Died 30 September 2015 | ||
Andrej Giňa (January 1, 1936 – September 30, 2015) was a Czech writer of Romani origin and a renowned musician. Born in a small settlement in what is now Tolčemeš, Slovakia, Giňa was introduced to music at a very young age and was considered a prodigy by his village and settlement. An integral part of Romani culture is storytelling and Giňa would base his own stories on scenarios similar. At a relatively young age Giňa and his family moved over 700 kilometres to Rokycany to escape from the war. Giňa developed a passion for the traditional stories and recounts that the elders in his village told him and started documenting them and translating them into Czech to share with his friends.
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Giňa started a band called 'Rytmus 84' which was extremely popular throughout the city.
Giňa started writing after 1976 when his only son was born. Giňa wrote many books and developed his love for literature for more than thirty years. He would write about the traditional subjects for storytelling, including marriage and disappointment. His work has gained him many awards and popularity throughout the Romani clans.
Early life
Giňa was born into poverty in the settlement of Tolčemeš, in north eastern Slovakia, to Helena and Andrej Gina. His father was a well known musician and a blacksmith and was known throughout his settlement. His mother was a homemaker. Giňa was the youngest child and enjoyed growing up with his brothers and sisters, when he was quite young his family decided to move to the Czech Republic in order to have a better life for themselves and their children, away from poverty and famine. Giňa would frequently recall that his mother would go into the fields after they had been picked and take the rotten potatoes so the children could eat. They moved to Rokycany and lived close to the town centre.
Personal life
Giňa met the love of his life soon after moving to Rokycany. They had five children which included four girls and one boy. They first lived in an apartment very close to the town centre before purchasing a newly built four bedroom house in the 1980s, close to the forest. Giňa was known throughout the region as the man who sold 'Goja' a speciality consisting of a filling of either potatoes, meat or rice encased in pig intestines which were boiled and fried. He also sold potatoes which then made his fortune. This food has been considered to be the national dish of the Romani people. He would spend his evenings with his family or in his office writing stories. He learnt how to be a smelter and worked as a truck driver during the 1970s and 1980s.
Death
Giňa lost his life after a string of health complications, he died of cancer on September 30, 2015, aged 79. His funeral commenced soon after and was surrounded by many people who worked with him. During his last months of life he was rushed to hospital many times after chest pains, stomach and gallbladder pains. He was initially told that he would be able to have an operation that could remove gallstones, that had been lodged for decades, but didn't live to see the day. He remained on a specific diet and was restricted from many of his favourite foods.