Marbella commemorates the Year of the Roma People and the six centuries of their arrival in the Iberian Peninsula with an exhibition.

From this Thursday, November 6, until November 14, Marbella's Avenida del Mar hosts a photographic exhibition commemorating the year 2025 as the Year of the Romani People and the six centuries since their arrival on the Iberian Peninsula. The mayor of the town, Ángeles Muñoz, inaugurated the exhibition alongside the president and founder of the Dosta association, Vanesa Jiménez, in a ceremony that also welcomed visits from local primary school students. Muñoz emphasized, "We want to pay tribute to a community that is an inseparable part of our history, culture, and diversity with an initiative that goes beyond the artistic and gives visibility to some of its most inspiring women."

The mayor, accompanied by council members for Social Rights and Citizen Participation, Isabel Cintado and Enrique Rodríguez respectively, pointed out that "the goal is to promote equality, eradicate stereotypes, and encourage inclusion," while highlighting "the role of Romani women as benchmarks of leadership and social commitment."

Furthermore, she thanked the work of Dosta and educational professionals and stated, "Real transformation also starts in the classrooms. It is essential to give a voice to the Romani community, especially its women, by integrating their perspectives into the design of municipal projects," the mayor said, reminding that "the City Council has been working for years to reduce disparities and ensure equality, collaborating with associations like Dosta in training, integration, and combating school absenteeism through programs like Eracis+."

Mothers, "the real engines of change"

For her part, Jiménez explained that the organization started in 2019 with the aim of promoting education and providing opportunities for women "because mothers are the real engines of change within families." She noted that "the exhibition was born in Málaga on the International Day of the Romani People and has come to Marbella, thanks to the commitment of the City Council, to continue breaking down the prejudices that still exist in society," adding that it features nine stories of women, including lawyers, social workers, writers, illustrators, or mothers who, "without knowing how to read or write, have driven their children to complete their studies."

Finally, she recalled that "there are still seven out of ten students who drop out of compulsory education and less than 2% access higher education," considering it essential "to continue creating spaces where our voice is present, making visible that there are university-educated Romani, professionals, and social leaders, beyond traditional stereotypes."