Romi su stoljećima ostavljali trag u povijesti kao živahan narod, poznat po svojim melodijama, primamljivom glasu i očaravajućim plesovima. Duge suknje, raskošna crna kosa, gitarska pratnja, duboki glasovi bili su poput ključa do ljudskih srca. Mnogi Romi su vrlo talentirani u ovom polju, pa tako ne iznenađuje činjenica da među njima ima toliko izvrsnih umjetnika - jedna od njih je Ekaterina Žemčužnaja.

Ekaterina Žemćužnaja (Buldiženko) rođena je u regiji Tula u obitelji naseljenih Roma. Odrastajući u stambenoj zgradi među Rusima, mlada Katja je nastojala izbjegavati druge Rome i dugo se opirala činjenici da je Romkinja. To se promijenilo preko noći kada je djevojka završila školu i odlučila se preseliti u Moskvu.

Njezini su roditelji bili filharmonijski umjetnici i cijeli su život proveli na turnejama i koncertima. Poznavajući sve teškoće takvog života, obitelj nije željela sličnu sudbinu za svoju kćer jedinicu te su je svim silama pokušavali nagovoriti na prizeman život i stabilan posao. Međutim, Ekaterina, vođena ljubavlju prema pozornici, išla je protiv želja drugih ljudi i nakon završetka škole upisala Glazbenu školu Mihail Ipolitov-Ivanov u Moskvi.

Kao studentica prve godine, prisustvovala je svojoj prvoj kazališnoj predstavi, što se pokazalo kao "Slomljeni bič" u Romen teatru (Romen teatar je izvanredno glazbeno i dramsko romsko kazalište). U hodniku zgrade primijetili su je ravnatelji produkcija i pozvali da postane dio kazališne trupe. Ekaterina je odmah pristala, odustala od školovanja te postala dio studija i kazališta. Ovaj sudbonosni događaj postao je poveznica Ekaterine Žemčužnaje i njezinog nacionalnog identiteta.

Ekaterina je kasnije diplomirala na GITIS-u (Ruski institut za kazališnu umjetnost). Tijekom svog života, Žemčužnaja je glumila u 16 predstava kazališta Romen gdje do danas nastavlja sjati u produkcijama kao što su "Zdravo, Puškin", "Vještičarska ljubav", "Mi smo Cigani". Glumica je oduvijek bila cijenjena članica trupe. Tijekom svoje duge kazališne karijere uspjela je raditi s izvrsnim redateljima poput Ivana Rom-Lebedeva i Nikolaja Sličenka.

Umjetnica se prvi put pojavila na televiziji 1970. Međutim, opću slavu stekla je nakon glume u filmu "Vječni poziv". Toliko joj je dobro pristajala uloga da je odabrana bez audicije. Žemćužnaja je stvorila živopisnu sliku voljene žene jednog od likova u seriji, a već na početku filma izvela je romski ples koji je improvizirala.

Još veći uspjeh postigao je film Tatiane Lioznove "Karneval" u kojem je umjetnica glumila ''Ciganku Karmu''. Prema radnji filma, junakinja Ekaterine Žemćužnaje živi težak život u stanu u Moskvi sa svojim mužem i djecom. Glavni lik filma, Nina, dolazi u Moskvu kako bi osvojila nove uspjehe i čini se da je bez krova pod glavom. Srećom, upoznaje «Ciganku Carmu» koja joj pruža utočište prve noći u Moskvi i postaje joj prava prijateljica tijekom razvoja priče.

Unatoč činjenici da se Žemćužnaja u filmu pojavljuje kratko vrijeme, njezin dramatični lik uspio je ostaviti trag u povijesti radnje. Ovaj film je potaknuo zaokret u viziji Roma u sovjetskom društvu. Narod se pred filmskim gledateljima prikazao kao milosrdan, spreman podijeliti ono što ima unatoč poteškoćama, a glumica je stekla očekivanu slavu i postala prepoznatljivija.

Njezin dugi staž nadopunjen je filmovima poput "Ciganka Aza" i "Glave i repovi". Žemćužnaja je ušla u novo tisućljeće sa statusom Narodne umjetnice Rusije. Posljednjih desetljeća glumica je poznata po ulogama u televizijskim serijama.

Ne samo da je Ekatarina tijekom svog dugog života prihvatila i zavoljela svoje korijene, već je postala i vrlo važan dio kulturne baštine Roma te je cijela njezina obitelj kroz umjetnost nastavlja širiti svjetlo i pričati lijepe i živopisne priče romskog naroda. Proslavljajući svoj osamdeseti rođendan, umjetnica nastavlja oduševljavati svoje obožavatelje svojom kreativnošću i nastupima na pozornici.

EKATERINA ZHEMCHUZHNAYA - IN SEARCH OF A PERSONAL IDENTITY, SHE FOUND A ROMA IDENTITY TO

80 years ago, on March 28, 1944, another star lit up in the world of art, lighting the path for many Roma and becoming the favorite of thousands of viewers - Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya.

Over the course of many years and centuries, Roma have left their mark on history as a vibrant people, known for their melodies, alluring voice and enchanting dances. Long skirts, luxurious black hair, guitar accompaniment, deep voices pick up the key to people's hearts. Many Roma are very talented in this field. It is not surprising that there are so many outstanding artists among them. One of such is Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya.

Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya (Buldyzhenko) was born in the Tula region in a family of settled Roma. Growing up in an apartment building among Russians, young Katya tried to avoid other Roma people and for a long time resisted the fact that she was Roma. That changed overnight when the girl graduated from school and decided to move to Moscow.

Her parents were Philharmonic artists and spent their entire lives on tours and concerts. Knowing all the difficulties of such life, the family did not want a similar fate for their only daughter and tried their best to persuade her to a down-to-earth life and a stable job. However, Ekaterina, nurtured by her love for the stage, went against the wishes of other people and, after graduating from school, entered the Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov Music School in Moscow.

As a first-year student, she attended the first theater show in her life, which turned out to be the  “Broken Whip” at the Romen Theater (Romen Theater is an outstanding musical and drama Roma theater). In the hall of the building she was noticed by production directors and invited to become part of the theater troupe. Ekaterina immediately agreed, dropped out of university and became part of the studio and theater. This fateful event became the point of unity between Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya and her national identity.

Later, Ekaterina graduated from GITIS, (Russian Institute of Theater Arts). During her life, Zhemchuzhnaya played in 16 performances of the Romen Theater; to this day she continues to shine in such productions as “Hello, Pushkin”, “Witchcraft Love”, “We are Gypsies”. The actress has always been a deeply respected member of the troupe. Throughout her long career in the theater she managed to work with such outstanding directors as Ivan Rom-Lebedev and Nikolai Slichenko.

The artist first appeared on television in 1970. However, general fame overtook Ekaterina after acting in the film “Eternal Call”. She suited her role so well that the woman was cast without an audition. Zhemchuzhnaya created a vivid image of the beloved one[ЕП1]  of the characters in the series, and already at the beginning of the film she performed Roma’s dance, improvised by the actress herself.

Tatiana Lioznova’s film “Carnival”, in which the artist played the role of the «Gypsy Carma», received even greater success. According to the plot, the heroine of Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya lives a difficult life in an apartment in Moscow with her husband and children. The main character of the movie, Nina, comes to Moscow to conquer new heights and appears to be without a roof under her head. Luckily, she meets the «Gypsy Carma», who shelters her for the first night in Moscow and becomes a true friend during the development of the story.

Even though that Zhemchuzhnaya appears in the film for a small amount of time, her dramatic character managed to leave a tangible imprint on the[ЕП2]  plot. The positive reflection of the Roma in the film becomes a big change in Roma's vision in Soviet society. The people appeared before movie viewers as merciful, ready to share what they have despite difficulties. The actress gained inevitable fame and became more recognizable[ЕП3] .

The actress’s long track record was supplemented by such films as “Gypsy Aza” and “Heads and Tails.” Zhemchuzhnaya approached the new millennium with the status of People's Artist of Russia. In recent decades, the actress has been known for her roles in television series.

During her long life, Ekaterina not only accepted and loved her roots, but also became a very important part of the cultural heritage of Roma. Not only she is herself a person who has managed to contribute to the vision of people through her career, but her entire family continues to spread light through art and tell the beautiful and vivid stories of the Roma people. Сelebrating her eightieth anniversary, the artist continues to delight her fans with her creativity and performs on stage.