Sonia Meyer: A local writer who throws a light on the secretive Gypsy culture.

By Doug Holder
Off The Shelf

I admit it. I was among the ilk that bought into the tired stereotype of the Gypsies as jobless vagrants, with a lot of kids, living in a tent camp, with the requisite dancing and fortune teller. I never took the time to think of them as anything more than stick figures. Being a Jew I heard from my relatives about the atrocities my family and the greater Jewish people experienced under the Nazis. But the Gypsies also suffered greatly. Why wasn't this talked about in school and at home? I really needed a serious education. That's when I ran across Sonia Meyer. I interviewed her and she introduced to a world that I was woefully ignorant of. Meyer is a novelist, as well as a scholar of Gypsy culture, who has completed a novel about a Gypsy girl named: "Dosha."

The Gypsies have lived and criss-crossed Europe for 600 years. They were among the first European settlers to enter our own country. Yet most of us, know them only through prejudice.

Sonia Meyer was born in 1938 in Cologne, Germany into a multi-ethnic family, who was very opposed to the Nazi regime. When co-agitators started to be publicly hung on street-corners, Sonia's family left overnight and made for the German hinterlands and later the dense forests in Poland, where they survived in the company of partisans and some Gypsies the Germans had not managed to capture. Flushed out by the victorious Russian army, who often killed those who had escaped the German massacres, they returned across a devastated land and killer fields to a Cologne that was leveled to the ground. Again she came across and befriended a group of Gypsy children.

Like them she would ultimately leave the memories of war and its aftermath behind, by simply walking into the future. Helped by a wealthy aunt, her travels would take her across the world, through a variety of professions to finally settle in the United States, where she had a family and entered the most noble of Gypsy professions of all, the breeding and dealing of horses.

Having found peace and happiness after a tumultuous journey, she started to long for the one part missing in her life, Gypsies. She decided to look into the history of the people she had found comfort with during the tumultuous years of war and its horrible aftermath.

But some twenty plus years ago, there was close to none research material on the Gypsies available. At Harvard's Widener library, she discovered a translation of a novel by a Russian Gypsy, by the name of Matteo Maximoff. She contacted him and they became fast friends. She then immersed herself in the life of Gypsies, traveling to Macedonia, and Kosovo and Hungary pursuing her research. And now Meyer has completed a novel, tentatively titled" "Dosha", that tells the tale of a Gypsy girl Dosha. The novel is bookended by Nikita Khrushchev's state visit to Helsinki in 1957. The story is of, a Gypsy, and her hardscrabble childhood spent with Russian partisans in Polish forests, to her defection during Khrushchev's visit..... .

In her research, her travels, when she lived with them, followed them to some sacred Gypsy sites, Sonia was struck how familiar their way of thinking and living was to her. And thinking back at the nomadic life most of her mother's siblings, she finally asked her mother who was on her death bed, "That grandfather of mine, the dark one, the one who worked in the circus with horses, the one who kept leaving home all the time, was he...a Gypsy? Her mother replied:

"I was not born under a wagon...so I decided long ago to declare myself a Rhinelander...as you by now should know: reality is like a rubber band. You can stretch it anyway you desire." This always stayed with her.

Meyer, a self-taught scholar of Gypsy culture and history is concerned with a possibly precedent setting case in Florida. For the past 5 years Broward County has been trying to seize the property of the Christian Romany Church, whose 300 Roma members are considered ethnic Gypsies. The County feels it has the right of Eminent Domain, overriding the Religious Freedom Law. Has the disregard for the human rights and equality followed them all the way to this country?

There is a last minute twist, in this long-drawn out fight of the Gypsies for what they consider rightfully theirs. The County did win the suit, and settled with the Roma church for a certain amount of money,not enough however to buy a new church. The Gypsies were given six months to vacate the church. Those six month were expiring at the end of August. Suddenly, several county officials are questioning the decision of depriving the Gypsies of their church. "That's just it," Sonia informed me with great excitement. "That's why I chose this country to live in. No matter how tough things get, here there is always hope."

Human Rights for Gypsies

25. 5. 2009

Gypsies, the long-lost children of northwest India, number about 12 million worldwide. The Gypsies first arrived in Europe in the thirteenth century as asylum seekers, fleeing forcible conversion to Islam by the invading Turks. Their descendants today number 8 million, constituting Europe's largest ethnic minority­, a marginalized and much maligned minority, whose contributions to Western culture are often ignored.

Three examples of luminaries they produced: Sonya Kavalesky, who, in 1884, became the first woman university professor in the world ­ in Sweden, teaching mathematics; Charles Chaplin, the legendary filmmaker; and Bill Clinton, the former president of the United States. Both Chaplin and Clinton are descendants of British Gypsies. Ian Hancock, himself a British Gypsy, in his book We Are the Romani People (University of Hertfordshire Press, 2002) includes brief biographies of more than one hundred major Gypsy contributors to Western culture. Hancock is professor of English at the University of Texas, Austin. His book describes Patricio Lafcadio Hearn, who in the late nineteenth century pioneered the journalistic style of writing; Antonio Cansino, the creator of the Bolero dance, and his granddaughter, Margarita Carmen Cansino, widely known under her Hollywood name, Rita Hayworth.

Hancock's book attempts to correct European disdain of Gypsy history. Two other recent books with the same objective are W. R. Rishi's Roma: The Punjabi Emigrants in Europe (Punjabi University Press, 1996) and Isabel Fonseca's Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and their Journey (Random House, 1996). Also remarkable are the films of Tony Gatlif, of French Gypsy descent, especially his documentary Latcho Drom: A Musical History of the Gypsies from India to Spain, which won the Cannes award in 1994.

When Isabel Fonseca, an American journalist, set out to write her book in 1991, she "had in mind that the Gypsies were 'the New Jews of Eastern Europe.'" She lived with Gypsy families for four years while researching in the libraries of many European countries. Her conclusion: "Gypsies alongside with the Jews are ancient scapegoats."

Traditionally, Gypsies did not keep written records and not all groups sustained an oral history. The research on their origin began in the late 1700s with a systematic philological analysis of their language, Romani, which was then firmly established as a Sanskritic language. Words like dand, (tooth), mun, (mouth), akha (eyes) are identical with those in Punjabi spoken in northwest India. If confirmation were needed, it is readily provided by the Gypsy music's use of the Indian ragas such as Bhairavi, Mulkausa, and Kalyani as well as the bol (the rhythmic syllables -- tak, dhin, dha -- imitating drum beats).

(MORE)

Exploring Bulgaria’s Minority Population: The Gypsies

Many people searching for property in Bulgaria are advised often by Bulgarian real estate agents to avoid villages with high gypsy populations. However many people who find themselves living in areas with many Roma residents have found that crime and social problems are low and no different to any other rural area in Bulgaria. In fact, many people have become firm friends with their gypsy neighbours and whilst it would be unwise if not impossible to move into a true gypsy ghetto, living in an area with a high ethnic population is not as detrimental as Bulgarians make out.

(MORE)

Residents learn about Romany roots

10:14am Tuesday 2nd September 2008

RESIDENTS learned all about Romany Gypsy culture and history during a special event in Redditch.

As a follow-on to Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month, the Eternal Wheels event was held at Arrow Valley Park.

The day, funded by a grant from Worcestershire County Council, allowed people to view, learn and interact with members of Romani Roots, a voluntary organisation that supports Gypsy heritage.

There were stalls at the event, various sources of information, entertainment and food.

Lolo Diklo : Roma Against Racism

Bookmark this blog - they (like myself) are trying to raise awareness about the Roma history, culture and worldwide racism.

http://www.lolodiklo.blogspot.com/

Thanks!
Allie :)

Museum celebrates Gypsy heritage

A CELEBRATION of Gypsy traveller heritage and culture is set to take place at Worcestershire County Council's County Museum in Hartlebury next month.

The special event, on June 15, has been put together by the county museum service and the Worcestershire Gypsy Roma and Traveller Partnership, which includes representatives of West Mercia Constabulary, Rooftop Housing, the Community Housing Group, Worcestershire Diocese and the West Midlands Traveller Education Service, pupils from Stourport high and Birchen Coppice, Stourport and Hartlebury primary Schools.

Visitors to the County Museum will be able to see and do the following things as part of the Gypsies - Who Are Ya! event:

See one of the largest displays in the country of Gypsy Vardos, including the recently-restored Esmerelda - one of the finest wagons on display

Meet Mary Horner, author and editor of the Romany Road journal and history society

Stalls to promote the partner organisations

Dance and exhibition displays by pupils from Stourport High School

Displays and demonstrations of traditional crafts

Meet wagon painters and restorers to find out how it is done

Have a their family photograph taken with wagons

Musical entertainment

Sue Pope, the county council's education and outreach officer, said: "This is a really exciting event, where we have opened our doors and embraced the wider community and partners to jointly organise something that celebrates the lives and achievements of Worcestershire's Gypsy, Roma and travelling communities.

advertisement"We are looking forward to welcoming plenty of people to the forthcoming one-day event."

People wanting to find out more should call Sue Pope, on spope@worcestershire.gov.uk or call the County Museum, on 01299 250416.

There wil be admission costs.

12:17 pm Saturday 24th May 2008 - The Shuttle

The History and Culture of Gypsy Travellers - Landgate WI - April 25

The April meeting of Landgate W.I. started with president Jean Watson introducing this month's speaker Philip Godliman.

It was decided to open the meeting with his talk on 'The History and Culture of Gypsy Travellers'.

Member anticipated a very interesting talk and so it turned out to be. Mr Godliman retired from teaching in 1971 and having an interest in the life style of the gypsy travellers he joined the Kent Travellers Education Service which helps gypsy families ensure their children attend school as much as possible.

Most people have this some what romantic idea of gypsy life with fortune tellers and peg sellers being the stereo type. Others see them as traders and scrap dealers leaving a mess behind them wherever they stop.

The truth is that 90% of travellers are settled in houses now or at least on permanent sites.

The term gypsy covers a number of types - these included the circus and fairground people, barges on the canal boats and new age travellers.
The history of gypsies goes back to their emergence from India it's believed over 1,000 years ago. They moved across the world through Europe and North Africa.

They arrived in Britain 500 years ago and were entertainers in the Tudor court. However during the later part of the 16th century the persecution began which has carried on through the centuries and right into modern times.

Thousands were killed in the holocaust during the Second World War.
Because times have changed over the last 30 years or so the work that was done has now been lost.

Many spent the summer fruit and hop picking and making pegs and flowers in the winter time. The women would go round selling their goods door to door.

In 1968 the council Site Act came into force making it illegal to stop just anywhere so permanent sites were established and this enabled families to put caravans and mobiles homes on site.

Life may never be the same for future gypsy families but the urge to travel and the very strong sense of history will ensure the survival of the gypsy way of life.

This report is a shortened version of Mr Godliman's comprehensive talk as members were enthralled for over an hour.

June Humphries thanked him for being one of the most interesting speakers Landgate has had.

Travellers' tales

We need to know who our Gypsy pupils are...

Janette Owen
Tuesday March 11, 2008
The Guardian


In June, schools across the country will have the opportunity to take part in the first Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, aimed at raising awareness and exploring the history, culture and languages of these communities. But the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) hopes that the themed lessons will have an additional impact.
According to the schools minister Lord Adonis, many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils are among the lowest-achieving in our schools and the situation is not improving. Fear of prejudice and bullying has meant that many children and families are too scared to identify themselves, and without that knowledge schools are unable to apply for the extra support and funding that is available to help them.

The DCSF has produced a document, called The Inclusion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Young People, which aims to persuade schools and local authorities to stamp out prejudice and ensure that the children get the extra support they deserve.

What can governors do to boost this initiative? They need to support the head in identifying which families need help. The guide says: "Schools and local authorities cannot comply with their duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 unless they are aware of the ethnicity and cultural diversity of their school population."

It suggests schools try to recruit governors from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds. Governors should devise strategies to encourage parents to volunteer, and not feel they lack the skills required.

The vulnerability of these pupils must be recognised in the school's behaviour and anti-bullying policies. According to the guide: "It is equally important for schools to have, within their anti-bullying policy, examples of racist terminology pertinent to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities."

Heads should provide governors with information on racist incidents at least annually and ideally once a term. Governing bodies are required to inform their local education authority annually of incidents.

Adonis says: "Children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities should feel safe and cherished in school, and therefore parents and pupils will be proud to identify themselves. Schools now have a duty to promote community cohesion, and this is a real issue for their attention."

The Inclusion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Young People can be downloaded from the online publications section of teachernet.gov.uk.
Education.governor@guardian.co.uk