| Cathedral Square, Peterborough | London |
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16/04/2012 - A VIBRANT festival celebrated the Roma culture in Peterborough yesterday.
Dozens of people came together to mark International Roma Day, parading from Cathedral Square to Peterborough Museum led by the Romani flag.
There then followed dancing and music, including internationally renowned singer Jozka Bartos and talented youngsters from Leicester.
There were also displays about Roma history and culture and lectures on the topic.
Mum of five Pachie Lister is an English gypsy living in Walton, Peterborough who went along to support the event.
She said: “This is an excellent opportunity for us to stand up and be proud of our heritage.
“In a lot of countries it is still acceptable to be racist about the Roma, even in this country, making events like this even more important.”
The celebrations in the museum began with the Roma hymn Gelem Gelem followed by a welcome from Mayor of Peterborough Councillor Paula Thacker and organiser Petr Torak, from Peterborough Community Partnership Group (Compas).
International Roma Day is celebrated every year on April 8, but because it clashed with Easter the Peterborough event was moved to yesterday.
Mr Torak said: “It gives the Roma the chance to come together and celebrate our traditions. We all live far apart so it’s not often we can all come together like this.
“It’s also a chance for other people to see and understand the culture. If they know what their neighbours are doing there will be less community tension.
“We are so proud to be the first community group in Peterborough to use the newly refurbished museum and a big thank you to Vivacity for letting us use it.”