Heroes are born when you make a step even though your legs can hardly move. Heroes are born when you stand up and speak out. When you conquer your fears, when you pass the test, when you fight Goliath. When you let something go. Heroes are born when you tell someone: "I'm here for you". When you ask for help, when you bare your soul, when you make a new friend. Heroes are born every day. You may be the next one! The blog entry was written by Kató Klára Fazekas at Independent Theatre Hungary's Roma Heroes workshop.

What do your parents mean to you? Who can you really count on? What would you like to thank them for and how? We have to face several difficulties throughout our life, but there are always people around us who we can count on no matter what happens. I have always believed that it is worth taking advice from people who had been in a similar situation. I consider myself lucky because I had a wonderful childhood with parents who did everything they could for me and my brothers. We were dearly loved while growing up, we had a beautiful life and I will be grateful to them forever. I love my friends – usually I am the odd one out, the only Gypsy girl in every circle of friends but that has never been much of a subject.   My parent's opinion and advice has always been important to me. I wanted them to be proud of me, that is why I decided to graduate from high school, learn a trade and – to my father's delight – obtain a driving license. I have taken their advice, I kne...

What is real perseverance? Have you ever thought about how much your parents do for you day after day? They make decisions and trust that they serve the best interest of the family. Have you ever been in a situation when you had to make an important decision, one that had an impact on other’s life as well? Daddy, I wanna share what’s on my mind Do you remember when I was four-year-old? You and mummy were getting divorced And you got a chance to change your life. Lot more money, respectable work But staying in our town was not among the perks. You asked me how that’d feel? Did I have any doubt? I answered that I didn’t care much for wealth I’d give up easily on holidays or presents Just stay with us! That is all I care about. For your perseverance I must thank you And I wish for all your hopes to come true The blog entry was written by Ákos Fülöp, a participant of Independent Theatre Hungary’s Roma Heroes workshop.  

We have to face a lot of challenges and difficulties throughout our life. However, the most important is to stick to our goal, no matter what, and do our best to achieve what we truly want. This story dates back to my childhood. I still remember the moment when we entered our new home. I don't know how old I was but I can clearly recall that I thought, we might have a better life here. My stepfather would take care of us, we would live together in happiness, we wouldn't be cold during the night... As years went by, I really got everything I ever needed. One of my most precious memories is when my stepfather picked me up at school one autumn afternoon. He made me sit on his bike and we rode home. I was very happy, I was laughing the whole time and I fell asleep that night with a smile on my face. I can't explain what was so special about that afternoon but I can still remember that feeling. When I lost him, his absence left a huge void. I tried to find joy...

Roma heroes – 3. At the International Roma Theatre Festival, Giuvlipen company from Bucharest told the story of a young Roma girl who would have liked to keep studying but neither her family nor her school supported her. The play is based on a real story and presents the struggle of the girl that results in suicide and the struggle of those who knew her (priest, leader of the Roma community, teacher, parents) from various perspectives, raising the validity of different approaches and at the same time pointing out collective responsibility that no one can escape. Funding: Badur Foundation and USA Embassy in Hungary Contributors Starring Mihaela Dragan, Zita Moldovan and Liana Ceterchi Music: Elena Albu Cameramen: Máté Bartha Sound engineer: Gábor Kerekes Sound mixing: Ákos Lovász Director and light: Mihai Lukács Film editor: Péter Illés

So Kheren Amenca?! / Forever Holiday?!, the coproduction of Gorki Studio in Berlin and Romano Svato company in Vienna is based on the story of two sisters who got deported from their motherland. What can a parent do if she gets a letter claiming that her children can no longer live in the land that they believed to be their home? Everything changes and just one thing matters: what can they do to be able to stay? But there is nothing they can do, they cannot stay in the country. They get expelled and that is when their endless holiday begins: visiting distant relatives whose world is incredibly far from the young adults. Come and watch the play to learn what kind of challenges they have to face and how they overcome the difficulties! Funding: Badur Foundation, Goethe Institut Budapest, USA Embassy in Hungary Contributors directed by Sandra Selimovic project manager: Joshua Weiss dramaturge: Hanna AlTaher assistant director: Miriam Wagner project assistant: Jasmin ...

In September 2019, the Czech ARA Art company evoked the history of Roma communities in a new form, building on the elements of circus arts. The storytelling of a Roma women guides us through the fate of the Roma community, starting with the origin legend of Gypsy people, through modern history and Holocaust till the assimilation efforts of the socialist regime. Contributors Design and camera: Máté Bartha Directed by Márton Illés Sound engineer: Gábor Kerekes Microphone: Péter Illés Sound mixing: Gábor Kerekes Light: Márta Borbála Csapó Film editor: Dénes Fellegi Funding: Badur Foundation, USA Embassy in Hungary and Visegrád Fund The perforance was invited to Hungary with the support of Visegrád Fund 

In this play by Independent Theater Hungary put youngsters on the stage to show the insane health care system, their own traumas and prejudices, and ask themselves as well as the spectators what we can do - instead of complaining - to improve this situation. Funding: Open Society Institute Contributors Written and directed by Rodrigó Balogh Dramaturge: Márton Illés Movement director: Gyula Antal Horváth Costume design: Luca Szabados Music editor: Barbara Balázs Assistant: Judit Kőszegi Visual: Alina Vincze and Péter Illés

What does education mean for you? What would you sacrifice for studying? What can a young student do if her family does not support her in continuing her studies? How can she fight prejudices in the school every day? What is our responsibility for the youngsters and in providing equal opportunities for everyone in starting their lives and being able to study? The play provides insight to a really brave girl's life who has to stand up to her family's will.  The play of Giuvlipen Company from Bucharest is based on a real story; it presents the struggle of the girl, that results in suicide, from various perspectives, raising the validity of different approaches and at the same time pointing out collective responsibility that no one can escape.

Where do we really come from? Where does the centuries-long persecution of Gypsy people date back? Where did we travel around and how did kings and princes treat us? The tale of an old Roma women provides insight to the history of Roma people. She begins her tale on Gypsy odyssey with creation myths, but the story gets worse and worse and it does not improve during the Habsburg rule and reaches rock bottom during the 2nd World War. After having lost half of the family, may communism bring some relief? The old woman believes so, but her daughter who just arrives home does not agree. Let's face the past together to be able to build a better future! The Czech ARA Art company invites us to an extraordinary historic journey in a new theatrical form, using elements of circus arts too.

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when thinking of health care? What are our experiences or stereotypes on the Roma, the addict or the extremist youngsters who might be our neighbors in a ward? Health care system have a lot of weak points and we all have at least one horror story about a quirky nurse, a grumpy doctor, a dirty ward or an insupportable patient. But have a look at this question from another angle, let's see what we can do for a change! The young actors of Independent Theater Hungary's play show different viewpoints on health care as well as living together with others, drawing attention to the importance of taking action.

What can a parent do if she gets an unexpected letter claiming that her children can no longer live in the land that they believed to be their home? What can she do if there is no way to protect them from being expelled? The children have to leave and that is when their endless holiday starts, visiting distant relatives whose world is completely alien for the young adults. Read the play to learn what kind of challenges they have to face and how they overcome the difficulties! So Kheren Amenca?! / Forever Holiday?!, the co-production of Gorki Studio from Berlin and Romano Svato Company from Vienna is based on the real life story of the Yugoslavian sisters who were born in Germany but got recently expelled from there. The show is performed by youngsters and professional actors.

We often judge other people because of their clothes, their outfit, the color of their hair or skin. However, it can happen that the one who helps us in need is someone who we would never have expected to do so. If we are open and not prejudiced our everyday life becomes more beautiful. I am a blond with green eyes, I had an amazing childhood and I have great parents who I owe a lot. When I was a child, I didn't hear much about Gypsy people, I didn't know any Gypsies in my close environment. If this topic ever came up, people talked about them in a negative way. It was the well known triangle of lying, cheating, stealing. I never really cared about this, I was a child, I was not interested, still, I was a bit afraid of Roma people. I didn't know why, it was inexplicable. I was nine years old. One day, me and my brother wanted to go home but I run out of money, be couldn't buy bus tickets. My brother got so scared that he started to cry and I suddenly didn...

What can a schoolgirl do to fight injustice? What do we look for in pedagogues? What can we do for our children to be taught of equality and accepting each other in school? In primary school, I always sat in the first or second row. I hated it! I always wanted to sit in the last row because there, I could have been next to the window watching the whole class. From time to time, some of the "worst" boys were seated next to me. The rules for table plan were the following: 1.   bad students sit next to good students 2.   if you are a good student and do something wrong (which happened to me quite often) then you will get a Gypsy next to you For a few days or for months, it depended on the scale of the punishment. I liked those boys because they found this process unfair, too. I had three seatmate by this method in the first four years of primary school. When teachers realized that this seating arrangement was no problem for us and we even made friends, I ...

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you think of your parents? What do they mean for you? What did you learn from them? For what can we be grateful to them in our adult life? Disadvantages – I have heard it way too often, and often as an excuse for positive discrimination or feeling pity. In my childhood, want and hardship were a natural part of life. I often run after my mother – even when she was cooking – to ask for bread with sugar. I loved it, just as I loved 'bodag', the Gypsy bread. I did not mind that my mother usually baked it when there was nothing else to eat. My family had a little garden so we had some fresh vegetables and fruits. Also, my parents did day work to put bread on our table. My father worked as a bricklayer, my mother made money as an unskilled worker. But I always said in school that she was a housewife, her work was to look after us, her family. Many thought she was a sluggard because we were just a Gypsy family. As a ...

We all need role models, heroes in our life whose acts and qualities serve as examples. Sometimes it takes time to realize that real heroes are all around us. Find your own hero! Oh, my darling granny. She loved us, her family, she did whatever she could for us. She was a vibrant ball of energy. She rushed from one grandchild to the other whole day long. She helped with household chores, made jam, cooked our favorite granny-cakes like no one else. She often told us about our badass grandpa and she kept loving, loving and loving. Words cannot express what she means to me even today. No doubt she had a huge impact both on my mother and me. We got the love and solidarity of the family from her. She lived her life with sacrifices and an everlasting smile on her face, she lived for us and for our happiness. We learned only after her death that besides everyday care, she had a secret that she never told anyone. A stray paper found after her death revealed this secret. My grandm...

A message that will never be answered any more. What message would you send to someone who has passed away? Write it down! These are the messages of the Roma Heroes workshop's participants to the loved ones who are not with them any more. What would you add? Who would you address it to? 1.You do not age any more You stand still Thinking I'm a high school student But in fact I work! 2.I look most like you I drive angrily And I throw tantrums a lot I hope you can also see it from there 3. I don't know how old you are   Your memory is greyness   Your flowers are beautiful   You never forget about them!   ------------------   1.Is gone, doesn't exist The words hang in the air I cannot find the door handle Mummy, I'm gay! 2. Birth, death Leaf, dream, move Incomplete eternity Daddy, hold my daughter in your arms! 3. Moveless monotony.   Death stumbles without farewell   Last minute no   I keep ...