(R)OMA: A Family History

(R)OMA: A Family History explores how the story of grandma (oma in Dutch) Hajrija Salkanovic and her family can be told and interpreted. A filmic narrative on four screens and various objects introduce the viewer to the lives of grandma, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The first part depicts the journey made by the young Salkanovic who, like many other Roma families, fled former Yugoslavia during the Second World War. After a long trek with several stops in various places, she and her family arrived in the Netherlands in the early 1970s. In the second part, 29 members of the family re-enact their arrival, which is carefully documented in around 80 newspaper articles, four TV programmes, questions in parliament and court judgments. Finally, we join with them in considering the impact of this past on the present, turning this family history into an exploration of the judgment and prejudice surrounding with refugees and migration. Precisely the kind of thing that the Academie voor Beeldvorming (‘Image Academy’), which uses art to tackle social issues, sets out to expose.

Academie voor Beeldvorming, (R)oma: A Family History (2022) | (purchased with Breda Archives) | Installation | Inv.no: SMB000485