Roma artists and thinkers have shaped culture far beyond their own communities. Some became global names; others gave the Roma a literary and moral voice, especially in bearing witness to the Porajmos.
Django Reinhardt invented a genre; the poet Papusza (Bronisława Wajs) brought Romani verse to a wide readership; the painter and writer Ceija Stojka turned her survival of the Nazi camps into unforgettable art; and Esma Redžepova, the “Queen of the Gypsies”, carried Macedonian Roma song around the world while devoting herself to humanitarian work.
Sources & further reading: Wikipedia biographies and RomArchive.
Gallery
41 openly-licensed images
Images via Wikimedia Commons — openly licensed (CC / public domain). Click any image to view full-size; source & licence shown below.
Django Reinhardt
The Manouche guitarist who created gypsy jazz.
Papusza
Bronisława Wajs — one of the most celebrated Romani poets.
Ceija Stojka
Artist, writer and survivor who bore witness to the Porajmos.
Esma Redžepova
Singer and humanitarian, the “Queen of the Gypsies”.
Be part of the network
Join as an artist, post a talent request, or explore the community.