The Romani Elders

The Romani Elders

Hans Caldaras(SE)

Artist and activist

Life story

Hans Caldaras was born in Sweden of Roma ethnic background. His reputation as a popular music artist in a Swedish TV-series resulted in a recording contract. The first Roma LP in the language Romanes in Sweden was recorded. Caldaras attracted attention, appeared on TV, and have maintained an extensive tour activity throughout the years. Caldaras has done almost everything as an artist, thousands of concerts, musicals, theatre plays, festivals, many records and a variety of radio and television appearances The orchestra in which he playes, called the ’The Roma Hot Band’, consists of skillful musicians. The repertoire is roma music with influences from improvised jazz, latin and gypsy swing of Django Reinhardt. Since 1997 Caldaras has cooperated with the Rumanians most distinguished and popular Roma musicians, 'The Alexandru Band'.
In autumn 2002 Hans Caldaras was elected as a member in the swedish "Penn-club” and between 2003 - 2004 was project-leader, co-ordinator, for the Roma Cultural Centre in Stockholm, Romano Kulturako Centro. Between 2007 - 2011 he worked as a director of the Roma Cultural Centre in Stockholm. In 2003 he was elected as a member in the Roma-Council at the Swedish Parliament. In 2005 he finished his commission at the Council. Between 2007 - 2010 he was a member of the Delegation for Roma issues at the Parliament’s Department of Integration and Equal Rights.The Delegation ceased to exist in 2011. (source: www.caldaras.com; photo: Studiobild, Pelle Piano)

Quotes

"I would not in any way excuse or defend the Roma who are criminal; they must atone for their crimes, of course. But to condemn an entire people as thieves and bandits, is in itself a criminal act and is a violation of the Geneva Convention and the current EU rules regarding Europe's citizens; namely, that every human being has the right to be treated fairly and judged as an inividul on their own merits.” (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nordic_Roma/message/972)

"Hitler and his followers succeeded in carrying out a Holocaust of Jews and Romani people (Roma and Sinti),in a country where the majority of German people were generally 'well-meaning' good parents and animal lovers. Faithful, conscientious an humane people watched the Roma and Jews being taken away on trucks and trains to the death camps in Poland, but did not, by-and-large, protest. Hate propaganda had successfully promotet a vicious racism towards them, orchestrated by Hitlers' media 'prophet' Joseph Goebbels. Today we can see similar trends in France, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and elsewhere, where the Roma are now conveyed to nothing but alternative 'extermination camps' to live under death threats and an alienation that leads to impoverishment, while people look on with indifference.” (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nordic_Roma/message/972)

"Every country must take their responsibility for their own romani inhabitans, nobody should have to flee to another country to ensure their human dignity. This „witch hunt” of Europe's Roma must be stopped before it goes out of control.” (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nordic_Roma/message/972)

Books, Articles, Statements

In the Eyes of the Beholder, 2002. (memoire)
Halting Sarkosy's 'witch hunt' of Europes Roma: http://euyouthspeak.org/roma/?p=14514

Press about the Elder

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