On World Book Day, Thursday 23 April, the Maria Moliner Education Library will host a talk at 4.30 pm by professors Santiago Vicente Llavata and Donatella Donato, entitled: “Memòria sense tinta: el poble romaní a través de les seues veus”.

Their history has always been studied by non-Romani people, very often with a strongly ethnocentric slant. We find it interesting to bring together an oral culture, a living source of thought, and the intellectual world of the written word in the construction of a more academic body of knowledge on a day like today.

The origins of the Gypsies, also known as the Rom or Romani people, lie in the diaspora from India in the 10th century. The arrival of the first Gypsies in Spain was documented on 12 January 1425.

This community has never had it easy, facing persecution, discriminatory laws and exclusion.
600 years later, 2025 will be declared the Year of the Gypsy People.

We wish to recognise the voices of the Romani people within the university setting and academic life, an act of cognitive justice and an ethical imperative, and to open the doors to knowledge that has been systematically marginalised. The Romani people are not confined solely to marginalisation, criminality, folklore or humour, demonstrating the importance of social mobility through public education.

The event will take place on the library terrace (Level -1), will last approximately one hour, and will conclude with a discussion open to the public.

You can view our collection on this topic at Trobes