Sani Rifati

Sani Rifati is a human rights activist and the President of Voice of Roma.^[1] A native Roma himself, he was born in Pristina, Yugoslavia (in present-day Kosovo),^[a] lived and worked in California, United States.^[1] He currently resides in Berlin, Germany.^[2]

Rifati began dancing as a youth in Pristina and was a part of the 'Kheljen Romalen!' Folklore Dance Ensemble.^[1]^[2] During the 1980s, he was a drummer for a professional band.^[2] He has worked as Romani dance instructor and choreographer.^[1] Since 2012 he has worked as a Roma-dance teacher at the refugee dance group Heimatsterne of the Arbeitsgruppe Flucht+Menschenrechte in Berlin.

Rifati is a cousin of the Macedonian Gypsy vocalist and dancer Esma Redzhepova as well as being her tour manager.^[3] He has also managed Ivo Papasov, Yuri Yunakov, and Kal.^[2]

Rifati's Voice of Roma is an NGO that works on behalf of the Roma community in Kosovo and Romani refugees throughout Europe.^{[citation needed]}

He appeared on the History Channels programme Curse on the Gypsies.

Notes[]

a.

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as a part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognised as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states have recognised Kosovo at some point, of which 15 states later withdrew their recognition.

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Sani Rifati – Bio". 14 February 2007. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Sani Rifati". romaarchive.eu.
^ Pareles, Jon (12 December 2016). "Esma Redzepova Dies at 73; Sang of Her Roma Heritage to Generations". The New York Times.

External links[]

"Voice of Roma". Scn.org. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
"Working in America's Romani Communities: A Q & A with Sani Rifati (Bridging Gaps, Vol. 2)". DubMC. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
"CONFLICT RESOLUTION: KOSOVO'S ROMANI (GYPSY) MINORITY". 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
"Swans' Past Commentaries - mmw006". Swans.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

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[bio-1] "Sani Rifati – Bio". 14 February 2007. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

[romaarchive-2] "Sani Rifati". romaarchive.eu.

[3] Pareles, Jon (12 December 2016). "Esma Redzepova Dies at 73; Sang of Her Roma Heritage to Generations". The New York Times.

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