is celebrated, which commemorates the beginnings of the worldwide Roma emancipation movement in 1971. At the same time, this day addresses the injustices that still exist worldwide due to racism and its intersections: Oppression and exclusion from society, deportations like that of several thousand Moldovan Roma from Berlin. On the occasion of the 52nd ROMADAY, we focus especially on the global contexts of environmental racism:

– Roma all over Europe are forced to live on polluted land: Whether in the lead-poisoned refugee camp built by the UN in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, whether on one of Europe’s largest landfill sites in Pata Rât, Romania, or in Freiburg, Hamburg or Heidelberg, where Sinti were given toxically contaminated land as reparations for Nazi crimes.

– The territories and cultures of indigenous and nomadic peoples are being destroyed all over the world by climate change, by mining or even by tourist development: whether in Sápmi in northern Europe, whether in Ghizer in northern Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan, or in Mexico, where Deutsche Bahn is building the so-called Maya Train.

– Countries in South America are taking enormous risks and burdens to make the green economy of the Global North possible – for example, to extract enough lithium for electromobility.

Together we make it clear: the climate crisis affects us above all – Roma and Sinti, Black people, indigenous people, traditional nomads and People of Colour! The climate movement must not continue to ignore our existence! We therefore take to the streets on International Roma* Day and protest loudly for climate justice and our future.

Among others with contributions by:

– Axel Olle Sigurd: musician, producer and composer from Áhkkavarrie in Sápmi.

– Ciprian-Valentin Nodis: Roma activist from Bistrita, Romania

– Gianni Jovanovic: activist, author and performer

– Roma refugees from the Republic of Moldova

– Kantom: influencer and spoken word artist

– Sulti: Kurdish non-binary activi

The event is part of the project “ROMADAY 2023: No Climate For Nomads”, which is funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. The entire programme can be found at romaday.info.