It’s crucial that we don’t view the Roma community solely as a group that constantly requires assistance and is inherently vulnerable. We need to broaden our perspective and recognize the necessity, potential, talent, and aspiration of the Roma people to be on equal footing with everyone else.

Elles sont roms, féministes et elles ont choisi le rap pour prôner l’émancipation des femmes de leur communauté. Être une femme rom, c’est faire partie d’une communauté largement marginalisée et d’une société ultra-patriarcale où la moitié des femmes sont encore mariées avant leur majorité. Discriminations, manque d’accès à l’éducation formelle, elles doivent lutter sur tous les fronts.
Pour ne plus laisser les autres parler à leur place, plusieurs d’entre elles, originaires de Serbie, ont décidé de former des groupes de rap. Leur souhait c’est d’investir une nouvelle forme musicale et donner une voix aux femmes roms loin des images stéréotypées qu’on leur prête.

Honest and resilient, the members of the first Roma girl band are not only heroines of their Mahala but also a much broader society they are changing. Vogue Adria’s diversity editor Selma Selman spoke with the band members Zlata, Selma, Silvia, and Elma about the position of Roma women, the struggle for emancipation, and how rap fits into all of this.

Many Roma work on themselves and further their education.

Pretty Loud proudly blands rap and hip-hop with Roma sound, and contemporary and urban movements with traditional dance. We talked about what they have to say in their songs and listened to their music.

Since 2006, all Roma who are eager to learn and want to break out of the stereotype of poverty, who want to advance, can find their place in the GRUBB Foundation. There, they have a better chance to improve their education and boost their employment opportunities.

Pretty Loud is the first female Roma hip-hop band in the world. These girls started their artistic journey in Belgrade. Their striking energy and songs that carry a strong message very quickly captivated the whole of Serbia.

The mission of the world’s first female Roma rap group, Pretty Loud, is clear: to prevent early marriages of young Roma women. This popular musical group from the Balkans promotes education and social integration of a marginalized ethnic group. The band members draw inspiration from their own lives for their music. In one of their songs, they passionately declare: “Enough is enough!”

Pretty Loud traveled from Belgrade to Pristina for the “Miredita, Dobar dan” festival, where they performed their songs with messages against discrimination, violence and early marriages.

It is the story of Roma who built their status through their work, effort and dedication, who break down prejudice, openly talk about all issues and clearly say that education is the fastest way to success and that they can help themselves the most. Their thinking makes us wonder if the time has finally come to discard stereotypes about Roma.

Il momento più emozionante è stato quando si sono esibite a Londra, nel marzo 2020, al Women of the world Festival: sul palco sei ragazze arrivate da Belgrado, con il loro rap un po’ in serbo, un po’ in inglese e un po’ in lingua romanì, a raccontare in musica che no, non vogliono sposarsi a 16 anni, che desiderano continuare a studiare perché istruzione significa indipendenza e libertà dai pregiudizi e dalle discriminazioni. La “prima girl band rom” al mondo: così si presenta “Pretty Loud”.

Many Roma women face pressures to marry young and take on traditional gender roles. Pretty Loud, a hip-hop group from Serbia, wants girls to decide for themselves.

Their songs are about “women chained” in abuse witnessed by generations, or teenage brides being forced into marriage by their fathers. And they tell women to seek love, fight back and stand up for their right to be equal with men.

Through music, an all-Roma girl band in Serbia is fighting against stereotypes, discrimination and the scourge of child marriage.

Young Roma women in Serbia are rapping against child marriages and for equal rights. In recognition of their efforts, the 15 to 27-year-old musicians were invited to the 2020 “Women of the World Festival” in London.