Czech and Slovak Roma Migration to Europe Roma

Czech and Slovak Roma

Migration to Europe Roma people moved to Europe from North West India probably between the 6 th and 11 th Centuries. Today approximately 225, 000 Roma people live in the UK. In Cardiff most come from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Languages Roma people in the UK from Slovakia speak Slovakian and those from the Czech Republic speak Czech but they can usually understand each others’ language. Some Roma families can also speak Roma although there are different types of Roma languages. The Roma language originates from North West India and can still be partly understood by people who speak some languages from India. Roma people who have settled in the UK are learning or have learnt English. In Wales pupils of Roma origin are also learning Welsh.

Helo Hello Hwyl Fawr Goodbye Slovak Roma - Serus(se-rus) Cau(ch-ow) Czech - Ahoj(a-hoy) Slovak - Ahoj(a-hoy) Zboham(zz-barm)

Find out about these Roma people. Petr Torak. He is the first Roma police officer in the UK.

Vera Bila. She was a famous Czech Roma singer.

Alex and Maxim Šesták are Roma twins from the Czech Republic. They are only eleven years old but are already very talented musicians. Alex plays saxophone and Maxim plays the piano. The boys have been practicing hard from a very early age. Alex is one of seven winners of a competition for the most talented children in the Czech Republic, "Zlatý oříšek" (The Little Golden Nut). You can find the boys and listen to their music on You Tube or Instagram if you search for alexmaximtwins.

Here are Maxim and Alex, playing their instruments.

Religion Most Roma people practise the religion of the country they are from. They may be Muslim, Catholic, Protestant or may not have a particular religion.

Culture Roma culture is famous for its beautiful music and dance.

Roma Festivals. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Musical Instruments.