Romani Routes

"I chose this book for two reasons. Firstly, nothing is more associated with Romani culture than music. It’s the first point of encounter that many people have directly or indirectly with the Roma. Secondly, the author is one of the leading ethnographers of Romani society. She’s immersed in Romani culture and language, and this is an exemplary investigation into a central aspect of Roma culture. What Carol Silverman shows us here is that Romani music is really world music. Roma people are essentially performers and while they do have their own styles and way of organising their music, they simply play to audiences. There is no such thing as music that is inherently Roma – there are different types and styles of music for different purposes. That in turn is very true for Romani culture in general, which Silverman calls “cultural hybridity” and a “cosmopolitan culture”. This book deconstructs the idea of Romani culture being something primordial, essential and something exotic that has been preserved over the centuries from India. While you can say that about certain aspects of their culture, most notably the language, we can’t see them as a museum exhibit that never changes. Romani culture is very dynamic and they have absorbed influences and have made creative use these influences; indeed they are leading figures in the creative development of other people’s cultures, nowhere more so than in the area of music."