My name is Turkijan Redžepi (50) from Niš. Until the age of 26, I lived in Prishtina, where I completed high school. After the war in Kosovo ended in June 1999, my family and I fled to Niš, where I live and work today. I began working in the media in 2001. At RTV BelleAmie, I worked as a presenter of Roma news, and concurrently, until 2019, I was an editor, journalist, and host at the first Roma television station, RTV Nišava. Together with two colleagues, in 2011, I founded the production company Roma World, aimed at informing the Roma community about their rights. Four years later, I launched a media outlet called Roma World and attended a School for Human Rights Defenders organized by Civil Rights Defenders. This program provided crucial information for my media work and gave me a new direction in activism, focusing on human rights. Over time, I became involved in advocacy initiatives and contributed to creating local policies to improve the Roma community’s situation, resulting in the adoption of local action plans for Roma in Niš from 2018 to the present day. Through Heartefact’s project, I aim to develop a virtual museum of Roma culture, tradition, customs, and suffering. I believe this initiative would help break down prejudices, stereotypes, and discrimination against the Roma community in Serbia, fostering better understanding and respect. This museum would be constantly updated with new information about Roma from Serbia.
