On 8 April,
we celebrate International Day of Roma with the concert of the year! Because
ROMADAY is not just a day of struggle on which Roma and Sinti all over the
world take a stand against right-wing extremism and misanthropy. Above all,
ROMADAY is a day of celebration: We celebrate the strength and diversity of
Sinti and Roma communities, their resilience and their contributions to
democracy and freedom.
At this year's ROMADAY, RomaTrial e.V. together with the Volksbühne invites you to a concert by the legendary brass band from Romania Mahala Raï Banda, which will get the audience boiling. Rapper and activist Mal Élevé will kick things off with his musical friends, who never miss an opportunity to speak out against Nazis and in favour of a just society.
Mahala Raï Banda
Mahala Raï Banda is a Roma band from Bucharest, founded in 2004 by the Romanian violinist and composer Aurel Ionita and the Belgian music producer Stéphane Karo. The 11-strong band presents a fusion of traditional music by the Lautari, the Roma violinists and cembalists from southern Romania, and brass music by Roma from eastern Romania, complemented by Balkan beats and pop music. The result is wonderful riffs of trumpet, saxophone, trombone and wild voices, combined with violins, accordion and cymbal.
Since the release of their debut album, Mahala Raï Banda has played over 80 concerts a year in the countries of Western Europe alone. As the band themselves describe it: Mahala Raï Banda has quickly made it from weddings in Romania to the stage of the Paris Opera.
Mal Élevé
Mal Élevé takes his stage name seriously: his music is “badly behaved” – it doesn't stick to rules, it goes against the norm. By openly addressing his Manouche identity, Mal Élevé inspires young Romani people in particular. His songs – a mixture of reggae, dancehall, ska, rap and punk – are a declaration of war against fascism, capitalism and sexism and at the same time a call for worldwide solidarity. For Mal Élevé, political protest and cohesion are inseparable. And this sense of community can be felt not only at his concerts, but also at countless demonstrations and political actions where he repeatedly appears in solidarity.
At this year's ROMADAY, RomaTrial e.V. together with the Volksbühne invites you to a concert by the legendary brass band from Romania Mahala Raï Banda, which will get the audience boiling. Rapper and activist Mal Élevé will kick things off with his musical friends, who never miss an opportunity to speak out against Nazis and in favour of a just society.
Mahala Raï Banda
Mahala Raï Banda is a Roma band from Bucharest, founded in 2004 by the Romanian violinist and composer Aurel Ionita and the Belgian music producer Stéphane Karo. The 11-strong band presents a fusion of traditional music by the Lautari, the Roma violinists and cembalists from southern Romania, and brass music by Roma from eastern Romania, complemented by Balkan beats and pop music. The result is wonderful riffs of trumpet, saxophone, trombone and wild voices, combined with violins, accordion and cymbal.
Since the release of their debut album, Mahala Raï Banda has played over 80 concerts a year in the countries of Western Europe alone. As the band themselves describe it: Mahala Raï Banda has quickly made it from weddings in Romania to the stage of the Paris Opera.
Mal Élevé
Mal Élevé takes his stage name seriously: his music is “badly behaved” – it doesn't stick to rules, it goes against the norm. By openly addressing his Manouche identity, Mal Élevé inspires young Romani people in particular. His songs – a mixture of reggae, dancehall, ska, rap and punk – are a declaration of war against fascism, capitalism and sexism and at the same time a call for worldwide solidarity. For Mal Élevé, political protest and cohesion are inseparable. And this sense of community can be felt not only at his concerts, but also at countless demonstrations and political actions where he repeatedly appears in solidarity.
