Learning to ride, falling down, getting back on
Subscribe and Save up to 45%
Jeannette Gregori studied photography at Indiana University in Bloomington and the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France, where she lives. Since 2009 she has been documenting Romani families and the loss of their lifestyles. This month’s cover image is of the Radu family. Originally from Romania, four generations of this Romani family now live in an apartment on the outskirts of Paris.
Fathia Lamorita (left) and Raphaël Santiago (right, on guitar) celebrate at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in southern France after the procession of Saint Sara. The famous pilgrimage has brought together Romani people from different European countries since the Middle Ages.
Almost fifty years ago 170 Romani families settled in the Polygone district of Strasbourg, France. They parked their caravan vehicles and, over time, constructed homes on empty land near an airfield, often using salvaged materials.
Fatis, eighty-six, and his daughter, Touroute. An elder of the community, Fatis could not resign himself to living in a conventional house. He passed away a couple of months after the destruction of the settlement.
Timi, thirteen, in his bedroom.
Twist and his granddaughter Tifaine share a laugh before watching a European Championship football match on TV. He refused to leave for three months and ultimately tore down his house himself, rather than let others do it.
Touroute and her niece Tickini leave the razed settlement. In the background are the houses the City of Strasbourg built for the Romani.
Romani men prepare a barbecue in the garden in springtime.
Children play in the vacant lot surrounding the Romani settlement.
Cinti and her friends hold their pets in front of her house.