Techno Witches

On a wand of elder tree

May the rasist quickly flee

On a maple rod, as well

May all bad things now dispel

On a hazelnut tree stick

May the white man stumble quick

May he never find his way

Not now

Not ever

And not after Judgement Day

He who sows the racial hate

May God give him,

May God give him a terrible fate

He who hates women and Roma

May misfortune always find him.

For if the racist is a racist

Sturdy body, feeble mind

In his soul

In his soul, nothing to find

From his life, nothing to save

He’s way better in his grave 

I see people suffering, I see mothers trembling,

In fear, hell on Earth, we’re living,

My child cries, poverty all over the world,

And once again I’m stuck, with red eyes gazing at the globe. 

I went to the fortune teller in the dead of the night

Had her read from the book of life, and bring me some light

Once more disappointed by crucial things said

Why nowadays by corona so many are dead. 

Too much unkindness, no one's doing it right

Small things that make you feel freedom’s delight

Everyone sighs, with fake smiles on their faces

And the biggest hatred on Earth is the hate between races. 

I see the sick with no cures and the healthy in rage

They want to condemn us all and put us in a cage

There’s ugly, and there’s handsome and longing there is

Go now, woman, read my cards if you please. 

Come on, then, all of us, shukar Roma

Fortune tellers, musicians

Goldsmiths and silversmiths

Our people

Our people, bear trainers

Coppersmiths and blacksmiths.

He who sows the racist hate, women hate and classist hate

May God give him

May God give him a terrible fate. 

Healing herbs and incantation

Protect the Roma from aggression

Roma people be now blessed

All things evil put to rest.

With toothwort all fear in the fire will melt

Add hart’s-tongue a few and bring love instead

Cast a spell with water-dragon lily and turn them to cement

To protect girls from those who don’t bother with consent.

Red raspberry for all the girls in pain

The power of Sara Kali with them shall forever remain

May all the evil be banished from thee

And let it be replaced by gold and money.

Roma Futurism: the interaction between Roma culture, technology, and witchcraft. Elements of science fiction, Roma history, fantasy, Roma subjectivity, magical realism, creative technologies, and magical practices and healing rituals.

Gelem Gelem lungóne droménsa,

Maladilém baxtale Romensa.

Gelem Gelem lungóne droménsa,

Maladilem baxtale romenca

Roma Futurism reexamines Roma history from a perspective of healing. A healing of the transgenerational pain and suffering, genetically transmitted to the Roma by their ancestors that were the victims of slavery and Holocaust.

 

Gelem Gelem lungóne droménsa,

Maladilém baxtale Romensa.

Aroma le, catar tu me aven,

Enta hrenta, bocale ceaventa.

Roma Futurism creates performative healing rituals that aim to take us to the next level, where we will be able to imagine a future, a future for us, a future where we will interrupt the historical cycle of oppression that weighs upon us.

In Roma Futurism, the history of oppression reaches an Apocalypse. A new era begins, defined by techno-witchcraft: Romacen.

Ay ay Romale x2

Ay ay chavale

The oppressive past and the present that perpetuates racism, define a great part of our Roma identity. But NOW the time has come to speak about the ultra-technological future and the part that Roma people shall play in it.

To the ones that tell us that we are `stuck in the past`, `traditional`, or `primitive`, we would like to reply that the future belongs to Roma witches, who have already begun the fight against racism and capitalism.

Ay Romale

Aroma le, catar tu me aven,

Enta hrenta, bocale ceaventa,

Salsas viman, bari familia,

Mutardiasla i kali leghia.

Remember? Since forever, we were the ones to first invent all the crafts.

The crafts that made life easier for all. We were blacksmiths, coppersmiths; we knew how to cast gold and we were known as rudari; we knew how to tame bears and we were known as ursari. We made spoons, pots and pans that could be passed on from generation to generation. But then came Ikea and other corporations. The spoons, pots and pans they are selling totally lack quality and have put our people out of work. This is why the witches will always hate capitalism.

We would have turned technology into another one of our crafts, if the Gadjes wouldn’t have denied us access, dispossessing us and pushing us into precarity.

Just like in the past, we used to treasure the secrets of all crafts, in Roma Futurism only we know how to use the techo-witchcraft – the science that allows us to create advanced technology, using the laws of witchcraft.

Ay ay Romale x2

Ay ay chavale

We will never forget the history of witch hunts, nor the Church that used to burn them alive. We won’t forgive you, Church! We won’t forget you!

In Roma Futurism, we are the witches born from the ashes of our burned sisters.

Sarencindia, vii romne vii romnia,

Mascarlende, vitigne savore.

Ay ay Romale x2

Ay ay chavale

We are part of a new movement of witches and intersectional feminists. Witchcraft is our political response to all social inequality.

We call upon supernatural forces because this world has left us defenseless.

To the ones that say we are `radicals`, we reply: they have no right to give us advice, until they face the exact aggression we face. You have no right to give us advice! Don’t give me any advice! We don’t need your advice! Don’t give me advice!

Dizzy in the morning, it’s not the grass,

Nor the alcohol, just this world, a jackass,

Confused, I feel sick, you’ve always been bitchy,

But I’ve got my girls, you can’t stand up to me.

 

I let you watch me like I’m some dice,

You’re feeling lucky, but I don’t forgive twice,

It’s useless you don’t know me one bit,

You act like a beast and talk about gift.

I don’t need your love, you don’t know what it means, and nor do I,

You don t love yourself, hate exudes you, and I...

 

Re: Who am I?

Niko.G

We can’t hear you!

Niko.G

One more time!

Niko.G

Sounds so fine.

Niko.G     : X2

 

The power of the woman destroys the male,

You always reject me but act like an angel,

Pretending you’re tough, you draw the Fool,

Don’t stand in our way, you can’t be that pure.

I am not weaker, and they aren’t either,

They take me to the stars, my beloved sisters,

A bunch of sweet luck, when the world calls, hey

Kali gives us power and keeps all evil away.

But my bass goes on at the speed of light,

When I shake my engine, I win every fight,

I sting like a bee, Mădălina calms me down,

When I sweat serotonin I’m wearing my crown.

 

Re: Who am I?

Niko.G

We can’t hear you!

Niko.G

One more time!

Niko.G

Sounds so fine.

Niko.G     : X2

 

A powerful spirit tells me: heed,

With your head in the clouds, your flow gains speed,

With the power of Thor and the work on hold,

With my pen and my pencil I write pure gold.

 

From too much mary jane…

The control is zen, your fan is out, then….

 

Re: Who am I?

Niko.G

We can’t hear you!

Niko.G

One more time!

Niko.G

Sounds so fine.

Niko.G     : X2

I want to be the first Roma spacewoman,

To travel in space and to the moon,

To go with the caravan of time to the future,

Come back to sell progress at Obor fair.

 

Too much fuss; astraddle, I ride a star,

Speedy, to the Sun, rule Venus from afar,

A new life, a better life, good days for all,

A planet of women, we don't welcome assholes.

 

Riding the space-time, open the portal, I say,

I have Martian sisters, we throw asteroids your way,

A queen in the whole Universe, on Earth I want all to freeze,

On the mike at the space station, cus I'm sick of racism.

 

I easily beam to the planet of the future,

And then I orbit the Earth, all around,

You cannot catch me, try as you might,

As you bite the dust, I run like light.

 

I eclipse you, I put you in line with all others,

I turn you to stardust, ti-ti-till you can no longer take it

I trap cus I like it and will never be hushed,

Here in my SF world the vibe is unmatched.

 

Ref-X2

I own the Roma space station,

Who thought I'd be the astronomer champion,

One in a million stars I am, hey, hey

Now I am one of them.

 

Rise up above all things visible,

You are a Roma star, everything is possible,

I reinvent the planets, cus I am queen now,

Compared to mine, Anima Mundi's energy's low.

 

From stardust I can create worlds anew,

And my power is not just physical, too,

I am Roma star and I eclipse all there is,

With my brilliance I break all down to pieces.

 

Ref-X2:

I was born on a sixth,

I gave you six when I was pissed,

6 and 6, come on, bring it home,

6 and 6, gammon and I won.

 

Rise up above all things visible,

You are a Roma star, everything is possible,

I reinvent the planets, cus I am queen now,

Compared to mine, Anima Mundi's energy's low.

 

From stardust I can create worlds anew,

And my power is not just physical, too,

I am Roma star and I eclipse everyone out there,

With my brilliance, to pieces this world I tear.

 

I sow grass on Venus, now it's hospitable,

Plant after plant, now it's joint and sociable,

Keep your eyes open and the smile on your lips,

When Niko wants to amuse you, it's bye bye malice yaaa.

 

The Earth is purple, a feminist rock,

The trees are white, cus I’m pacifist as fuck,

The air is green, to make your brain burst,

And stop walking like a horse, head first.

 

La,Larara,la,ra,ra,ra,la,ra,ra,

La,Larara raaaaa,

La,Larara,la,ra,ra,ra,la,ra,ra,

La,la,ra,la,ra...la,ra.....!

Intro:

Cat with many, many claws,

Where are the gadjes taking us,

Frog with a twisted leg,

What's in Antonescu s head,

Rabbit ugly and in halt,

Will the Roma be in luck?

 

Home is no longer home, you have to believe me,

Alienation grows, when hatred’s all you see,

world is not fair, just through art you keep dreaming,

Și tragi dublu pentru tine, dacă vrei să demonstrezi. //

You work twice as hard, to keep manifesting.

 

Fascists, again, put their power on show,

But we’ll make a plan to take their space and dough,

I make magic and lift my skirts to my forehead,

In the next moment, wow, all the racists are dead.

 

Vulvattack, vulvattack, voo, voo, voo, voo, vulvattack

With my voodoo mij, I shut you up, I shut you up,

You’re washed up.

 

Niko G. and Kali are ready to rock,

Like a mantra, our lyrics in your head get stuck,

From the bad boys we took the lead and command,

It's time for women to run the tent.

 

They are clever girls and self-taught,

Through art they strive to express their thought,

Self-made, they made you look like a fool,

They are masters of magic, you don't learn that in school.

 

I love myself cus I’m tenacious and quick,

I know my voodoo, my pins how to stick,

You don't want to hear me, not even when I scream,

My words have fallen on deaf ears, it seems.

 

The hatred you give us is like a boomerang,

It might rip your head off, when it turns around,

I remember I used to wear heavy makeup,

I was a sly Roma girl, turning white like that.

 

How cool is this, how easily I tricked you, wooo

I changed my pigment and was welcomed among you, wooo

But when I unfolded my radical discourse, top quality,

You all at once told me: get out of society.

 

Ref X2 

In Romani we call them Mija, cus we are the new Ninja,

Techo-witches as they say, casting all spirits away.

 

Vudu Mij and we have the power to banish all enemy

When I lift my skirt to my forehead, you bow to me,

Don’t mess with us, we’ll leave you toothless,

We’ll bite you to the bone, and nothing less.

 

Vulvattack, vulvattack, voo, voo, voo, voo, vulvattack

With my voodoo mij, I shut you up, I shut you up,

You’re washed up.

 

Vulvattack, vulvattack, voo, voo, voo, voo, vulvattack

With my voodoo mij, I shut you up, I shut you up,

You’re washed up, you're washed up, you're washed up...