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Saint Sara: Patron saint of the Romani people

Roma photographer Art煤r 膶onka joins the annual pilgrimage for Sara-La-Kali, patron saint of the Romani people.

Roma photographer Art煤r 膶onka joins the annual Romani pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the south of France. Thousands of Romani from across western Europe gather in the small town in Provence each year to honour their patron saint, Sara-la-K芒li, who represents motherly love, is a protector of the oppressed, and is even said to help couples conceive. It is Art煤r's first time on the pilgrimage and is keen to uncover the legends behind this enigmatic saint and what she represents to the Romani community today. The streets are packed with musicians playing rumba, flamenco and manouche jazz. Art煤r meets writer and scrap metal dealer Kerensa Smith, film-maker and journalist Jake Bowers and Dutch pilgrim Kali Van Esch who has been coming every year since she was a baby.

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