Venue: Byre Theatre (Studio) Abbey Street, St Andrews, Scotland, KY16 9LA, UK
Date: Monday, 1st April 2019
The Roma poet, Papusza’s, Romani-language narrative poem Tears of Blood is the earliest known witness account of the Kali Trash (‘Black Fear’), Samudaripen (‘Mass Killing’), Porajmos (‘Devouring’), Pharrajimos (‘Destruction’), or the Roma Holocaust, perpetrated by Nazi Germany during World War II. Now at long last, this important document and brilliant piece of poetry was translated into English and Scots by Hamish MacDonald and into Gaelic by Rody Gorman. This Impact Event celebrates this long overdue achievement, so that the Samudaripen may become so well-known in Scotland, Britain and the world, as the Jewish Holocaust is. In turn, we also hope that the knowledge of the Romani-language original of Tears of Blood may also spread among Roma communities.
The event is free and open to the public, however, we require interested delegates to register at the University of St Andrews’ online shop link: The Roma Holocaust in Poetry. Lunch will be available, but must be pre-booked – £18.48
Programme
9:00-9:15 Arrival of the presenters and audience
9:15-9:20 Welcome Speech
Elena Marushiakova (Chair, Gypsy Lore Society & Professor of Roma History, University of St Andrews)
9:20-9:35 Reading Tears of Blood: Romani & English
Valdemar Kalinin (Romani Poet, Bible Translator, Gypsy Council) & Hamish MacDonald (Playwright, Poet and Novelist)
9:35-10:35 Roma Holocaust in Eastern Europe: Everyday Experiences of Suffering and Survival as Reflected in Tears of Blood
Volha Bartash (Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Regensburg, Germany)
10:35-10:45 Personal encounters with Papusza
Valdemar Kalinin (Romani Poet, Bible Translator, Gypsy Council)
10:45 -11:20 Round Table: Folklore, Poetry and Literature as Primary Sources in Historiography
Moderator: Sofiya Zahova (University of St Andrews & University of Iceland, Reykjavik)
11:20-11:40 Coffee Break
11:40-11:55 Reading Tears of Blood: Romani Aleksandar Marinov (University of St Andrews) & Scots Hamish MacDonald (Playwright, Poet and Novelist)
11:55-12:45 Round Table: Coming to Terms with the Past: Toward the Integration of Romani Experiences and Memories into Holocaust Research
Moderator: Volha Bartash (Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Regensburg, Germany)
12:45-13:00 Significance of Papusza’s Poetry for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers communities in the United Kingdom
Colin Clark (University of the West of Scotland)
13:00-14:00 Lunch (for the presenters & members of the audience who paid for lunch)
14:00-14:15 Reading Tears of Blood: Gaelic & Scots
Hamish MacDonald
14:15-15:00 Scotland & Roma Culture: Translating Tears of Blood into Scots, English and Gaelic
Hamish MacDonald (Playwright, Poet and Novelist)
15:00-15:45 Round Table: Philological Team Translation: Making Literature in Minority Languages Available in English
Moderator: Tomasz Kamusella (University of St Andrews)
15:45-16:15 Learning Opportunities to Explore with the Scots Translation of Tears of Blood in Scottish Education
Bruce Eunson (Scots Co-ordinator, Education Scotland)
16:15-16:25 Closing Speech
Tomasz Kamusella (University of St Andrews)