[ad_1]
Ištvanas Kvik, president of the Lithuanian Roma community and leader of the Sare Roma ensemble, is no exception. He and his like-minded people are organizing the international Gypsy Fest 2021 in Vilnius this year. I. Kvik agreed to tell our readers how the coronavirus affected his family and what it means to organize events during a pandemic.
– Vilnius residents and guests are already used to the capital being rocked in April by a colorful march of the Gypsy Fest, which is traditionally celebrated on the occasion of International Gypsy Day. Did you have to give up the usual vacation this year?
– Unfortunately, but the global pandemic has dictated its conditions. And so on for two years in a row. Last year, the event also had to be postponed and a celebration was held in September.
It will be the same this year. The proportion of the population with immunity to the coronavirus in Lithuania is growing, so we expect the outdoor events to be held outdoors in September, which means that the Gypsy Fest Rome culture festival will become a colorful part of the Fair of Nations in Vilnius.
– Planning events during a pandemic probably not easy?
– (laughs) ‘It’s not easy’ – quite gently. I will not hide, the situation is very complicated. Sometimes my colleagues and I recall times when we didn’t even know about the new virus. At that time, there were also various difficulties, and the organization of events had to constantly deal with crises. But if someone has just gone back in time… Yes, the conditions in which we have to work today are incomparably more difficult. Uncertainty is the biggest obstacle. Not only how the virus will behave, but also in what conditions we will live. It is possible to plan an event and after a month or a few weeks it becomes clear that it is already subject to other restrictions and rules. It really makes the job difficult.
– Angry that you’ve had to live without events for so long, and now it’s unclear what your fate will be if only residents with Passports of Opportunity can participate?
– You can always blame the government for everything, but I think the most important thing is our health. The coronavirus pandemic has not only affected us on television screens. My mother had a very serious form of coronavirus. This spring, when I got vaccinated, the virus also visited me. Even medical help was needed. So this year just reminded me one more time how fragile our lives are. Every moment is worth its weight in gold. We need to appreciate them and try to take advantage of them every day by living it in a way that makes us feel like we are really alive. Therefore, I am willing to implement all the instructions of the Government that will be necessary so that the participants and guests of our celebration feel safe and protected. After all, this is the only way we can promise each other that we will meet next year.
– The festival will take place in Vilnius for the fifth time. What will surprise city guests and concert goers this year?
– It seems to me that this year the event itself is a great gift not only for the listeners and spectators, but also for us, the artists. We long for a scene fed up with these difficult years. Therefore, we are happy to be able to invite everyone again to a colorful gypsy festival. With each passing year, it grows. This makes us very happy.
This year the festival will take place in three stages: on September 17 we will have a conference at the Seimas, on September 19, Sunday 13-16. We will march in a colorful and fun musical procession from City Hall to. to Katedros a., we will join the Fair of Nations, Avda. Gedimino. we will arrive at Kudirka at. a grand concert will take place on a specially constructed stage. This year we promise even more gypsy rhythms, even more emotions and of course, frenetic dancing. The concert should feature performers loved by Lithuanian listeners, such as Radži, Merūnas Vitulskis, Inga Valinskienė, Rytis Cicinas, Irena Starošaitė, Žvagulis Žvagulis, Vidas Bareikis, Birutė Dambrauskaitė, Katažyna Zvonku-others. Our guests from Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and even Moldova will also appear.
– Every year you send a message to the public presenting the theme of the festival. What will this year be like?
– The theme of the festival is a very important part of it. Because it is not just a celebration, it is an event that fulfills a social mission. In 2019, we said: “Rome, not gin!” And therefore we invite you to meet the Roma people, not to avoid, not to be afraid of the Roma. In 2020, we announce “No Labels!”, Inviting us not to stick to the labels of certain people or nations. This year we say: “Different nationalities, equal values!” To show that we are citizens of a state, we are inhabitants of a country. Personally, it is a great honor for me that many famous Lithuanians, who can be seen on the event poster, contribute to the spread of this year’s motto. Each of them is proud of their nationality and proclaims that although we are of different nationalities, we are of the same values. Working together, we can achieve the most.
– The issue of nationality has been very relevant in recent years. Lithuania is currently experiencing an illegal immigrant crisis. How do you look at it?
– Many people ask me about illegal immigrants and their situation in the country. And as a parent, I fully understand their desire to find a safe place for themselves and their children. I think the most important thing is not to violate people’s rights and not to violate the law.
However, I would not like to compare your situation with the Roma integration processes. Because they are different things. We Roma who live in Lithuania, like any other nation, are citizens of the Republic of Lithuania. For this reason, it hurts more when we are full members of the same country, we face rejection, humiliation, we do not want to be hired, our neighbors look at us mischievously.
I have lived in Lithuania all my life, I am the father of three children and a grandfather. Probably everyone who has children will understand me: because of our descent, we are ready to tear down the mountains so that only they can live in a better world. As far as I can remember, I always work for the welfare of the Roma, I try to make our nation in Lithuania feel safe, not excluded. I would be lying if I said that all these problems have been solved today. Unfortunately this is not the case.
The Roma integration process is still ongoing and not as fast as one would like. But at the same time, I see that society is changing and so are we. Lithuania is home to many nations and the uniqueness of each is its strength. My heart is glad to see people of different nationalities interacting directly with each other at events or in private life and looking for common values, common points of contact. This means that a beautiful and bright future awaits all of us in Lithuania, regardless of whether we are Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, Jewish, Cossack or Roma.
