Oleksandr Beinarovich

Oleksandr Beinarovich was born in 1944 in Latvia. His family was big and hospitable. They lived in a big house and hosted a lot of fellow Romani people who travelled around. Unfortunately, this life ended first with the Soviet regime, and then with the World War II. 

The family got scattered: father and the eldest brother went to the front, two elder sisters, who were married and had their own children, were killed by the Nazis. Oleksandr, his mother, and the rest of the siblings had to flee from Latvia. They managed to survive with the help of other people.

After the war, Oleksandr worked at an electric plant and joined the Roma Youth Dancing Ensemble. They traveled all over the Soviet Union and had great success.

Illustration by Sergei Asmar