Orihuela to bring history and flamenco together at a Roma culture event

Orihuela’s María Moliner Municipal Library will host an event on Roma history and culture on Thursday 29 October at 7pm, bringing together a public talk and a flamenco performance.

The Social Welfare Department is organising the gathering, which is open to everyone and aimed particularly at the education community and students taking courses related to social intervention.

History, equal treatment and discrimination

Juan David Santiago Torres, head of the University of Alicante’s Diversity Support Unit, will give the talk ‘Past, present and future of the Roma people’ at the library.

The speaker is an activist for Roma and LGTBI rights and a leading figure in the Roma community at both provincial and regional level, bringing that background to the event.

His presentation will cover the community’s history and its contributions to Valencian, Alicante and Orihuela culture, alongside its current situation and the main challenges that Roma people face today.

The talk’s programme includes equal treatment, discrimination, hate speech and anti-Roma racism, with particular attention to situations of vulnerability and the development of a more inclusive society.

Cafetito Flamenco will complete the programme

The event will also feature a performance by the Alicante-based group Cafetito Flamenco, introducing those attending to an artistic expression that is representative of Roma cultural tradition.

Students of social integration, gender equality and other areas of social intervention are among the audiences particularly encouraged to attend, without restricting participation by anyone else interested in the subject.

Social Welfare councillor Agustina Rodríguez has argued for the importance of creating opportunities for people to meet and learn, helping to challenge prejudice and encourage respect for diversity.

Rodríguez has encouraged local residents to take part in an activity combining historical, social and cultural perspectives to promote recognition of Roma culture and a society in which people live together on equal terms.