Dijana Pavlovic works to give the Roma a more political voice
On a stage above a rapt audience, Dijana Pavlovic’s words fill Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy. “Now and forever resist!” she yells, finishing an impassioned reading of Erri De Luca’s poem “La notte degli zingari” or “The Night of the Gypsies.” The poem is a poignant retelling of the genocide of the Roma people during World War II, when about 3,000 died in a single night at Auschwitz in 1944.
The audience gives fierce applause to Ms. Pavlovic, a theater actress-turned-activist who is one of the most visible members of Italy’s Roma community. The crowd bursts into a spirited singing of “Bella Ciao,” an Italian folk song and an anthem of the anti-Fascist movement.
“The Roma movement in Italy and all Europe is growing up. It’s organizing, and we’re winning in the wider movement against this terrible period,
Views of the RomaRunning for office
