Culture Romanian teacher channels Elvis to fight anti-Roma prejudice

Romanian teacher channels Elvis to fight anti-Roma prejudice

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Tudor Lakatos is fighting discrimination against the Roma people, one Elvis Presley song at a time – and doing it in rhinestones, a quiff, and oversized sunglasses.

Strutting across restaurant stages from Bucharest to remote villages, the 58-year-old schoolteacher doesn’t call himself an Elvis impersonator. No, Lakatos says he channels the King – using rock ‘n’ roll’s universal appeal to bridge cultural divides and offer Roma children a role model that breaks the mould.

Tudor Lakatos strikes a pose while getting ready for his performance with the Taraful Frunzelor band at the Terasa Florilor restaurant.
Tudor Lakatos strikes a pose while getting ready for his performance with the Taraful Frunzelor band at the Terasa Florilor restaurant. Vadim Ghirda/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Tudor Lakatos goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano.
Tudor Lakatos goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano. Andreea Alexandru/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

“I never wanted to get on stage, I didn’t think about it,” he said after a recent performance in the Romanian capital. “I only wanted one thing – to make friends with Romanians, to stop being called a Gypsy.”

The word is still casually – and often cruelly – thrown around in Romania, where the Roma community makes up about 7% of the population. Discrimination remains widespread. According to a recent EU survey, around one in five Roma in Romania say they’ve experienced it within the past year.

Rhinestones are a key part of Elvis Rromano's attire.
Rhinestones are a key part of Elvis Rromano’s attire. Vadim Ghirda/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

A customer records video of Tudor Lakatos, known as Elvis Rromano,
A customer records video of Tudor Lakatos, known as Elvis Rromano, Andreea Alexandru/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Lakatos’ quiet rebellion began in the 1980s, back when he was an art student living under the harsh communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. Rock music, especially the kind imported from America, was more than just entertainment – it was an act of cultural defiance. And Elvis was king.

“I found I could connect with Romanian students by singing Elvis songs,” Lakatos, who goes by the stage name Elvis Rromano, said. It wasn’t just about music – it was about being seen, heard, and accepted.

Lakatos found Elvis songs a point of connection with Romanian people.
Lakatos found Elvis songs a point of connection with Romanian people. Vadim Ghirda/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Lakatos crisscrosses the country to perform.
Lakatos crisscrosses the country to perform. Andreea Alexandru/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Four decades on, he’s still making noise. By day, he teaches in a Roma-majority village in northwestern Romania. By night, he’s on the road with his “Rock ’n’ Rom” show – an energetic mix of Elvis tunes performed in Romani, Romanian, and English.

It’s a hit with audiences and students alike, even if some lyrics need a little tweaking. Take ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, for example. Lakatos points out the line doesn’t quite land with children from poor families.

“In my version, the lyric becomes simply ‘don’t step on my bare feet,’” he said.

Lakatos hope both to educate and inspire with his adapted Elvis hits.
Lakatos hope both to educate and inspire with his adapted Elvis hits. Vadim Ghirda/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Lakatos sings in the Romani language, Romanian and English.
Lakatos sings in the Romani language, Romanian and English. Andreea Alexandru/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

On a balmy summer night in Bucharest, that kind of down-to-earth charm was on full display at Terasa Florilor, a no-frills neighbourhood restaurant where Lakatos performed against a backdrop of vividly painted wooden beams. Some people came for the music and danced along, while others were drawn by the restaurant’s Moldavian meatballs.

It’s colourful, chaotic, and deeply personal – and that’s exactly the point. Lakatos wants to show Roma children that their identity doesn’t have to be a source of shame or limitation.

“The adjective Gypsy is used everywhere as a substitute for insult,” he said. “We older people have gotten used to it, we can swallow it, we grew up with it. I have said many times, ‘Call us what you want, dinosaur and brontosaurus, but at least join hands with us to educate the next generation.’”

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