I’ve always been fascinated by Roma culture. Romani are different, they don’t conform to what mainstream society tells us to do. They live their lives following their traditions, speaking their language and prioritising family.

I filmed Roma in England by going to their parties (in which I’ve been kindly invited even if I’m not Roma) and making interviews to experts in traditions. What stuck with me was their will to talk and share their life experience. In fact, by calling them gipsies society marginalised them, avoiding integration for the sake of preserving the dominant western culture intact. Now I’m not saying every Roma is a saint, as I can’t say every western citizen is a saint, there are bad apples everywhere but if in the past Romani were thieves it doesn’t mean they now are as part of their tradition. For sure stealing is accentuated by the constant marginalisation of the Romani culture: it’s easier to take something from others when they mark their separation from you, highlighting they have nothing in common with you.

We should put down the walls that still separate our cultures, let people with different cultures live freely (in the respect of social freedom of course) by showing their differences and following their beliefs.

Some countries are better than others in doing so. Take England as an example, even though they recently approved some bad laws for Romani like denying the right to roam in the country, they are aware of the richness of a culture like Romani and they try to preserve it by not discriminating against Roma people in schools or workplaces. Can other countries such as Italy or Romania say the same? I don’t think so.