“Educating Igor” depicts the story of a 31-year-old Roma man, who went back to secondary school as a student. Hudák and his sister regularly visit a local community centre, to teach Roma children. Their aim is to improve life in the settlement but they often face many problems ranging from the apathetic approach of people, through to language barriers and open racism, the Sme daily reported.
“The film is not about me, it is about the whole settlement,” Hudák, who is also known as Igor, said, as quoted by Sme. “I hope the people who watch it will then start to think differently about us .”
After experiencing an assault by local police and with support of his older sister Irma, Hudák decides to return to school. He is committed to getting a proper education so that he can join Irma as an accredited teacher working with the young children in his impoverished settlement, according to Al Jazeera’s website.
Educating Igor gives an insight into the isolated, impoverished world of Slovakia’s Roma community. Often excluded and derided as “gypsies” this is the story of Igor and his sister, Irma and their efforts to use education to change the future of the children in their community, the website reads.
The documentary has been published as part of Al Jazeera’s Witness programme, within which they show the lives of people about whom the viewers would not otherwise learn, Sme wrote.
