Perception: Roma men live their lives as “fiddlers” and “singers” rather than seeking stable and respectable employment.

Reality: Music is a central part of the Romani culture and is deeply valued both as a skill and an art form, and, after centuries of exclusion across Europe, Roma populations have learned to monetize well-developed musical skills as a means of securing consistent livelihoods. Not all Roma are musicians, but certain groups do specialize in it and a number of Roma have become famous as a result of their musical talents.

Zahid Fafulović (46),
Musician and Used Goods Salesman

“Before the war, I was an amateur singer and competed in music competitions. Once, I won the “First Voice of Vitez” competition. Another time, I was recognized as the best singer of Roma music in Yugoslavia during a music competition in Šabac, Serbia. Now I am a proud father of four children and a grandfather of three grandchildren. All of my children have been educated or are currently in school. We work hard, my wife and I, and are trying to provide a normal life for our family. We make our living selling second-hand goods at the market. We go to the Zenica marketplace at least three times a week so that we can make enough money to put our children through school. My brother and sister who live abroad help me with my children’s education and help us to buy the necessities so we can live normally. It’s a common misconception that if a Roma person is practicing music and singing then the only thing they do for a living is perform at weddings and parties. That is prejudiced towards the Roma people and our music. It’s a shame that culture and music are not more highly valued in our country. My family loves music and we consider ourselves talented, but we don’t play music professionally as it does not pay enough to make a living. We sing and play for our own enjoyment. Our “house band” is made up of my brother, my wife, my son, and me. My son has been playing the violin in school for the past three years. He likes to perform the classics, especially Mozart. His professor says he is one of her best students. I sincerely hope that he will get a scholarship to play classical music. He needs five more years of music school to achieve that goal.”