The Road to Change
Vito Gashi, Roma woman from Albania
When I was young, about 14-15 years old, I wanted to wear my grandmother’s traditional dress. My grandmother told me how Roma women used to dress before and I liked listening to her. Yet, whenever I went out in the dress, other people offended me saying “look at her, the arixheshka (Roma young woman), she wears her rags”. Although I wanted to dress in traditional clothes sometimes, I couldn’t as I was ashamed and afraid of other people.
To overcome her shame, Vito Gashi negotiated with the
What would others expect from them? Would they accept the exhibition of Roma culture in the museum? In spite of these doubts, women were determined to reach their goal. The process of negotiation with the museum representatives underwent several stages during which the women were supported by Roma Active Albania. Here you can read more about how the women came together, the process of the negotiations and the symbolic statement of opening an exhibition on Roma culture.
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