News

Animated history of Roma, Gypsies and Travellers

- Blog | Adrian Marsh

Dear friends and colleagues,

Our short animation is now live on the Open Society website: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/gypsies-roma-travellers-animated-history

Roma, Gypsy and Traveller identity is misappropriated and misrepresented everyday for everything from profit to politics. The success of television shows like “Big Fat Gypsy Wedding”—whose new series starts today in the UK—highlights the need to intervene in this one-sided portrayal. Today Open Society Foundations in conjunction with Damn Fine Media launches a short, three minute animated film on the history of Roma, Gypsies and Travellers—an important part of the rich identity of these groups and the story of Europe. Primarily aimed at young adult viewers, the film presents a lively, animated account of Roma history from the tenth century and their migration from India, right up to the present day.

Please take a moment to watch our short animation, share it with your friends, colleagues and join the conversation in our comments section by telling us what you think; I’m sure the discussion will be a lively one. Other versions in Welsh, Bulgarian, Czech, Romanian and Hungarian are being produced and will be available shortly.