Some premieres are just another program on the schedule, and others arrive to settle a debt. Blessed Glory It clearly belongs to the second category. Presented as the first late night Gypsy of television history, its presenter and creator, Ariel CarmonaIt aims to unite consciences, challenge prejudices, and normalize an integration that we have been dealing with for six centuries.
From RTVE PlayCarmona, an actor with a career in series such as The Gypsy BrideA The Ministry of Time, an activist committed to the Roma cause since his Opre Roma project, has built Blessed Glory as a space that combines intellectual depth with humor and spontaneity, without shying away from uncomfortable chapters of history such as the Great Roundup of 1749. It asserts that the flamenco It belongs “to those who love him,” as he shares a paella with his family on the beach in Cádiz. The Habichuela and Sordera families set the table while Pepe Luis Carmona Habichuela's son, with rapid-fire, impassioned speech, champions a cause he has embraced as his own. “We’ve been here for six centuries and we’ve never had a Gypsy program in this format.” late nightIt was about time.
- Then Blessed Glory From public television. What does it feel like to be the one laying the first stone?
– I feel an enormous privilege, an enormous pleasure, because it was something important that had to be done. It's a big step, because there's still a lot of ignorance. Blessed Glory It's important to get to know each other and continue supporting one another. For those who aren't in the world of... flamenco or those close to the Roma receive biased information. Gypsy's Word o The Gypsy Kings These are scripted reality TV shows where people believe what they see is real, and it's not! Plus, it's used in a humorous way… Gypsies always get the same roles: drug dealers, thieves…
– I understand that's another objective of the program: to avoid clichés. Which one has been the most difficult to debunk, even within the audiovisual industry itself?
– That we don't study and that we can't contribute, in any way. A few days ago we invited a star like Farruquito to the program and along with him, the researcher, journalist and writer José Vega de los Reyes, author of The God of the GypsiesWe invite artists alongside lawyers, MEPs, and doctors. Many stereotypes are broken in Blessed gloryThe other day my cousin Lela Soto came over with Lucía Santiago, who dropped out of school at 15 and is now facing one of the most demanding goals in Spain: the competitive exams for judge and prosecutor (Judicatura). Lucía is one of the recipients of the state scholarships.To be a Judge, To be a ProsecutorI try to invite an artist, but always accompanied by someone who breaks down prejudices: an LGBTQ+ Roma person, an actor, an influencer, a student… We showcase the breadth of the Roma world, so that it's known and understood. We also try to foster dialogue between them. For example, we try to create a connection between the world of preparing for the competitive exams to become a judge and a musician. We always try to find ways to spark conversations, use humor, and play games…
"The flamenco Art belongs to whoever loves it, regardless of whether they are white, yellow, or non-Roma… Art belongs to whoever loves it. flamenco Someone from Utrera and a Japanese person can feel it. But what is important is to recognize the contribution of the Roma to flamencobecause it is a fact, and it must also be recognized at an institutional level."
– What's easier, doing humor as a Gypsy or a non-Gypsy doing it as Gypsies?
– I'm mixed-race, but I've always hung out with Gypsies. Well, I think it's more legitimate for Gypsies to do the humor. There are certain kinds of humor that are cool and others that aren't. You have to have taste to be funny. The jester had taste in medieval times; he could laugh at the king, but he knew his position, his place in the chain of power. The problem with humor is when stereotypes and prejudices are used.
– How do you strike a balance between comedy and topics like the Great Roundup of 1749?
– That's the key! I have Bibi Escudero [content creator and YouTuber, who runs the DikelaTV channel] on the show. He's a big help in the second part. He's pure comedy. I like stand-up comedy, but I also like serious questions and giving each guest the space they need. For example, my cousin Borja Moreno makes you laugh because he's funny. Farruquito is less likely to make you laugh because he's a genius. In fact, he was the one who inaugurated the studio (Room 0 of the Palacio de la Prensa in Madrid), when he came to present his autobiographical documentary. You'll be Farruquito.
– Some wounds have been reopened as a result of this documentary. Is it injustice because he's Roma, famous, or just plain haters?
– I don't know, I'm not really sure… I'm stunned. What happened is awful. It ruined his life, and the other person's even more, that's for sure. I understand it has to do with being famous. With being Roma, I'm sure, too. I'd need more time to think about it and answer this question properly.
– When you're born into a family like the Habichuelas, can you dedicate yourself to anything, or is it an aberration not to focus on the flamenco?
– I'm connected to music, but only as a consumer. I think that as long as you value what you have at home, as I do, you don't fall into any aberration. However, it would be aberration to try to do flamenco Bad, that's for sure! [laughs].
- He flamenco Is it the heritage of the Roma people, or do non-Roma people also have a lot to say about its history and construction? Is there any answer that isn't entrenched in a partisan stance?
- flamenco Art belongs to whoever loves it, regardless of whether they are white, yellow, or non-Roma… Art belongs to whoever loves it. flamenco Someone from Utrera and a Japanese person can feel it. But what is important is to recognize the contribution of the Roma to flamencoBecause it's a fact, and it needs to be acknowledged at an institutional level. You might prefer one flamenco singer to another, or one style of playing to another, but it's important that institutions recognize this. Commissions where there are non-Roma people and few or no Roma.
"We've taken a significant leap forward with public funding. That's what public television is for! It's essential to address the complexities of Spanish society. And all of that needs to be reflected in public media."
– Is the fact that there are few Roma people a glass ceiling?
– Yes. In fact, we discussed it with Farruquito, who was involved in the Biennial Commission, in the lectures of flamenco…there are no gypsies! And yet there are gypsy anthropologists, flamenco scholars, researchers… They are fundamental and their contribution is important.
– RTVE is a public service broadcaster. Do you feel that this project has a different, almost institutional, responsibility because it is being broadcast there and not on a private platform?
"It's wonderful. We've made a significant leap forward with public funding. That's what public television is for! It's essential that we address the complexities of Spanish society. And all of that needs to be reflected in public media."
Yes Blessed Glory Once it fulfills its mission, how will everything have changed in five years?
– I hope that in five years the program will be much bigger. That there will be more non-Roma guests. That it will be Roma, but not a big deal. That it will be normalized. That there will be more Roma programs for the world. So that you can come one day and we can talk about flamencoLet's continue building upon important human values like family, which isn't unique to the Roma people but is a value shared throughout Spain. These are values that are being lost because we are becoming an increasingly individualistic society. More and more so!
– In life, what is it for you? Blessed Glory?
– Being with my family at the beach and eating some rice-
– As it is right now, right?
– Exactly [laughs again].
