National Roma Day's movie, lecture and café

Roma café from 12 noon to 15:30 pm

The Roma café will be open to visitors in front of lecture hall L5 from 12:00 to 15:30. In the café, you can enjoy free coffee and tea and learn about the Roma culture of Finland.

Lecture and movie

Lecture 1: 12.30-13.15, L5
Lecture 2: 14.15-15.00, L5

Two approximately 45-minute long lectures with the same content will be held in lecture hall L5 (in Finnish). At the beginning of the lectures, we will watch the first Roma-language short film in Finland, "Svalke ta Jang - Shadows and Light" (subtitles in Finnish). After the film, Henry Lindgren will give a lecture: "Who we were, who we are - the history and present of the Roma people".

Film synopsis: Svalke ta Jang – Shadows and Light

Svalke ta Jang – Shadows and Light is a historical work – Finland's first short film whose main language is the Finnish Roma language. The main characters are Roma children and young people who bring a good authenticity and strength to the story. The film tells the story of 17-year-old Melisa, who struggles with school bullying and ponders her identity as a Finn and a Roma. Through old letters and family relationships, Melisa opens up the door to the stories of her past. She discovers the meaning of her culture in a new way – and above all, pride in her own roots. As the story progresses, Melisa realizes that dual identity is not a burden, but a resource that carries and holds. The film weaves together everyday challenges, childhood memories, family celebrations and the reality of today's young people. The end result is a touching and encouraging picture of the life, history and identity of the Roma. Shadows and Light is a significant cultural work, the first of its kind, that brings the voices of Roma youth, the Roma language and the history of the Roma to the fore in Finnish cinema.

Screenplay, direction and production: Henry Lindgren

Roma translations: Tuula Åkerlund & Henry Lindgren (mainly Tuula Åkerlund)

Partners: - Finnish Cultural Foundation - City of Oulu - Kulttuuritalo - Valve - Oulu International Children's and Youth Film Festival - Turkan Ratsurinne- Turkansaari Open Air Museum – Nuorten Oulu

The Roma National Day event is part of Always Been Here -series of events (part of Oulu2026 events) coordinated by Mobile Futures. The event is organised by Mobile Futures research consortium at the Faculties of Humanities and Education and Psychology in collaboration with Finnish Supervisory Agency.

Welcome!