{"id":12185,"date":"2026-04-22T10:30:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T08:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/?p=12185"},"modified":"2026-04-22T15:33:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:33:54","slug":"interview-with-roza-lakatosz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/interview-with-roza-lakatosz\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz"},"content":{"rendered":"
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R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz, captured by Delfin \u0141akatosz<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz was born in Pozna\u0144, though she spent her teenage years in Wroc\u0142aw, studying at the local Fine Arts High School. She is known for her poetic works, performance art, and her advocacy for the integration of the Roma community. She made her debut in the magazine \u201cRrom p-o Drom\u201d shortly after its creation. In 2019, her poetry collection In the Concrete Forest was published. The roots of her artistic pursuits trace back to her performances with groups like \u201cRoma\u201d and \u201cTamburyno\u201d. Active in various fields of art, R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz and I met to discuss her past and present \u2013 her creativity and life. Our conversation moved through time and space, touching on both distant and recent memories. Interwoven into our dialogue were poems \u2013 responses to posed and unspoken questions. One could even say that poetry became the central axis of the narrative\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve already spoken with your children \u2013 Noemi and Delfin. Both said you encouraged their creative activities, acted as their manager, sought out competitions for them to participate in, and found venues to showcase their work. You took them to cultural events and always emphasized that the key is to have an idea and act \u201cin your own way\u201d \u2013 to avoid copying others. This suggests a set of principles you follow, but I wonder, what does your entire artistic, or perhaps life, manifesto sound like?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, in some sense, I guided my children in what to do. I supervised, though perhaps not in the way one might imagine. An example: when Noemi was six, during Car-Free Day, we came up with the idea of having nearby cars leave tyre marks on a piece of paper. The cars left tread marks on the paper. The idea was to create something different. Once, for my first paintings of a Roma camp in Junikowo [Pozna\u0144] in winter, when I had no paints, I used toothpaste. In summer, I used whatever came from the earth, flowers, and anything else within reach. This was many years ago\u2026 Later, some artists, now well-known names, began working in a similar way, using methods close to mine. I was ahead of them with my ideas. My “seventh eye” worked, I predicted certain things. I didn\u2019t say they\u2019d happen, I just did them. I participated in open-air painting sessions and numerous exhibitions \u2013 including those showcasing my children\u2019s works. I created paintings for charity, which were sold to raise funds for community centres. I collaborate with the AMICI Skills Workshop. My works often feature the Roma flag motif or nature rendered poetically. Everything I see, I process through my memories and identity. I weave in elements important to me. As for the manifesto, everything is in this poem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please read it\u2026\n\n[Loose translation from Polish to English]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Skin.
You cannot strip it of
                its identity.

You can whiten it
                but not the soul

                          trapped in the image of otherness.

Your place.
How to find it in the rest of the world\u2019s cities?
Displacement.
                 A multigenerational

                                      family rug.

                  It settles where it wishes to be free.

                  In a permanent home.

                                       Without the compulsion of settlement.

It does not want
                 in ghettos or slums

                                     on the outskirts,

                  nor to be excluded

                                     socially and economically.

                  In a closed circle of unemployment

                                      poverty, illiteracy.

                  In the absence of opportunities for social advancement.

Fear.
Of the open space of the city.
                       In the crucible of diversity \u2013 excluded.

                        Like pawns from other games.

Assimilation.
Because here
                   this country is only for those

                                         adapted to the rest.

The city dislikes diversity
                       in the tidy flowerbed

                       of identical plants.

Being yourself.
You must croak like them among them!
Without resident status,
                         no job and deportation.

The Drzyma\u0142a Wagon.
In modern style
                         travel and container life

                          unconnected to others \u2013

                          the loss of family ties.

Everyone in their own \u2013 separated.
Existing
                         on the rubbish of the present.

                          Playing

                          with the scraps of yesterday.

Otherness.
We are aware of it
                        yet stigmatised

                               as a lower class of people.

Learn
                       to recognise otherness.

It will enrich you
                      without anti-Romani sentiment.

Do not perceive
                      culture

                       as a collection

                       of folkloric images.

Accustoming
                     to an easy life

                      on society\u2019s benefits,

                      will only lead to

                      a fascination with consumerism

                      and dressing up

                      in metropolitan clothes.

They will disappear into the crowd of similar ones.
I am Roma
 and everything before me is

                         closed

in the perspective of a journey
to something better?\u2026

(R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz, Nomads of the 21st Century, from the collection In the Concrete Forest - W Betonowym Lesie)<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n
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Photo: Delfin \u0141akatosz, Roma Culture Festival \u2013 Romani Kultura, \u0141\u00f3d\u017a 2022<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
This summarises what lies within us. The poem was written several years ago, and things may have changed over time because there is now a greater awareness of identity, though not all Roma wish to know about it\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This theme connects to maintaining one\u2019s identity and being oneself in a world where people often conform, sometimes to the point of avoiding standing out\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
You are
          cheerful, hospitable, sociable,

           internally united.

You will defend your own identity.
You are free by birth.
You are behind a wall of inscriptions:
         \u201ckicks from boots\u2026\u201d

          and \u201ca good one is a dead one\u201d.

You are to blame
\u2013 for your otherness!
In a closed community
        where a city within a city

there, only, will you not feel different.
You \u2013 who bathed in sunlight,
    in the breeze felt

the taste of rains.
You \u2013 who were driven from places not yours,
   forested, riverbank,

    suburban,

    from the outskirts of villages.

In the returns of birds,
  from lack of nests

stateless in all senses.
You do not fit Europe
Though you are,
                       We are

                        everywhere.

(R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz, \u2026From Which No Trace Remained, from the collection In the Concrete Forest)<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
On 13 December, at the Polan Sto Gallery, the exhibition Identity will open as part of the 17th Environmental Review EKOART. Although I am not part of this group, I was invited to present my works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What have you observed regarding relations between different Roma groups and their efforts to uphold Roma traditions? How was it in the past?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many Roma are accustomed only to their own group and know little about others. Such a divide began in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I remember what it was like in 1989. We spent two weeks in Bia\u0142ystok with our group, rehearsing. From there, we travelled across Poland and moved further, eventually reaching Vienna. At the UN headquarters, a conference about the Roma was held alongside a Roma festival, which included a competition of bands. I recall we weren\u2019t allowed to see other groups participating \u2013 apparently, to avoid feeling embarrassed or discouraged from performing. During this event, funds were raised for the following year\u2019s initiatives. After returning to Poland from Vienna, two weeks later, there was a revolution in Romania. In April, all the groups met again and went as a delegation to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. We travelled through Gorz\u00f3w, Wroc\u0142aw, and Prague, picking up Roma along the way. Roma from Prague didn\u2019t follow traditional Roma customs. On our return through Germany, we wanted to stop at an inn for a drink. Stanis\u0142aw Stankiewicz, who was with us, asked if we could enter. We were welcomed at first, but when they saw the Roma from Prague, they shouted, \u201cRaus!\u201d and refused to let us stay together. So, we all left. It was terrible. Returning to Strasbourg\u2026 a large table was set for all groups, each representing a different country. Everyone sat in their section, playing their music. People could mingle, but no one did. We had concerts in various places outside Strasbourg. One day, Don Vasyl took us to a cathedral courtyard where our performance was planned. We didn\u2019t know that at 8:45 p.m., the bells would chime for 15 minutes, commemorating the cathedral\u2019s preservation. Don Vasyl noticed a large group of Poles and decided we\u2019d sing Anna Maria and White Cross. Though unexpected, it worked out. I later saw a recording of that moment and remembered the notable figures present, including Esma Redzepova from Macedonia. We met her again 20 years later at the Malta Festival. My children were small, and we were the only Roma who stayed late to watch her evening performance. Though security initially stopped me, she recognised me, and we reconnected. During the European Parliament sessions in Strasbourg, anti-Roma incidents and dangers were discussed. Roma texts were translated into English, German, and Spanish so all could understand. At the 4th Congress of the International Romani Union in Jadwisin near Serock in June 1990, discussions focused on standardising Romani script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz at the 4th Congress of the International Roma Union (in white dress), photo: private archive of R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
What is your assessment of modern interpersonal relations, even among neighbours, which should be close connections?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How close\u2026 <\/em>

    behind backs, 
    behind door handles, 
    colours of one rainbow locked 
    listening to melodies of past lives.<\/em>

These hands\u2026<\/em>

    this pink one 
    praises the city, 
    the swarthy one protects the birch grove.<\/em>

To their worlds <\/em>

    greedily pulling away.<\/em>

Today\u2019s phones,<\/em>

    tangled threads
    connect thoughts
    to unknown faces 
    turned \u2013 they see
    curious \u2013 themselves.<\/em>

Let there be <\/em>

    opening,
    let\u2019s talk, 
    exchange unknown past for today. <\/em>

The echo of the forest settles, <\/em>

    hope for new 
    ours \u2013 we!<\/em>

(R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz, Neighbours, from the collection In the Concrete Forest)<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
This poem and my artwork won first place in the competition Gypsies \u2013 My Neighbours, organised by the Social Integration Foundation PROM from Wroc\u0142aw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What has your artistic activity looked like over the years? Is much happening in the theatrical field?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I participated in the first editions of the Ethno Port Festival, dancing alongside Roma artists. In 2013, I performed in The Rite of Spring, a project by Iwona Pasi\u0144ska from the Polish Dance Theatre. Large paper models of internal organs were featured. I danced with a giant heart, symbolically representing our “selves,” which was later thrown onto a pile from which children emerged, symbolising birth. Later, I was invited to Fallen Angels but declined because I didn\u2019t want to be part of a uniform-clad performance. I participated in Circostrada, where for two weeks, under Przemys\u0142aw Grz\u0105dziela\u2019s guidance, we practised circus arts, including juggling. I portrayed a music box figure, slowly turning on a platform. I also appeared in The Wedding: Afterparty directed by Marcin Liber with the Polish Dance Theatre in Pozna\u0144 and last year in Our Hollywood, organised by Pozna\u0144\u2019s Tramway House and the Artcluster Foundation. Recently, I performed in The Isle of the Dead, conceived by Iwona Pasi\u0144ska, a poetic hand ballet by the Polish Dance Theatre. Its continuation, the eighth choreographic film project, will premiere on 14 December during the 6th International Festival “One Page \u2013 One Look \u2013 180 Seconds.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And writing? Are you creating new poems? I read you\u2019ve been invited to schools to read your works and present Roma traditions. Does this still happen?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such events have been rare. I learned that Edyta Kulczak hosts poetry meetings, which have been ongoing for two years at Je\u017cyckie Cultural Centre [Pozna\u0144]. These sessions explore chosen topics and details to inspire associations and writing impulses. I\u2019ve always written outdoors, finding inspiration in fields, not within four walls. I entered a poetry contest for seniors in Pozna\u0144 and won the top prize. The winning poem is about me\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Ephemeral, 

    settled with fog
    in the shallows of a rushing day.
  
Trampled 

    by the new beating 
    of fleeing echoes of \"yes\". 
 
With the taste of summer 

    imbued with the scent of fields.

Many years
 
    grasped greedily 
    in memory\u2019s net.

Consumed
 
    in solitude,
    nights in dreams\u2026

By the touch of wind 

    in the sun\u2019s warmth
    dancing with insects
    toward the streaks of shadow
    of fading \"self.\"

(R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz, My Beautiful Moments, from the collection In the Concrete Forest)<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
My poetic works also appear in Wielkopolski Widnokr\u0119g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking back, did you have anyone in your childhood who played the role you do for your children \u2013 a mentor or manager?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, I achieved everything on my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What comes to mind when you reflect on those times?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 1980s, Pozna\u0144 Television filmed my journey through the city, showing places I used to inhabit, a so-called Roma world. The programme touched on my experiences of nomadic life and past curiosities, covering life stories and practicalities like how carts were loaded. I remember the scents of autumn, flowers, cabbage, earth\u2026 and a unique smoke. It\u2019s irreplaceable \u2013 not just any campfire, but that specific one. Even the wood isn\u2019t the same now\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n
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Author: R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
My White Tree.

You are birch.

Sometimes stripped morning bark.

On the trunk, furrows of difficult years.

With tears marked traces of winters.

You no longer want\u2026
 
    I will blow away time\u2019s dust.

    I will rediscover you

    removing layers of bad moments.

Your sad hair, mamiori,* In the fragility of branches and leaves.

I will find the green spark.

It is in the trunk \u2013 the fire \u2013
 
    it 

    will never burn out completely\u2026
<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz, Miro Parno Ka\u0161toro** from the collection In the Concrete Forest)<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
* Translation: \"mamiori\" - mother
** Translation: \u201cMiro Parno Ka\u0161toro\u201d - My White Tree<\/pre>\n\n\n\n

Interview by Justyna \u017barczy\u0144ska<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
2024 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The poems by R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz featured in the collection W betonowym lesie – In the Concrete Forest were published with the kind support of the Literary Foundation “Jak podanie r\u0119ki\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Gallery of works and portraits of and by R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The gallery was not found!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The photographs are from the archives of the Dom Kultury Foundation and the private archive of R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Co-financed by the KPO. GRANTS 2024. A2.5.1: Programme to support the activities of cultural and creative industries operators to stimulate their development.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz was born in Pozna\u0144, though she spent her teenage years in Wroc\u0142aw, studying at the local Fine Arts High School. She is known for her poetic works, performance art, and her advocacy for the integration of the Roma community. She made her debut in the magazine \u201cRrom p-o Drom\u201d shortly after its creation. … Czytaj dalej Interview with R\u00f3\u017ca \u0141akatosz<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bez-kategorii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12185"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12197,"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12185\/revisions\/12197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-drom.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}