Zhani

by Altin Tirona

This song by Altin Tirona shows something very typical of Roma culture: when the intensity of the love you feel for someone (a daughter, a husband, a father) is so strong and conscious that all you can do is cry… and drink. In our tribe, it is a common sight at gatherings for someone to burst into tears, out of love. A father hugs his son and they both cry to the song that is now playing and sip on their drink. A grandmother cries for her granddaughter while cradling her. Siblings cry for each other.

At first glance, this can look like grief. An outsider might wonder if someone is dying. The song below, a father who drinks and cries for his daughter, also could be mistaken for alienation. But no, this is not the case. There’s no separation, no death or sickness, only love.

Love itself is an intense feeling. This is why mainstream culture masks it with sentimentality and tries to tame it with control and all kinds of rules. Very few people allow themselves to feel it and to let it flow through them. The Romani are not sentimental in their love. They’re authentic.

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