Romania: Gypsies Celebrate Roma Day, Yet Fear Reigns

Written by Chuck Todaro
Thursday, 30 April 2009

April 8th marked the Twentieth International Roma Day since the Gypsies of Eastern Europe broke free of the communist’s amalgamated "national minority" status and began openly acknowledging their heritage. However, according to the US State Department 2007 Country Report on Human Rights, Romania, home to Europe’s largest Roma population, is the setting for some of the most pervasive societal violence and discrimination against Roma. "This day offers the press the chance to reverse the usual negative stereotypes," says Roma journalist Rudolf Moca during the ceremonies at the Apalina Public School in the Eastern Transylvania town of Reghin.

The day long celebration at Apalina begins in the school courtyard with speeches, the singing of the Roma National anthem Djelem Djelem, followed by a barefoot Roma dance performance, concluding with a skit portraying a confrontation between young Romani men being settled with a dance competition: the fastest dancer possessing the more complicated moves and greatest stamina exits the showdown with his head up and a woman under his arm.

Roma day has a special significance for the 4,000 Gypsies living along the two parallel roads at Apalina that bears the reputation as a den of thieves. "Whatever goes missing in town, I can guarantee you can find it at Apalina," comments Maria, a downtown barmaid.

"When I go on my jobs, my boss reminds me not to tell them that I am from Apalina, he says to say I’m from somewhere else, or else they wont have any work for me," says Dani Racz, who like many at the Roma of Apalina works the traditional trade of laying paving stones, a skill he learned from his father who learned from his father before him.

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International Roma Day: Aladár Horváth on reality TV in Hungary

A leading activist denounces ghettos and the media-created ‘exotic trash’ images of Europe's biggest minority of eight million people, who celebrate their day on 8 April.

Sitting down to seltzer water in Aladár Horváth’s dimly lit office by the ‘Keleti Pályaudvar’ metro station in Budapest, I have to rely on a professor to translate what the chair of the Roma Civil Rights Foundation and the Gandhi Public Foundation is saying. His fight is demanding and intense, yet his air is tempered with hospitality and humility. The broad-shouldered activist gives detailed, thoughtful answers, making it easy to see why he was once an advisor to prime minister Peter Medgyessy.

In the last days of János Kádár’s communist regime in 1988, Horváth participated in the Lakitelek meeting of reformists and maverick politicians, considered the starting point of changing the communist regime. The Roma successfully fought alongside a group called ‘The Anti-Ghetto Committee’, one of the first civil rights movements in eastern Europe which paved the way for greater minority freedom. In one case, they fought against the building of a ghetto in Miskolc, the third most populous city of Hungary, where the Roma population is one of the highest in the country. At 29 square meters apiece, the plan for 168 flats with no heating or plumbing promised racial segregation to potential residents with no choice but to live there - 20 kilometres away from the city.

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Coloring book fills in Gypsy influences

By Ruth Milne, Journal staff

RAPID CITY — Bianca Boll believes people of all ages enjoy coloring books on some level.

“Maybe you don’t sit around and color anymore, but I think we all fondly remember our coloring days,” Boll said.

In a salute to scribblers of all ages, Boll recently published “Gypsy Doodles.”

Boll is director of the Gypsy, Black Hills Belly Dance troupe, and her interests were the source for the coloring book’s content.

“My doodling has heavily been influenced by my Middle Eastern dance and cultural studies,” Boll said, identifying henna art and belly dance influences as well as the Romany (Gypsy) language it teaches.

“The more I study about the Romany people, the more I know that we don’t know very much about them,” Boll said. “I’m kind of trying to help create some interest in their little world ... to maybe inspire people to do some of their own studies, about the Romany people or any world culture.”

“Gypsy Doodles” boasts a whimsical innocence and a childlike approach, giving the Romany word for everything from guitar to rainbow to fish, along with a quirky line drawing of each for children to color in.

The book is intended to appeal to amateur artists of all ages.

“There’s not monsters or trucks or superheroes, so I don’t know if older boys will be as interested, but younger boys and girls of all ages —from little bitty to grown-up women — I think would enjoy it,” Boll said.

The coloring book is the first book of any kind that Boll has written, and its creation was something of an accident.

“I have been doodling my whole life almost, as a way to stay out of trouble in class, and stay awake in lectures ... like most people, I can doodle when I’m a little bit bored,” she said.

After receiving compliments on her idle doodlings and hearing from several people that they would love to color her sketches, Boll realized homemade coloring books would make a nifty — and thrifty — Christmas gift for young relatives.

When she sat down to draw, the plan was to do five drawings to give to nieces and nephews for Christmas. After 17 pages, Boll ran out of paper — “or I probably would have kept on going,” she said with a laugh.

The completed book, which is self-published, features 20 colorable pages plus the front cover, which children can embellish as they please as well.

“Gypsy Doodles” is available at Global Market in Rapid City and Spearfish, Motions Dancewear, the Best Little Hairhouse in the Black Hills, Java Junction between Black Hawk and Piedmont, Valley Washhouse in Piedmont and Gypsy Rose Tattoo Studio.

It also will be for sale at upcoming book signings.

All proceeds from sales of “Gypsy Doodles” will be given to Camp Friendship, a summer camp in the Black Hills that caters to individuals age 8 and older who have physical and developmental disabilities.

The camp is staffed by a family of more than 150 volunteers that provide one-on-one care and assistance for each camper as well as creating all of the program activities.

“They work so hard, and it would benefit so many people to have just a little bit more money to work with,” Boll said.

Camp Friendship is a cause near and dear to Boll’s heart. Her own son, Joshua, to whom the book is dedicated, has enjoyed stays at Camp Friendship for the past three years.

Joshua, now 10, was diagnosed at an early age with a genetic abnormality that created delays in all areas of development.

“He inspires my husband and I both just to keep going every day. We get up and face the music, so to speak, and he’s really a driving factor for that. He’s just very special to us,” Boll said.

“He’s a special, sweet, amazing little kid; he touches everyone’s hearts.”

On the Web: Camp Friendship, www.campfriendship.org

Contact Ruth Milne at ruth.milne @ rapidcityjournal.com.

April 8 – International Roma Day

8 April 2007 02:00 FOCUS News Agency

The International Roma Day is marked nationwide. In the town of Stara Zagora a folk dance and song company “Avligite” held a concert.In the town of Sliven wreaths and flowers were laid in front of the monument of Sabi Dimitrov in remembrance of the Roma people who died in the Holocaust. A lot of dance and game competitions and a concert took place.All Roma leaders from the region gathered in downtown Vidin and paid tribute to Holocaust victims. After that they headed to the bank of the Danube River, with flowers and wreaths in hands. In the town of Straldzha Roma people enjoyed a football match, followed by songs and dances.

April 8th marks the International Roma Day, calling attention and respect to all innocent victims of the persecution of Roma. On April 8th 1971 London hosted the First World Romani Congress, which put the beginning of the coordinated efforts to internationally protect and promote Roma people’s rights. The aim is to unite the efforts of the international gypsy movement and turn international community’s attention to their problems: education, poverty, and segregation. The Roma anthem is called Gelem, Gelem. The flag consists of a background of dark blue and green, representing the heavens and earth, respectively. It also contains a red chakra, or spoked wheel, in the centre, representing the Indo-Aryan heritage of the Romani people.The International Roma Day is declared in 1992 by the UN and EU at the proposal of the International Organization Romano Union.Bulgaria has ratified all major international legal instruments on protecting the rights of people belonging to ethnic, religious or language minorities, including UN’s International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Sofia.
On the occasion of the International Roma (Gypsy) Day – 8th April – the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with certain civil organizations is organizing a series of events celebrating the holiday.

There will be parallel celebrations in six cities in the country – Sofia, Vidin, Vratsa, Montana, Pazardzhik and Burgas.

On this day, in the church “St. Nedelya”, there will be a mass service in memory of all the gypsies who have died during the Second World War.

Kavarna.
The International Roma Day – 8th April will be celebrated with a rich show program in the seaside Bulgarian town Kavarna. There will be a concert of the Bulgarian singer of gypsy origin – Sofi Marinova and the rapper Ustata (the Mouth).

The manager of Kaliakra FC – Velislav Vutsov and the coach of the team – Antoni Zdravkov will be proclaimed “Honorary Roma People” of “Hadzhi Dimitar” neighborhood.

The presenters of the show will be the well-known Bulgarian actors Lyubo Neikov and Hristo Garbov.