Cultural management training at Khamoro!

During the spring block of the 23rd Khamoro World Roma Festival, young Roma from various regions across the Czech Republic had the opportunity to participate in the Khamoro Shares Experience cultural management training.

Every year, this project gives young Roma a unique chance to look "behind the scenes" of a world-renowned cultural festival and gain hands-on experience in helping to organize it.

The main goal of this training is to encourage creative thinking and develop the production skills of young Roma through the organization of cultural projects.

There are many talented and educated Roma artists, but few have had the opportunity to study (cultural) management or to become part of a professional production team, even for just a few days.

Based on our previous experience, we have found that integrating interested individuals directly into the Khamoro festival preparatory team is an effective approach.

The entire program this year was led by David Tišer – director of the non-profit organization AraArt, educator, actor, and director, who also participates in the organization of the Khamoro festival every year.

After completing the spring block of the Khamoro World Roma Festival, the program participants helped organize the "Ara Fest" in Pilsen.

Participants were able to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills during the autumn block of Khamoro, where they became part of the organizing team for the internationally acclaimed festival. The young Roma assisted foreign bands, the production manager, and helped organize the vibrant traditional Parade of Artists through Prague.

Thanks to the experience gained through the Khamoro Shares Experience project, the trainees organized their own cultural events for Roma Language Day in their respective cities, with the help of experienced organizers from the Khamoro World Roma Festival. Celebrations for International Roma Language Day were successfully held in Prague, Ostrava, Písek, Jihlava, and Pilsen.

The Prague celebrations even featured a live broadcast! You can watch it on the Facebook pages of the organizations Slovo 21, z.s. and AraArt.

The practical experience that participants gained through the Khamoro Shares Experience program increases these young people's chances of finding future work in the field of cultural event organization.