7 April and 5 May, 2020
Lent Festival Hall and Roma Station, Maribor

In 2020, the Association EPEKA, a social enterprise, continues to organise cultural and educational events that help to include Roma. This helps us to raise awareness of interculturality and at the same time to further celebrate two of the biggest Roma holidays – 8 April, International Roma Women’s Day (we are actually addressing all genders), and 6 May, Ederlezi, i.e. St George’s Day (according to the Gregorian calendar).


This year, we have focused on topics that we believe are worth highlighting – especially because of their slow progress in society, which is our shared responsibility. Employment and inclusion of Roma women, socially responsible employment and employers’ involvement in the process of social inclusion (fair employment), and educating the majority of the population about the impact of antigypsyism and its occurrence in everyday life.

Because Roma culture always includes celebration of life, joy and socialising; something that we often miss and don’t even realise that we are missing something in our happiness – our mission is to change that, if only for one day in Maribor.

We will be visited by the hottest woodwind players in the Balkans, multiple winners of the Golden Trumpet Award at the Guča Festival – the Boban Marković Orchestra. On 7 April 2020, as part of the Mrak World Tour, the Boban Marković Orchestra will present their last year’s album in Maribor. This immediately jumped to the top of the international charts in Europe and received many good reviews from all over the world.

Boban Marković was born in Vladičin Han, Serbia, on 6 May, the date of Ederlezi, St George’s Day, the biggest Roma holiday in the Gregorian calendar. Vladičin Han is a town of around 10 000 people, mostly of Roma origin, characterised by a rich Roma musical tradition. The whole Marković family has a musical past: grandfather, father and Boban’s son, Marko Marković, are all musicians.


Boban Marković has won virtually every award in his field. The most internationally known is the first trumpet of Guča, or the Golden Trumpet of the Guča Festival. His music has been featured in Emir Kusturica’s films, Goran Bregović’s music, etc. The Boban Marković Orchestra consists of

  1. Boban Markovic – trumpet, voice
  2. Ivan Pavlovic – trumpet
  3. Živorad Dimitrijevski – saxophone
  4. Boban Demirovic – tenor horn
  5. Miroslav Sejdić – tenor horn
  6. Goran Spasic – tenor horn
  7. Stefan Petrovic – tuba
  8. Djavid Demirovski – drums
  9. Danijel Jovic – drums
  10. Aleksander Stosic – percussion

Boban Marković was born in Vladičin Han, Serbia, on 6 May, the date of Ederlezi, St George’s Day, the biggest Roma holiday in the Gregorian calendar. Vladičin Han is a town of around 10 000 people, mostly of Roma origin, characterised by a rich Roma musical tradition. The entire Marković family has a musical past: grandfather, father and Boban’s son, Marko Marković, are all musicians.

More information on the programme on this website, on the Fair Employment website and on Boban Marković’s website.

The programme is supported by the European Social Fund, the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth, the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Nationalities, the ŠOU and the Municipality of Maribor.


The Association EPEKA, Soc. Ent., is supported by: