What can a young girl growing up in a Romanian Zlatar community do, if she does not want to marry at the age of 13? What if she wants to continue her studies, against the will of her family? Roxana comes up with various unusual ideas to achieve her goal. I n her play  Del Duma – She Speaks,  Mihaela Dragan presents the complex topic of early marriage that determines the life of several Roma women in Romania even today. The artistic director of Giulipen theatre does not want to judge, she merely passes on the stories of women who have different views on early marriage. Interview with Mihaela Dragan  >>>

The Romanian actress founded her own company, Giuvlipen. The name is a neology and refers to feminism. The members of the company are professional Roma actresses who, in their plays, confront the Roma and non-Roma audience with important but often sensitive issues. The show Del Duma - She Speaks , performed at the festival, discussed the topic of early marriage, whereas other plays focus on homosexuality or Roma slavery. She thinks it is vital to move on from the current situation – there are only three state founded, permanent Roma theatres in Europe: in Russia, in Ukraine and in Slovakia. In the rest of the continent, Roma artists must work without significant stable financial background. We, finally, have to occupy our place in the cultural sphere – Mihaela believes. The interview series were made with the help of the students of CEU: Ignácz Judit, Sadie Luetmer és Mayya Kelova, Frederik Ørskov; and the professional supervision of Jeremy Braverman. The videos were edited b...