Medeia Nimas Cinema
Sunday, November 21st, after screening 15h
The lack of historical memory about the experiences of the Rom community – the massacres, persecutions and prejudices it has been subject to – is intimately connected to the current state of a society that keeps discriminating against part of its population in daily, work and institutional contexts. In the beginning of the year, the European Council Committee for Social Rights concluded that Portugal continues to violate Rom people’s right to dignified housing. Notwithstanding the active voice of citizen groups and human rights organisations in the country, hate speech has lately been gaining traction in the public sphere – a tendency that must urgently be challenged. On April 25, 2021, the anniversary of the revolution and the day of Liberty in Portugal, an open letter signed by dozens of personalities and organisations arrived at newspapers with a message that emphasised the urgency of integrating the Rom community in Portugal. As per its signatories, “every word has already been written; all that is missing now is commitment, political will and transparency”. LEFFEST organises a debate with academics and several active agents of the Portuguese Rom community so as to discuss this current state of affairs.