Roma theatre “Nexhip Menekshe” in Prizren was one of the beneficiaries of the ROMACTEDII small grants scheme to fund the community grant project of a touring play on “Roma Women Histories”.

The play portrayed stories of pain, suffering, and violence that Roma women have endured throughout history, inside and beyond community circle. With the aim of increasing awareness of domestic violence against Roma women, the closing ceremony of this project was followed by a panel discussion on the role of theatre in raising public awareness about gender discrimination against Roma women. The ceremony was followed by a showcasing of another play on the Roma Holocaust during WWII called Uqhalina (Shadows), a subject often overlooked in history.

The closing event showed the success of the project among the community and the wider public. The community grant project confirmed that this type of initiatives is essential to cultivate a culture of tolerance among communities, fostering knowledge about Roma identity, preserving and promoting Roma language.

In accordance with the Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Travellers Inclusion (2020-2025) of the Council of Europe and the strategic priority of combating antigypsyism and discrimination, this project promoted Roma arts, culture, history and language. It also tackled cross-cutting issues and promoted a wider representation of the Roma community as the play toured in several ROMACTEDII partner municipalities, performing Roma theatre for the very first time in most of the municipalities.