Cultural empowerment through social media The Roma Cultural Influencer Project

Abstract

The underrepresentation of Roma culture (except for Roma music) in Hungarian public discourse is indisputable. Roma visual culture is not collected in museums and is not part of public education either. Women of this culturally and economically disadvantaged minority have repeatedly proven to be active changemakers and transmitters of cultural values. Social media specialists at Corvinus University decided to change the overwhelmingly negative image of Roma through training young girls interested in their heritage to act as Cultural Influencers. The training programme discussed in this chapter offered Roma women complex and professional communication training that would make them authentic communicators of their own culture. Photovoice and Visual Storytelling were integral parts of the trainers' methodological toolkit, and a mentoring programme helped them reveal authentic themes, styles and media genres. Digital media literacy may be life changing for Roma women who are vulnerable because of their economic position, lack of workforce, unfinished studies or early parenthood.