Olga Fečová
Days Were Too Short For Me (Den byl pro mě krátkej)
ROMANI LITERATURE
BOOK
She grew up in the centre of Stalinist Prague. As a child, she used to light the gas lamps on Charles Bridge with her mother, do her laundry in the Vltava River, and fetch milk with a jug. In her grandmother’s village in Slovakia, she learned about old Roma traditions and tribal solidarity and experienced the unforgettable atmosphere of storytelling and music gatherings. She understood that life should be filled with making music and dancing, helping others, being willing to share, working hard, and being proud of Roma roots. An icon of Romani culture, a woman of invincible energy, Fečová presents her life in a book that tells the story of the Roma in Czechoslovakia throughout her life. Step by step, a portrait of a strong personality who was a magnetic authority for Roma generations gradually unfolds before the reader.
Published by Kher /Paseka, 2022
AUTHOR
© Lukáš Houdek
Olga Fečová (1942-2022) was born in Slovakia; in 1947, her family moved to Prague, where she spent most of her life. She worked as a cleaner and laundry woman at the railway, the OPBH (Housing Management Company), and the theatre. After the Velvet Revolution, she worked for a long time at a primary school as a teaching assistant. With her husband, Jozef Feč, a musician, she founded and organized the activities of the children’s singing and dancing group called Children’s World (Čhavorikani Luma). With her daughters, she practised transitional foster parenting. In 2016, she won the Roma Spirit Award for her lifelong work to benefit the Roma community.
