<p>The city of Jerez has awarded the Andalusia Day Award to the Roma people on the 600th anniversary of their arrival in our country and as part of the celebration of February 28th. Thus, the Jerez Gypsy Secretariat Foundation, represented by Francisco Agarrado and Aída Carpio, has received this distinction of institutional recognition for the profound cultural, social, and linguistic mark that the Roma people have left on our land since their arrival in the country six centuries ago.</p>
<p>In this sense, and as the Mayor of Jerez, María José García-Pelayo, pointed out, the city “owes a lot to the Roma people. For six centuries, the Roma community has been a fundamental pillar of Jerez’s cultural and social life. Artists, singers, dancers, and musicians have made this land an indisputable benchmark for flamenco. Their art has transcended borders and generations, consolidating Jerez as a beacon of creativity and passion.”</p>
<p>With the presentation of this award, the city of Jerez wishes to reaffirm its commitment to equality, inclusion, and recognition of the Roma ethnic group in the creation, enrichment, and evolution of flamenco, fostering a model of cultural coexistence that is an international benchmark in respect for and integration of minorities.</p>
<p>For this reason, this recognition also has special significance within Jerez’s 2031 bid for European Capital of Culture, because the history of the Roma community, their art, and talent enhance not only Jerez and Andalusia, but also all of Europe and the world.</p>
<p>The Andalusia Day Award presentation ceremony for the Roma People was presided over by the Minister of the Presidency of the Andalusian Regional Government, Antonio Sanz, and the Mayor of Jerez, María José García-Pelayo. The ceremony took place in the Sala El Misterio in Jerez and featured a performance of the unofficial Roma anthem “Libre,” as well as the anthems of Andalusia and Spain, by Jerez-based artists Antonio Malena and Son, Coral de los Reyes, and José Zarzana. The event also included a screening of the documentary “Pueblo Gitano de Jerez, una toda vida” (Gypsy People of Jerez, a Lifetime).</p>