Curators Tamara Moyzes and Zuzana Štefková in cooperation with the civic associations Life Together and Word 21 presented “Ministry of Education Warning! Segregation Causes Severe Damage to You and the People around You! An Exhibition of Segregation,” the objective of which was to help to publicize the issue of Roma children being segregated in the Czech school system.
It pointed to the overt and the hidden forms of racism that are embedded in the seemingly neutral phrases used in discussions of Roma segregation from the majority “white” population. The artists participating in the exhibition did not just observe that normal children should not be placed in special needs schools, they also highlighted mechanisms used by the white majority to isolate their Roma fellow citizens while pretending that this segregation is motivated by a desire to do what is best for the minority.
ESLI contributed financially to the exhibition and was its co-sponsor with the Decade of Roma Inclusion and Word 21. The financial contribution was earmarked primarily for promotional spots, printing posters, defraying the costs of printing of the catalogue, and to support the conference that accompanied the exhibition.
The objective of the conference was also to bring attention to Roma segregation in diverse geographical and cultural contexts and to present works of art that engage in opposing racism and social exclusion. The artists and curators presenting their works and exhibition concepts pointed out these explicit and hidden forms of racism while offering an alternative way of viewing the Roma community itself.