International Roma Day

Today is International Roma Day.which celebrates and recognises, the rich history, culture, language of their communities. International Romani Day has its roots in the first significant international meeting of Roma representatives, which was held in Chelsfield, United Kingdom, near London from April 7 to 12, 1971, organised by the World Council of Churches and the Government of India. The Congress was attended by 23 representatives from nine nations, including the former Czechoslovakia, Finland, Norway,France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Spain and the former Yugoslavia. There were also individuals from Belgium, Canada, India and the United States, and  they formed a political agenda with the intent to achieve emancipation and equality for the Roma.

Several sub-commissions were created to look closely at social affairs, education, war crimes, language and culture. Another key outcome of the first Congress was the turn towards using the word ‘Roma’ rather than ‘Gypsy’ or other variants. While it’s true that here in Britain ‘Gypsy’, ‘Roma’ and ‘Traveller’ are all used, in Europe and abroad the preferred term is Roma. The Roma flag was also promoted as the national emblem and a rousing anthem (Gelem, Gelem).

 

 The Roma flag was created by the General Union of Roma in Romania in 1933. It was adopted by international Roma representatives in 1971, becoming known as the international Roma flag. The symbolism of the blue color coincides with the sky, while the green with the earth and the harvest. The flag, as a symbol of fire, movement and progress, also bears a red wheel (chakra), linking it to the Indian origin of the Roma.

The 1971 Congress was a landmark event and pushed a narrative forward which influenced how Roma people were talked about and included in the social, cultural and political spheres for years to come. The message to the world was that this community was active, organised and demanding an end to human rights violations against it. A few years later, at the fourth Congress, it was decided that 8 April would become International Roma Day. Since 1990, the day has been celebrated across the globe and Roma from all walks of life who honour it in a variety of ways.

Originally, the Roma were itinerant court musicians from South Asia, specifically present-day India and Pakistan. The Romani have their own cultural language and genetic makeup, despite the fact that they are travellers who conform to the cultures of their host communities. During the Middle Ages, Roma migrated to Turkey, France, and Spain. Romani culture merged with Iberian, Jewish, Muslim, and Moorish cultures upon their arrival in Spain, giving rise to the Flamenco people.

The Romani's own language,  Romani, "Romani", is an Indo-Aryan language, part of the Indo-European language family. It would be spoken from the beginning of the Middle Ages only in the diaspora, outside India. Today it is an integral part of European linguistic diversity. There have been many scholars who have tried to formalize it by bringing in various primers and dictionaries. Already, their language continues to be well preserved and spoken worldwide in various dialects. It has many dialects, and spelling or word choice can differ between groups. Most Romani are multilingual, but their own language is a point of pride and connectivity for the Romani people.

 Modern Romani usually live in caravans or similar vehicles, but between the mid 1800s and early 1900s, they used horse-drawn wagons, or vardos.

 Roma are widely known for their traditional music and dance. Their music has even influenced classical music composers such as Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahams. Violin, guitar and clarinet are the favorite instruments of Roma musicians. As for their traditional dance, they have preserved elements from India, blending in with details taken from the culture of the countries in which the Roma lived. Their typical dance is the flamenco, which represents the most obvious example of the Roma contribution to the general style of dance. Roma, too, have developed their traditions in poetry and painting. 

Roma have also excelled in handicrafts, such as metalworking, embroidery and jewelry carving. Handmade straw baskets are another typical Roma product. Roma clothing Traditional clothing is still widely used in some Roma communities. Women wear long skirt tied at the left of the waist, a neckline blouse, a bolero vest, an apron and colorful earrings.

My solidarity goes out to all Roma people worldwide who are still experiencing  massive inequality and huge amounts of racism,  discrimination and exclusion state sponsored  and otherwise.

Romani people have suffered  persecution throughout their history, having left Northern India/Pakisan around one thousand years ago. In the ensuring centuries they have spread across many countries across the globe. Europe, North and South America, Russia, China and the Middle East. Some were nomadic people. Others tried to settle but were met with hostility and either abandoned their identities or became nomadic like their brothers and sisters. What remained however and strong, was that on the move or in settlements, was a tight knit community, but still faced ongoing discrimination. racial oppression and persecution due to their nomadic lifestyle and dark skin. During the Middle Ages, the Romani were executed in England, Switzerland, and Denmark, and Germany, Italy, and Portugal ordered the expulsion of all Romani.

Lest not forget either that Hitler named Romani people ‘enemies of the race based state’, and though official figures do not exactly exist, historians estimate that between 220,000 and 500,000 Romani and Sinti,from Central Europe were killed in the 1930s and 1940s. the Nazis  killing about 25 percent of Europe's entire Roma (a.k.a. Gypsy) population, accounting for half their total population at  the time. This genocide, known in the Romani language, as Porajimas which can translate as “destruction.” It's remembered as the worst event in their peoples' history. Other Romani people in the Balkans prefer to use the term 'samudaripen,' translating as “mass killing,” but there's still no general consensus in the community regarding how to call this tragedy, sometimes even borrowing the word 'holokausto.'
Roma persecution by the Nazi regime began in 1933 and during the 1936 Olympic Games, the Roma and Sinti were forcibly relocated to a camp on the outskirts and were not allowed to leave unless they had a job. Their property was confiscated and sold; they were never compensated. Between 1933 and 1945, more than 400,000 people were forcibly sterilised by the Nazis, including thousands of Roma and Sinti, In the late 1930s, the first deportations of Roma to concentration camps began. While the yellow star worn by the Jewish victims of the Holocaust is best known, the Roma had their own symbols, brown or black triangles, symbolising their ethnicity and their inherent ‘anti-social’ status.

Today, the Romani people are still subject to racial stereotyping, often caricatured as mysterious fortune tellers and cunning thieves. Many Romani report segregation and harassment in schools and in the workplace, as well as a lower standard of healthcare and education and repeated forced evictions. That’s why it’s so important for us to understand more about their unique culture and heritage, to overcome the stereotypes and recognise the struggles faced by this remarkable people

Today it is important to remember that many Roma continue to suffer from systemic discrimination and violence. The discriminatory treatment and stereotyping prevents Roma from fully participating in political, social and economic life around the world. Roma experience  exclusion, violence and repression in the countries where they live. They are forced to live in conditions that are degrading to human beings.Approximately 80% of Romani in Europe live in abject destitution. They are discriminated against in the labour market because of their ethnic identity.

Racism and discrimination against Roma and Travellers remain alarmingly rife in Europe, nowhere has this been more evident in recent times than in the appalling reports received regarding some border officials’ refusal to allow Roma refugees, who are fleeing Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, the right either to leave Ukraine or to enter neighbouring States. Such refusals are based on spurious grounds, and notably on racist assumptions that Roma are not ‘genuine’ refugees. In other cases, lack of ID – a longstanding issue for Roma in many European States – has made border crossings more difficult. In addition, some Roma who have been able to leave Ukraine have also been confronted with racism in receiving States, including segregation, unfavourable treatment compared with other refugees, and racist attitudes among law-enforcement officials, volunteers or the population more generally.

The racism against Roma often goes unnoticed or even becomes normalised. It has its origins in how the majority views and treats those considered “gypsies”, who have endured a process of historical “othering”, which builds on stereotypes, even unintentional or unconscious attitudes, that result in a still widely accepted form of racism against Roma.

Its various expressions include hate speech, discrimination, hate crime, and other harmful practices, resulting in many Roma people’s exclusion, segregation and poverty. It leads to a perception of Roma people as a homogenous group that is helpless, inferior and anti-social.

Unfortunately, little effort has been made by national governments in order to lift Roma people from this precarious situation. This day is therefore a chance to remind European and world leaders to implement effective anti-discrimination measures and legislative and policy initiatives to protect and promote the human rights of all minorities, including Roma.

But responsibility rests not only on the shoulders of public authorities, but on all of us. We cannot allow desensitisation to divide us and put barriers between us. We need to continue to cast a light on the human rights issues.prejudice and violations faced by Romani people around the world. Lets show a gratitude to a beautiful community that so enriches our lives and continue to reject the negative stereotypes. racial stereotyping and bias that impacts their way of life.International Roma Day is above all, a day of celebration and awareness of the unity, autonomy, and diversity of Roma communities.

We urgently need to move beyond  anti-gypsyist attitudes. First and very simply, because no one should ever be subject to racism or discrimination. And second, because stereotypes and prejudice prevent us from seeing the contributions that Roma and Travellers make to European societies every day.

Today, lets  express our solidarity with the Roma people, and with all persons working to guarantee them safety and shelter. Now, more than ever, it is time to topple racist stereotypes. Let us stamp out anti-gypsyism attitudes and prejudice once and for all.