This Wednesday, December 20, “Memories on the Wheel,” an exhibition promoting the cultural heritage of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian people, opens at Klubi i Boksit.

The event, organized by Cultural Heritage without Borders and Balkan Sunflowers Kosovo will display diverse depictions of life through photography, paintings, and storytelling.

Organizers Kaltrina Thaci and Alban Morina said that the exhibition is a multimedia exploration of daily life and culture.

“This includes daily life, architecture, crafts, decorative elements, and music. This work will be exposed through the inquiry of the collective memories of the communities,” the organizers told PI.

“Oral history will be told through three short videos showing some of the most important parts of the cultural heritage of these communities, ranging from music, to crafts, to fortune telling. Personal and family stories will be expressed through artifacts on a ‘memory wall.’”

Two siblings, painters Farija and Bajram Mehmeti, are among the artists that will display their works; their vibrant paintings focus on elements of Roma culture. Kujtim Pacaku, a Kosovo politician of the Kosovar New Romani Party, will present some of his poetry, and will open the exhibition.

The name “Memories on the Wheel,” the coordinators said, was inspired by the association with migration in the memories of the three communities.

“This exhibition depicts the preservation of cultural identities through collective memory, identities that have survived despite displacement and migration,” said Thaci and Morina.

At the end of tonight’s event, the well-known Kosovo band Gypsy Groove, which mixes Balkan Roma music with reggae, funk, and jazz, will perform with an emphasis on traditional Roma songs.

The opening event of “Memories on the Wheel” is tonight, December 20, from 8:00 – 11:00 pm. The exhibition will be on display at Klubi i Boksit until December 23. Admission is free.