Originally popular in the former Yugoslavia (especially through the film Skupljači perja from 1967), Gelem, gelem was declared the anthem of the Roma at the first World Congress of the later International Romani Union in 1971. The song has since become a political symbol of the Romani movement and can be heard at every official event in Austria.

Petra Gelbart sees the Romani anthem in its various versions as a “microcosm of diversity”.

In the publication Die andere Hymne, ethnomusicologist Ursula Hemtek describes Gelem, gelem as “the international anthem of the ‘traveling’ people”, pointing out contradictions in the traditional understanding of anthems: To what extent can an anthem that is supposed to be the symbol of a nation be international, and how can a people that has no territory be a nation? The Romani anthem Gelem, gelem can, however, be understood as such when common identity, history and future are foregrounded. Gelem, gelem does not only exist in one version but in many different versions and is sung by Roma all over the world. As such, the song can be understood as an anthem of diversity.

Ruža Nikolić-Lakatos sings Gelem, gelem in the vocal style of the Lovara. The basic melody hardly differs from other versions of the anthem, but she sings her husband Mišo Nikolić's version of the lyrics. This is relevant as it refers to the history of the Roma and their Indian origins. The anthem was often a starting point for joint music-making with other ensembles of the ethnic group, for example with Pera Petrović and Pišti Horvath.

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