Romani anthem

Anthem of the Romani ethno-cultural group

Gelem, Gelem
English: I Went, I Went
Ethnic anthem of the Romani people
Also known as	Opre Roma (English: Up, Romanies)
Lyrics	Žarko Jovanović, 1949
Music	Žarko Jovanović, 1949
Adopted	1971

"Gelem, Gelem" is a song composed by Žarko Jovanović, often used as the anthem of the Romani people. The title has been adapted in many countries by local Roma to match their native orthography and spoken dialect of the Romani language.

Names

Some of the song's many titles include:

"Đelem, Đelem" (Latin Serbian and Bosnian orthography)
"Djelem, Djelem" (German and French orthography)
"Dzelem, Dzelem"
"Dželem, Dželem" (Latin Serbian and Bosnian orthography)
"Gyelem, Gyelem" (Hungarian orthography)
"Jelem, Jelem"
"Opré Roma"
"Romale Shavale"
"Ѓелем, Ѓелем" (Macedonian orthography)
"Джелем, джелем" (Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian orthography)
"Ђелем, Ђелем" (Cyrillic Serbian and Bosnian orthography)
"Џелем, Џелем" (alternative Cyrillic Serbian and Bosnian orthography)
"Kara Çocuk Raksı" (Turkish version, lit. black child dance)^[1]

In an interview with reporter Mike Kalezić, Jovanović himself titled the song "Opre Roma".^[2]

History

After experiencing firsthand the incarceration of Roma during the Porajmos (the Romani Holocaust of World War II) in the Independent State of Croatia, Jovanović later composed the lyrics of "Gelem, Gelem" and set them to a traditional melody in 1949. The song was first adopted by delegates of the first World Romani Congress held in 1971.^[3]

Lyrics

E tsarentsa, bahtale Rromentsa

Original

Gelem, gelem, lungone dromensa
Maladilem bakhtale Romensa
A Romale, katar tumen aven,
E tsarentsa bahtale dromensa?

A Romale, A Chavale

Sas vi man yekh bari familiya,
Mudardas la e Kali Legiya
Aven mansa sa lumnyake Roma,
Kai putardile e Romane droma
Ake vriama, usti Rom akana,
Amen khutasa misto kai kerasa

A Romale, A Chavale

Puter Devla le parne vudara
Te shai dikhav kai si me manusha
Pale ka zhav lungone dromendar
Thai ka phirav bakhtale Romensa

A Romalen, A chavalen

Opre Rroma, si bakht akana
Aven mansa sa lumnyake Roma
O kalo mui thai e kale yakha
Kamav len sar e kale drakha

A Romalen, A chavalen.

Translation

I went, I went on long roads
I met happy Roma
O Roma, where do you come from,
With tents happy on the road?

O Roma, O Romani youths!

I once had a great family,
The Black Legion^[4] murdered them
Come with me, Roma from all the world
For the Roma, roads have opened
Now is the time, rise up Roma now,
We will rise high if we act

O Roma, O Romani youths!

Open, God, White doors
So I can see where are my people.
Come back to tour the roads
And walk with happy Roma

O Roma, O Romani youths!

Up, Romani people! Now is the time
Come with me, Roma from all the world
Dark face and dark eyes,
I want them like dark grapes

O Roma, O Romani youths!

Alternate lyrics

There are many versions of "Gelem, Gelem", notably those translated by Ronald Lee.^[5]

In 2004, the band Vaya Con Dios released an interpretation, with lyrics in French by their singer Dani Klein, with the similar sounding title "Je l'aime, Je l'aime".

References

^ bANDİSTA - Kara Çocuk Raksı, retrieved 2022-05-23
^ Kalezić, Mike. "Ministar na koljenima". prvi tamburaški online magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
^ "Romani Nationalism, Flag and Anthem". www.grthmlondon.org.uk. Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month London. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
^ Zahariev, Atanas (2 August 2016). "A Song for the Roma Genocide". European Roma Rights Centre. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^ "Djelem Djelem [Romani] song lyrics". Dunav.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. (archived 2 April 2007).