Yevhenia Navrotska
Year of birth: 1949
City of birth: Korolevo village, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine
Origin: Ukrainian
Education: Higher education (Historian, Lawyer), secondary specialized (Midwife).
Main areas of activity: research of Roma history and culture, journalism and publishing, development of Roma education, preservation of historical memory, mentorship.
Key contribution: co-founder and long-term editor of the first Roma newspaper in Ukraine, “Romani Yag” (1999-2011); researcher of the history of the first Roma school in Europe in Uzhhorod (founded in 1926); author and compiler of several unique publications on Romani studies; mentor to a new generation of Roma leaders.
Impact: as a non-Roma researcher and activist, she became a unique bridge between the Roma community and Ukrainian society; her work at the “Romani Yag” newspaper created an information platform that united Roma communities across Ukraine; thanks to her research, unique knowledge about the history, culture, and genocide of the Zakarpattia Roma was preserved and popularized; she trained the first generation of Roma journalists.
“When the Roma movement was emerging in Uzhhorod, I am very pleased that I took these first steps together with others. We sincerely believed that we could change life for the better.”
Media
Biographical Information
Yevhenia Navrotska is a unique figure in the history of the Ukrainian Roma movement; without being a Romni, she became one of the founders, the main driving force, and the intellectual center of the Roma civil society revival in Zakarpattia.
Early Years and Upbringing
Yevhenia was born in the village of Korolevo in Zakarpattia to a family of railway workers who were sent to work there from Lviv after World War II. After obtaining a degree in history from Uzhhorod National University, she was assigned to work as a history teacher at the Roma school in Uzhhorod. Facing a language barrier (the students did not understand Ukrainian), she began to deeply research the history of the school and the community. This is how she discovered that this school, founded in 1926, was the first Roma school in Europe. This experience became her entry point into Roma-related topics.
Her positive attitude towards Roma was formed in childhood thanks to the book “Chornushka” (“Little Black Girl”) by an Azerbaijani writer, about the self-sacrifice of a Roma girl, which destroyed any stereotypes for her.
Becoming a Public Figure
In the early 1990s, Yevhenia Navrotska met the Roma leader Aladar Adam. Together, they stood at the origins of the Roma movement in Zakarpattia, founding the society “Romani Yag” (“Roma Fire”) in 1993. As a non-Roma woman working side-by-side with a Roma man, she overcame immense pressure and prejudice from both sides. Thanks to her wisdom and respect for traditions, she managed to win the trust of the community, where Aladar Adam always introduced her as “our sister.”
Activities and Contributions
The greatest achievement of her work was the founding and long-term editorship of the first Roma newspaper in Ukraine, “Romani Yag” (1999–2011). The newspaper became a nationwide information center that covered the lives of Roma, engaged in human rights protection, and played a key role in preserving the memory of the genocide by publishing eyewitness testimonies. Yevhenia Navrotska personally recorded over 200 oral histories of people who survived the genocide.
She is the author and compiler of a number of unique publications on Romani studies: the methodological guide for teachers “History and Culture of the Roma,” the collection of testimonies “White Stone from a Black Torture Chamber,” and the books “The Secret of Roma Cuisine” and “Roma Musicians of Zakarpattia.” She donated her unique library on Romani studies, which numbered over 200 publications, to Uzhhorod National University.
Yevhenia Navrotska became a mentor to a whole generation of young Roma leaders, including Myroslav Horvat, whom she helped take his first steps in journalism. Her activity is an outstanding example of intercultural cooperation and selfless service to the idea of human rights.
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