Student holds benefit concert in Holliston for return trip to Romania

By Kelsey Abbruzzese/Daily News correspondent
Tue Sep 01, 2009, 08:46 AM EDT

A Rivers School senior hoping to return to Romania and help abandoned and disabled children there is holding a benefit concert in Holliston to raise money for her trip.

Alicia Palmisano, who grew up in Holliston and now lives in Natick, first went to Romania as part of a school service trip in March 2008. After playing with babies who had been abandoned at a hospital, doing art projects at an after-school program and helping Gypsy children with their homework, Palmisano and four others decided a six-day trip was too short.

She and the other students are looking to raise about $1,500 to cover trip expenses for another visit in May with Romanian Children's Relief. Palmisano has organized the concert with her Weston school's ensemble, The Rivers School Conservatory Honors Marimba Ensemble.

"You fall in love with the kids and feel like the trip was way too short, even though you were there for six days," Palmisano said yesterday. "Once you get into rhythm and get to know the kids well, it's time to leave. I want to go back and see if anything's improved."

The concert will take place Sept. 20 at 11:30 a.m. in Palmisano's church, St. Michael's Episcopal in Holliston.

Eileen McHenry, executive director of Romanian Children's Relief in Southborough, said the combination of the recession, a moratorium on hiring government workers - which includes foster parents - and disappearing charity funds have left more children abandoned in Romania.

"With the economic crisis, Eastern Europe is taking a bigger hit and the poorest people are the ones feeling it most," McHenry said. "The babies end up spending months in the hospital. It's really bad."

Palmisano remembers many of the children she saw during her trip. She recalled giving a piggyback ride to one of the Gypsy children all afternoon, and then returning with the children to their homes. Their houses were one room off an alley, Palmisano said.

When the students were leaving to come back to Massachusetts, Palmisano said, the children tried jumping into their backpacks, saying, "Bring us to America!"

"We all had journals, and they wrote their names and wrote 'I love you' in Romanian," Palmisano said.

McHenry said she's happy to see Palmisano and her classmates want to return.

"We just thrive on their enthusiasm. We've been doing this a long time, and people forget about Romania. The rest of the world has moved on to other crises," McHenry said. "When you have young, energetic people come in and give you a boost, it's wonderful."

The ensemble has performed at Symphony Hall, the Tsai Center, various Boston hotels and local community centers, Palmisano said. She also said the concert will be free, but the group will be accepting donations for the trip.

Gypsy Child Thieves

This World: Gypsy Child Thieves
Wednesday 2nd September 7.00pm BBC2

Produced/Directed/Presented by Liviu Tipurita

From Madrid to Milan to London, European cities have experienced a surge of street crime since the accession of Eastern European countries to the European Union in 2007. Much of it – pick pocketing, theft from bags, stealing from cash machines – is carried out by Romani Gypsy children from Romania. This World investigates this disturbing phenomenon: the adults who force the children on to the streets to beg and steal and the increasing evidence of Gypsy organised crime, trafficking children around Europe.

Romanian film maker Liviu Tipurita, who has spent many years investigating child trafficking and exploitation and who has made several films about Romania’s gypsy community, filmed in Spain and in Italy, where Gypsy crime has hit the headlines and where the right-wing government has introduced draconian measures to target the Gypsies. With remarkable access to Gypsy camps, the film charts how child crime has become increasingly common within the community. And covert footage shows just how hard these child thieves work to earn their adult controllers many thousands of pounds.

In Madrid police say that 95% of the children under 14 who they pick up are Romanian Gypsies. Their crime of choice is robbing people as they withdraw money from cash machines. Liviu filmed covertly as children as young as ten, who appeared well trained in distraction techniques, fearlessly targeted people withdrawing money. It often took several bystanders to force them off.

In a squalid, rat infested camp outside Madrid, 13-year-old Daniela explains that how the police are powerless to stop them: “When you steal, you can make 300 in one go. It’s only the police that catch us, they take the money we have on us, they take us to the day centre, and the centre lets us go.” Girl thieves like Daniela can be sold into marriage for as much as 25,000 Euros. The value of the Gypsy child brides is directly dependent on how skilled they are at stealing.

In Milan, Italian police launched a major investigation following an explosion of pick pocketing and theft at the city’s central station. The operation, involving covert surveillance and phone tapping, revealed a sophisticated international organisation that shipped hundreds of thousands of euros stolen by children on the streets to criminal gangsters back in Romania. A police raid discovered 15 children locked in a shed, and resulted in the conviction of 25 adults for their enslavement and exploitation. However, This World discovered that some of the children taken into care during the operation have escaped and are once again stealing on the streets of Milan under the control of adults.

At the end of his journey, Liviu Tipurita travels to Romania. Here the majority of Roma Gypsies live in abject poverty. They have been the victims of racism for centuries and live outside mainstream society. Organised crime exploits the desperation and poverty that blights the community. However even a senior figure in the Gypsy underworld, interviewed for the programme, believes that the stealing has gone too far. Revealing the fabulous mansions and expensive cars that have been bought with the proceeds of crime abroad, Breliant believes that the current level of crime could lead to further problems for the Romani Gypsies: “Our country won’t understand us any longer, the Western countries will chase us away. And then I ask myself… where are we going to go? Where will we live?”

Romanian Gypsy crown prince dies in Prague

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A 17-year-old son of the Romanian Gypsy king died of a brain seizure Monday in a Prague hospital, Czech authorities said.

The young crown prince and a would-be successor to the Romanian Gypsy throne suffered serious internal injuries when he nearly drowned while swimming in a Czech lake outside Prague 13 days ago, Jana Jelinkova, spokeswoman for the hospital said, the Czech news agency CTK reported.

The patient's condition has been critical ever since he was hospitalized July 22.

On word of the death, about 50 Romanian Gypsies gathered outside the Prague-Vinohrady hospital, CTK said.

More than 150 Gypsies had arrived from Romania to be close to the youth, staying in makeshift camps on private or municipal land outside Prague, the report said.

Italy: Mayor 'pays' Roma-Gypsies to leave the city

Pisa, 21 May (AKI) - The mayor of the central Italian city of Pisa, Marco Filippeschi said the city was paying Roma-Gypsies who lived on the outskirts of the city to leave. "We send them back to their home in Romania," said Filippeschi, quoted by Italian daily 'Il Giornale'.

Filippeschi, from the centre-left Democratic Party, said he decided to demolish the shanty towns along the Aurelia and behind the hospital of Cisanello.

"The initiative has been coming for a long time. It involves 42 Roma-Gypsies from Romania, European Union citizens, who have voluntarily chosen to take part," said Filippeschi.

"As a grant to the families, the initiative cost 21,500 euros (or 511,90 per person), or a total of 30,000 including the bus trip escorted by the Red Cross. We cannot say that this is an exhorbitant price."

The group of Roma-Gypsies were taken to the Romanian city of Craiova, located in southwest Romania.

Filippeschi, when asked whether he was a member of the Northern League party known for its anti-immigrant and anti-Gypsy stance, insisted he was a member of the Democratic Party and this was not a deportation.

"By no means. I am a member of the PD. This was not a deportation, you know?. Everything was done respecting the law, informing the prefecture, police headquarters and the relevant foreign ministries. It is called 'voluntary repatriation' anyway."

The mayor said that the area of Pisa hosts around 1,000 Roma-Gypsies, half of whom live in villages where they pay rent or expenses, and the other half who live as squatters in makeshift huts.

"This winter there was a major flood in one of the camps and now the fire season is about to begin. Many of the illegal immigrants are targeted by the police for crimes such as thefts and receiving stolen goods," said Filippeschi.

Funds for the repatriation were taken from a European fund for immigration set aside for the region of Tuscany.

Under the agreement with the Roma-Gypsies the administration pays for a 'soft' return home, and in return, they commit not to come back to Italy for at least a year.

According to Filippeschi, it would be more costly for the Roma-Gypsies to return because their shacks have already been demolished and the areas already reclaimed.

There are 70,000 Roma-Gypsies in the country who are Italian citizens. Many others come from European Union countries such as Romania and Slovakia while others came from the Balkans.

Romanians are currently the largest immigrant group, and many Roma Gypsies have Romanian nationality.

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.

(MORE)

Defining The Gypsy Issue Correctly

A German author recently published a study which lists all the wrong the Romanian society inflicts upon its Gypsy population.

It is not the first time a foreigner comes to Romania and finds it guilty for deeds his or her own country is found guilty of by the international community. The German author goes that far as to state that Romania is to blame for abiding by the policy of deportation of Gypsies to Germany's death camps, which was enforced upon it by the regime in Berlin.

It is high time, however, for a list of the wrong the Gypsies inflict upon the majority population in Romania. For, while we do have a Gypsy population and a Gypsy problem to solve, we also have, for instance, an Armenian population and no Armenian problem to solve.

The key phrase is, therefore, integration to the majority population lifestyle - or not.

The problems the Gypsies have in Romania does not result from an innate discriminatory attitude Romanians have, as the German author claims, but from the innate inability of Gypsies to integrate.

One cannot solve a problem unless it properly identifies it.
I recall being seated at a wedding party next to a Gypsy man dressed in a smart white suit. When he accidentally spilled coffee on his trousers, I exclaimed: "Oh, what a pity to have smeared your trousers!" But, he said "not at all, this is not dirt, it is coffee ..."

There, in a nutshell, stayed the collision of two different takes on what dirt is made of.

One can notice the same different take from the pitiful status social dwellings were brought to by their Gypsy inhabitants. What was the Romanian state giving them houses to do: clean their rooms and empty their night pots?

After 1990 a lot on nongovernmental organizations with shady sources of income took upon themselves to elevate the status of Gypsies in Romania, strictly monitoring the Romanians' behavior towards the Gypsies.

While the real issue is to monitor the behavior of Gypsies towards the majority population, who resist the cultural integration to the majority population, where ever that majority may be located in Europe.

Translated by Anca Păduraru

Life with the Romanian gypsies for retired Hedingham teacher

Published Date: 03 March 2009

AFTER a long and demanding career teaching children from Romany and gypsy communities across Essex, you would expect Margaret Biddulph to take it easy once she retired.

But after a few months it was clear a comfortable life of coffee mornings in Castle Hedingham was not for her and she made a decision that would radically alter her life.

The grandmother put her house up for rent, packed a suitcase and jetted off to a far corner of Romania.

Mrs Biddulph, a 64-year-old divorcee, said: "I made lots of inquiries and found out about a gypsy community in Romania. In January, 2005, I decided to pack up and go. It was a just case of jumping into the unknown.

"It was quite a culture shock. Romania is a very poor country and the community I work with, who live on the edge of a village called Tileagd, experience tremendous prejudice and have become a convenient scapegoat for many of the problems blighting the country."

Mrs Biddulph, a committed Christian and member of the Sible Hedingham Baptist Church, now spends her days teaching people to read and write in their own unique language and how to live a more sustainable life through small business ventures.

"We have set up a craft programme where I buy hemp and linen for the women to stitch and embroider into bags and cushion covers," she said.

On her infrequent trips back to England she attempts to find outlets prepared to sell the products, with the proceeds being sent back directly to the community.

"It is hard for them to get jobs as the perception is they are nothing more than thieves. It's unfortunate but they have often been left with no choice but to steal to survive.

"Whatever time I have left working there my goal is to break this cycle through the craft project and education," she added.

Giving up her home and spending most of the year in a small house in Romania has resulted in an unusual lifestyle for a retiree.

She said: "It's quite strange really. When I come home I end up living out of a suitcase in spare rooms of various friends before flying back again.

"It means I keep my possessions to a minimum as well. I guess I've taken on a bit of a gypsy existence myself."

The programme Mrs Biddulph is working on is supported by the Smiles Foundation, a Christian organisation attempting to change lives in poorer countries.

The charity has already built a church and school in the village, which is open to both Romanians and gypsies in an attempt to bring the communities together.

She is appealing for any shops, museums, or tourist venues to step forward and start stocking the bags and cushion covers so the next phase of the project can go-ahead.

"I will happily meet or talk to anyone who is prepared to support this vital work.

"This is such a worthwhile project and will make a massive difference enabling the community to stand on their own feet and move forward," she added.

Anyone who wants to find out more about the Smiles Foundation should go to www.thesmilesfoundation.org

For more information on the products made by the gypsy community or to inquire about stocking the goods email m.rainbird@btinternet.com.

Rome to dismantle illegal camps

BBC News

The authorities in Rome have begun dismantling illegal camps amid an outcry over three rapes last weekend that have been blamed on immigrants.

Mayor Gianni Alemanno supervised the demolition of about 30 camps, home to many Roma, or Gypsies, from Romania.

A 14-year-old girl was raped in a park in the capital on Saturday, allegedly by two men from Eastern Europe.

Meanwhile, a government minister has said surgical castration might be the best option for those who raped minors.

"In some cases, I don't believe that rehabilitation is possible," Roberto Calderoli, the minister without portfolio for legislative simplification, told the newspaper La Stampa.

"I think that chemical castration may be insufficient and that surgical castration is the only option left," he added. "Society has to protect itself."

Vigilantes

The call by Mr Calderoli, a leading member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, comes as the government prepares new measures aimed at dealing with both crime and illegal immigrants.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, his party colleague, said it would push through an emergency decree this week speeding up legislation aimed at creating "groups of unnamed citizens" in high-risk areas, who would "assist the police by bringing to their attention events which might be damaging to urban security".


The decree would also ban magistrates from releasing into house arrest those accused of crimes involving sexual violence, he said.

Critics say the measures could effectively legitimise vigilantism and xenophobia.

The Vatican has warned against anything that turns innocent foreigners into convenient scapegoats.

Police say a mob of around 20 masked men beat up four Romanians outside a kebab restaurant in Rome on Sunday in an apparent vigilante attack.

Crackdown

Investigators believe the violence is a response to a series of sex attacks in recent weeks, including the rape of the girl in Rome's Caffarella Park on Saturday.

Also at the weekend, a 21-year-old Bolivian woman was raped in Milan by a man described as North African, while in Bologna, a Tunisian who had just been released from prison was re-arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl.

While visiting Caffarella Park on Sunday, Rome's mayor said rapists had to know they would face "a definitive sentence" and that all illegal gypsy camps in the city would be dismantled.

A bill going through parliament includes a provision calling for a census of homeless people to be entered into a database held by the interior ministry. Doctors would also be allowed to report illegal immigrants to the authorities, something which is currently banned.

Roma Holocaust victims speak out

BBC News

Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January is an occasion for Jews and Roma (Gypsies) to remind the world how their families were terrorised and butchered by the Nazis in World War II.

Roma in Vlasca, a village in southeastern Romania, told the BBC's Delia Radu about their wartime ordeal.

The Roma people of Vlasca - traditional metal workers called Kalderash - are closed and inward-looking. They are reluctant to talk to anyone from outside the community.

It took weeks of negotiation to hear the accounts of Holocaust survivors in the village.

Historians often call it "the forgotten Holocaust". Up to 500,000 Roma are believed to have died in mass shootings and Nazi gas chambers.

Recent studies have brought more of their suffering to public attention, but to this day little is known about the Roma targeted for persecution and extermination by the allies of the Third Reich on the eastern front.

The men are the first to speak - and later, when it is the women's turn, they leave the room.

Dumping ground

Sandu Stanescu remembers how, in the early summer of 1942, some policemen installed a table by the road, covered it with papers and made lists: Roma families, extended families, communities - shatras .

The Nazi-backed ruler of Romania - military dictator Ion Antonescu - had just received his reward for attacking the Soviet Union: Trans-Dniester, "the land beyond the Dniester". It was a chunk of land in the east, between the rivers Dniester and Bug.

The territory, most of it part of today's Ukraine, became Nazi Romania's ethnic "dustbin" for Jews and Roma.

Conveniently the nomadic Roma had carts and horses and the police only had to escort them across the border.

But as soon as the convoys reached Trans-Dniester, the Romanian authorities confiscated everything.

"We lost our carts, horses, all our baggage and all the gold our fathers had hidden in the carts' shafts," Mr Stanescu says.

In freezing cold, with no food, thousands of Roma were marched towards the river Bug. The survivors were forced to live in camps of flimsy hovels on the outskirts of war-torn villages, or in stables on deserted collective farms, to provide forced labour.

"My father, Mihai Gheorghe, died there, my mother Maria died there, both my brothers died there," says Mihai Gogu.

"They died because of the bitter cold, because there was nothing to eat and you couldn't wash. I think filth was the main killer: lice were crawling everywhere, like teeming ants in an anthill. That was our ordeal."

Scavenging for food

One man speaks of "beatings, disease and bitterness in the fields".

Mihai Iorga recalls how his mother had "brought with her some embroidered pieces of cloth, like those ones people arrange on walls under the icons".

His sharp grey eyes are moist and he stands in the middle of the gathering to tell the story better.

"She tried to sell those in the neighbouring village, for food. But a Romanian policeman and a Ukrainian guard saw her, beat her badly and threatened to shoot her. She rushed back home crying.

"Me and my brothers begged her not to go again. But the following day off she went. She did what she did and managed to find another way to sneak back into the village.

"We waited and waited, fearing she might never come back... But lo and behold, there she was, carrying two buckets of potatoes and sweet cornflour! Oh, how we hugged her, how we kissed her! She then baked those potatoes straight on the flame because we were left with nothing, not even a pan or dish for cooking.

"Afterwards she managed to find a small tin. She melted some snow in it, there was no other source of water, and made a nice tiny polenta. It was so good! We felt so good!"

In 1944, when the war front moved west and the Romanian administration withdrew from Trans-Dniester, the Roma had to walk back hundreds of miles, "covered in mud, covered in bitterness".

A teenager at the time, Mihai Gogu was the only survivor in his family and saw many children dying on the road.

"We walked back, barefoot. Parents carried children on their shoulders. But time and again, one of these little ones would slip and fall off the grown-up's back. They died of hunger."

Mihai Iorga's father was taken ill and died during the return journey. It was his mother who managed to see her children safely to Romania.

Girls targeted

The men leave, the women enter in their flowery scarves.

During the deportation pregnant Roma women were killed because they were unable to walk fast enough.

"A heavily pregnant woman was shot before my eyes," Maria Mihai recalls. "She fell on the ground. And the baby started struggling inside her."

The women remember how their mothers had to find water and food miles away from the camps, there were long queues at the wells, sometimes the water sources had dried up. They remember their mothers making clothes out of thick brown paper potato sacks.

But most stories revolve around the constant fear of being raped by the armed guards.

"Both my parents died. I was only a girl, in the flower of my youth. That was very dangerous. They tried to take us young girls by force," says Natalia Mihai.

There were horsemen hunting women and little girls hiding under their mothers' long-layered Gypsy skirts.

"Once they put a gun at a girl's neck and raped her, something like a whole committee raped her and they were shouting and chanting," says Floarea Stanescu. But Natalia Mihai asks her to stop: "Don't remind me of all that, I feel like dying".

A report by the International Commission for the Study of the Romanian Holocaust says the number of Roma victims in Trans-Dniester is difficult to establish, mainly because the lists of deportees were negligently put together.

Some 25,000 Roma deportees are accounted for and the number of dead is thought to be 11,000. According to the report, half of the deported Roma were children and the women were frequently subjected to brutal sexual attacks.

Now that the Roma women in Vlasca have finished their stories, the men are back.

Both groups make a few final comments about the food in Trans-Dniester. "The Ukrainians used to catch those underground creatures, moles, you know", says Maria Mihai. "They skinned these animals and either ate them or sold them to us."

"Yes," says Mihai Iorga, "I ate moles too, on the banks of the Bug".

"And when we saw those moles, we wept with revulsion," continues Maria Mihai. "And we ate dogs, too… Yes, dead dogs, sweet Jesus, we were given dog meat, too."

"But in the summer, the mussels in the Bug were a luxury," says Mihai Iorga. "She knew how to cook those, my poor mum."

Most of the Holocaust survivors in Vlasca have received compensation via the International Organization for Migration, in Geneva. The IOM says survivors and their close relatives receive up to 7,000 euros (£6,590; $9,070) each.

The compensation is paid under an IOM partnership with Germany.

Downturn hits Romania's tinkers

BBC News

Scrap metal was once a lucrative trade for Eastern European Gypsies but as Nick Thorpe reports, this has been devastated by the global economic crisis.
Melting snow has turned the unpaved roads of Zizin into streams of mud, ankle deep.

Wading through it, in search of drier ground, your ears grow accustomed quickly to the gentle murmur of the wintry village, dogs barking, cocks crowing, neighbours calling out to each other through hazel fences.

There are sharper sounds too, like the fireworks set off by children in far-off cities.

But there is no money for such frivolities in this predominantly Gypsy village.

The sounds are made by bull-whips, lengths of rope with horse-hair tied in knots at the end.

Scrap scarcity

Cracked incessantly by the kids at the end of streets, in the yards of houses, but above all on a small hill which overlooks the village.

Splitting the sky apart for a split-second, as though in the space created, poverty might be transformed into wealth, tin into gold.

Zizin - the name itself sounds like sheets of tin falling on tin. And that is how many of the Gypsies here made a living, until the global financial crisis struck.

Like millions of scrap-metal hunters and gatherers around the world, the Gypsies of eastern Europe did well from the tinkers' trade in recent years, as the price of metals soared.

A huge hunger for metal in the construction industries of India, and China in particular, fuelled the price rises. But that has all changed now.

Bridge stolen

Gypsies and non-Gypsies alike snapped up every scrap as it fell by the wayside, and today, it seems, there is little left for anyone to gather up.

As scrap became scarcer in recent years, the theft of metal became more common in eastern Europe and beyond.

One of the first Soviet locomotives in Ukraine, all 14 tonnes of it, and a metal bridge which connected a village in the west of the country to the outside world, were the most brazen thefts.

In Hungary, the re-opening of the Freedom Bridge over the Danube in Budapest, closed for many months for repairs, was postponed after thieves in eastern Hungary went off with hundreds of steel girders prepared for it.

The guttering and even the roofs of churches, and bronze plaques to Holocaust victims have all disappeared overnight.

And copper wire, used in railway signalling, was especially prized. Sixty three trains were disrupted in one day alone near Prague, when a length went missing between two main city stations.

Prices plummet

Both the Czech Republic and Hungary have now passed laws imposing strict controls on the operation of scrap metal yards. Hungary alone has 20,000.

Now everyone selling is obliged to record their identities, and full details of their loads.

But the new legislation may prove redundant. The economic downturn means people are not spending on scrap metal. Prices paid for it have fallen in some places by 90%.

From Zizin, Ion Ocelas, a father of five children with a sixth on the way, used to make the trip to the scrapyard in the nearest city, Brasov, almost daily.

Now he says it is hardly worth it. He used to get 33 euro cents (£0.29) for each kilogramme he brought in, now he is getting three cents.

Even if his horse-drawn wagon was piled high, he would only come back with a handful of small coins, less than a beggar might make for a day's pleading on the pavement outside the famous Black Church in Brasov.

"I'd like to work as a welder," he says, as he restacks the last of his metal collection - the twisted blue bonnet of a car, pots and pans, and something white and spiked, like the head of a metallic thistle - "but there's no work for welders round here, still less for Gypsy welders"

"People here have no time to think about the future," says Father Raia, an Orthodox priest of Gypsy origin, when I ask him what hope he sees. "They have to eat today."

At the main scrapyard in Brasov, buried deep in waste land beneath the girders of a new road, the manager refuses to talk.

But on the western outskirts of the Romanian capital, Bucharest, the owner of another yard, Ciprian Porumb, is happy to unburden his concerns.

Future fears

"I used to get the $450 (£300) a tonne for this," he waves his hand at a mountain of scrap, still being unloaded from lorries.

"That fell to about $150 (£100), but I dare to hope it will improve again soon."

As he speaks, a four-piece Gypsy street band, blasting on trombones and drums, marches boisterously by, serenading the ladies at the upstairs windows of the drab flats which overlook the scrapyard.

Back in Zizin, Ion's seven-year-old daughter, Rebecca, is feverish. The doctor has been called.

We leave the village as darkness falls, and an ambulance siren mixes with another orchestra of children crying, horses braying, dogs barking and always the whips, cracking in the frost.

Gypsies 'could fill county's job vacancies'

Thursday, January 15, 2009, 07:30

Romany gypsies from countries including Romania and Bulgaria could be invited to Lincolnshire to take jobs previously filled by Eastern Europeans.
Gypsies and travellers currently suffering from persecution in their countries of origin could be persuaded to flee their "squalor" and step into jobs left by Poles returning home.

In Lincolnshire they have predominantly filled jobs in agriculture.

Peter Robinson, portfolio holder for social cohesion at Lincolnshire County Council, told colleagues this week: "If, because of the downturn, we start to see fewer Eastern European migrant workers from Poland and so forth, it's my personal view we could get replacements from Romania and Bulgaria."
He said Lincolnshire could extend a friendly hand to them saying "come to us and get a better deal".

"The main problem of course, whether we like it or not, is that gypsies and travellers are extremely unpopular people to have in the county," he added.

Coun Robinson was speaking during a meeting of the council's local community development and partnerships policy development group, which held talks on a new pilot project to deliver extra housing-related support to gypsy and traveller communities already living here.

But in a written response issued via the council's press office after the meeting, Coun Robinson said it only "might be the case that gypsies and travellers could take up the jobs that Eastern European migrants used to hold".

For more on the welcoming hand Lincolnshire could offer to Romany gypsies, see Thursday's Echo.

Romanian Rockers Gig House Of Music

26 November 2008
By Marina Darmaros / Special to The Moscow Times

Until 1996, the 12 members of Romanian Gypsy band Fanfare Ciocarlia were peasant farmers and factory workers who performed at weddings and baptisms just to earn a living. None of them even had passports.

Their new life of world tours and music awards has not, however, brought about any seismic shifts in their lifestyles.

"There have been no big changes," said Costica "Cimai" Trifan, trumpet player for Fanfare, which will showcase its 2007 album "Queens and Kings" at the International House of Music Sunday night. "Of course, we live better economics-wise, but the traditional life is still the same."

This is surely no accident -- the Balkan-brass beats that grew out of this traditional lifestyle are what gained them their stardom in the first place.

On a fateful day 12 years ago, a German sound engineer, Henry Ernst, discovered the north Romanian village of Zece Prajini, hometown of the future members of Fanfare. The area had long been known as the country's best place to find good musicians, and almost every man there plays an instrument. Ernst, now the band's manager and co-founder of their record label Asphalt Tango, quickly convinced them to form a touring band.

"We definitely have more fun playing at concerts, as there, we are the stars, and our music is really appreciated," Cimai said. "At weddings, we play what the people want us to play. Sometimes it's a lot of fun, especially when performing at Gypsy weddings, and sometimes it's terrible."

Fanfare's performance vibe is deeply marked by the experience playing Romanian and Gypsy weddings, which can last anywhere from all day and night to an entire week.

Besides high velocity and marathon energy, Gypsy music is most marked by extreme diversity of influence. Its deepest roots lie in Turkish military bands from a century ago, but since then the genre has crossed virtually every national border in southern Europe, picking up additional shades of international flavor.

"[Gypsy music] is music made by Romani people from across Europe -- so the Gypsy jazz of Django [Reinhardt] in France, flamenco of Spain, Balkan brass of the Balkans, et cetera," noted Garth Cartwright, author of "Princes Amongst Men," a book on Gypsy music and the post-communist Balkan states. "The only connection these disparate musicians have is a willingness to break the rules of music and entertain. And [they all] play brilliantly."

Fanfare has expanded even outside the boundaries of the European continent, borrowing from Brazilian batucada, Cuban rumba, some Arab music and even the James Bond theme, a long-distance range they condense down in defining Gypsies as "the original internationalists."

The band has put out five albums, the last of which sold about 130,000 copies. Their many notable moments include winning the Europe category at the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2006, being featured in the acclaimed German-Turkish film "Gegen Die Wand" ("Head On") and creating an astonishing version of "Born to be Wild" for Sascha Baron Cohen's satirical movie "Borat."

Their real reputation, though, comes from their performances on stage.

"Fanfare are awesome live," Cartwright said. "They play with such power and groove -- organic East European dance music."

Fanfare Ciocarlia will headline the "Gypsy Kings and Queens" performance Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at the International House of Music, 58 Kosmodamianskaya Naberezhnaya. M. Paveletskaya. 730-1011. www.mmdm.ru.

Gypsy children of Romanian origin earn over 23 million euro annually

de Alina Comanciu HotNews.ro
Luni, 10 noiembrie 2008, 11:15

At least 200 Gypsy children from Romania, victims of the human trafficking dealers "earn" in Great Britain over 19 million pounds (some 23 million euro) from pickpocketing and fraud each year, The Sunday Times reads in its electronic edition, quoted by Romanian news television Realitatea TV.

The children, aged 8 on average were illegally brought to Britain with the consent of their parents. The parents receive an employment fee from the dealers. The activities of this network were revealed to the British Parliamentarians by Europol director Max Peter Ratzel.

All these children were brought to UK to fraud the kingdom's social security system, Ratzel wrote in a letter sent last month to the House of Commons Interior Committee. He added that the police suspects that the money are sent back in Romania.

House of Commons member James Clappison declared that this reality proved the threats coming from the East European countries. Moreover, he added that Brits should carefully consider the consequences of their presence.

After a series of investigations, the police searched some 17 houses in Slough, Berkshire and arrested 25 people. 10 children, aged 10 or less were found and handed over to the social security services.

The blues are alive and well . . . in Transylvania

Oct 16, 2008 04:30 AM

A leaf from the poplar tree ranks as the musical instrument of choice for shepherds in rural Romania.

Folded expertly into the front of the mouth, it becomes a reed instrument without the instrument, says Hanno Hofer, leader of the Nightlosers, a party band that deftly folds Romanian and Hungarian gypsy music into American blues songs.

"If you're a shepherd, you're lonely all the time," Hofer said recently from his home in the Transylvania region of northwest Romania.

"You have to invent," he said in his droll way. "You cannot play a sheep so you play a leaf."

The Nightlosers formed in 1994 as a Romanian ethno-blues band, partly because Gypsy tunes and rhythms lend themselves to American blues, and partly because "we had no chance to play at blues festivals as a regular blues group," Hofer says.

In former communist times in the 1960s, he says, East Germans were allowed to import blues records from the United States. The music was deemed working-class, suitable for the proletariat.

A few of the records made their way to Romania, particularly those of the most popular blues artist of the day, Muddy Waters.

"If I had to name a favourite artist, I would say Muddy Waters for that reason," Hofer says.

Through superb musicianship and a party attitude, the Nightlosers have enjoyed sustained popularity in their native country and elsewhere. But some listeners are still slow to win over, says Hofer, who mostly sings in English.

"Sometimes at a wedding, old people throw tomatoes at us," he says. "They say, `What kind of language is that? Chinese?' We try to calm them down by singing something in Romanian."

In Toronto, the band's reputation precedes them. A show booked for tomorrow night sold out quickly; a second one was added for tonight.

John Goddard


WHO: The Nightlosers


WHEN: Tonight, 9p.m., and tomorrow, 10p.m.

WHERE: Silver Dollar Room, 486 Spadina Ave.

TICKETS: $20 at the door

or nightlosersincanada.com

Gypsy musicians serenade Berliners throughout the year - Feature

Berlin - Fifty years ago, organ-grinders were commonplace in Berlin, churning out the music of a past age. Today, gypsy musicians provide the entertainment in the German capital's public spaces. The organ-grinders' music seemed to hug the city's walls, alleyways and side-streets, and Berliners, ever appreciative and a touch sentimental, would open windows to toss a few coins wrapped in scraps of paper to the pavements below.

No longer. Leierkastenmaenner, as they are known in Germany, are rarely to be seen these days pushing their barrel organs from street corner to street corner, whatever the weather.

At the height of the hurdy-gurdy era in 1920s Berlin, there were three barrel organ manufacturers in Berlin. But by the late 1960s the only firm still surviving was that run by Giovanni Gacigapupo, the son of Italian parents.

At one point he had 50 employees. But when he died, the firm died with him - the demand for barrel organs had dried up and his few remaining workers found themselves reduced to repairing broken down church organs to keep themselves busy in the troubled communist era in east Berlin.

Nowadays, only two or three organ grinders are to be found in Berlin, playing in front of big city stores like the KaDeWe or, at annually held Leierkasten music festivals.

Their role in Berlin has largely been taken over by gypsy musicians from Romania and parts of former Yugoslavia. Equipped with their accordions and brass instruments they entertain Berliners and tourists alike with a distinctly Balkan-flavoured brand of music.

You see them on Berlin's overhead (S-Bahn) suburban and underground (U-Bahn) trains, smiling and playing a mix of numbers for a little spare change between station stops.

Constantly on the move, they arrive to play at kerb-side restaurants and cafes along the Kurfuerstendamm and Unten den Linden boulevards and at other haunts around the Savigny Platz and on the Alexanderplatz.

For the most part, Berlin authorities tolerate their activities.

Several gypsy groups, whose members received music school training earlier in eastern Europe or elsewhere in Germany, have now settled in Berlin, forming bands that feature regularly at city swing and jazz venues

Ask Berlin officials how many gypsies - or Roma - there are living in Berlin, and they tend to shrug their shoulders, hinting that some among them may be here illegally without papers.

Of the several hundred officially registered, a disproportionate number are musicians.

One of the best-known Gypsy Balkan brass bands in Berlin is "Fanfare Kalashnikov" who first began performing on the "Kudamm" boulevard and around the Alexanderplatz, according to Robert Rigney, a local writer.

Clemens Gruen, a young German anthropologist-cum-DJ and Latin music afficionado, who, in earlier years worked with the famous Buena Vista Social Club, was swift to recognise their talents, becoming their manager.

Nowadays they play to packed audiences at venues throughout Europe. As for their "Fanfare Kalashnikov" band name, tuba player Sergiu simply explains: "We play just like a Kalashnikov: very fast and very precise!"

Another prominent "Roma" singer in Berlin is Anicka Fecova, who arrived from eastern Slovakia via Prague in the 1980s.

"I have been my whole life a professional singer, although I can't read notes and can't play a musical instrument," she told the "ExBerliner" - a Berlin-based monthly English language magazine recently.

Fecova, often hailed as the "mother of Berlin Roma Music," has never had much trouble finding work in the West, playing with her band at the city's Junction Bar, Jazz Train and House of World Cultures.

Like many Roma in Berlin, she finds Berlin's multicultural environment liberating. She stresses back home in the now Czech Republic she never experienced any racism and was always seen as a gypsy.

In Berlin it's different. "Here I'm often mistaken for an Arab or Turk," she says a trifle whimsically.

Life hasn't always been smooth for gypsies in Berlin. In 2005 the city authorities began organising the deportation of about 50,000 refugees, mostly Roma, back to Kosovo after a period of asylum in Germany, in some cases after a decade or more.

Human Rights groups claimed Berlin's action reflected "deeply held prejudices in Germany's immigration system" and was insensitive given the large number of Roma killed in the Nazi era.

City officials reject such talk, saying the Kosovan refugees had known from the outset in the 1990s their stay in Berlin was of limited duration.

Copyright, respective author or news agency

An Interview With Gabi Lunca

From BBC World Service's The Beat - only online until Wednesday (Oct 15).

Gypsy music known as laurati flourished during the Communist era in Romania. The state-run label Electrecord issued albums from acclaimed gypsy musicians such as Ion Petre Stoican, Romica Puceanu and Dona Dumitru Siminica. And now this music is finding a new audience around Europe after being re-issued by a German record label. Although many of these musicians have sadly passed away, the last surviving diva Gabi Lunca spoke to the BBC in a rare interview about this golden age of gypsy music in Romania.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_beat.shtml

What the newspapers say: September 30, 2008

de V.O. HotNews.ro
Marţi, 30 septembrie 2008, 8:54

Romanian newspapers on Tuesday look into what might happen should the international financial crisis engulf the Romanian banking sector. They also discuss the lack of sanctions at Justice Ministry level following a wave of bonuses and pay boosts former Justice minister Tudor Chiuariu made to his cronies. And one paper reports that rich Gypsy people are accused of buying heirs from poor Romanian women in Southern Romania.

Evenimentul Zilei quotes a top central bank official who says that while nobody expects Romanian banks to face collapse following the international financial crisis, if such a hypothesis would become fact the National Bank of Romania would have the money to save the banks from bankruptcy.

The paper quotes Adrian Vasilescu, counselor for the National Bank governor, who says the central bank has put several scenarios on paper regarding the effects of the crisis on Romania. He said there was little chance that Romanians would not e able to pay their rates and that Romanian banks are strong with good liquidity indexes.

Meanwhile, Cotidianul looks into what Justice minister Catalin Predoiu has done in solving the case of huge pay boosts and bonuses made by his predecessor, Tudor Chiuariu, for people he had employed at the ministry. According to the paper, Predoiu failed to take any action as he says everything Chiuariu did was legal.

Predoiu had promised to look into the case. Cotidianul reported two months ago that during his only nine months in office, Chiuariu signed more than a thousand pay stimuli amounting to over two million RON to people he brought at the ministry. The money is almost three times bigger than that provided by Chiuariu's predecessor, Monica Macovei, in 15 months.

Elsewhere in the papers, Romania libera reports that rich Rroma - or Gypsy - people in the Gypsy-dominated village of Sintesti in South Romania are accused of "buying heirs" from poor women in the village of Daia, Giurgiu county, just south of Bucharest.

The paper writes it has discovered that four boys aged up to one year from Daia were sold by their mothers for prices from 1,000 to 1,500 RON (300-400 euro). One boy was allegedly sold or as little as several blankets.

According to the paper, the mayor of Daia is investigated by organized crime investigators for taking part in such a deal. The scandal appeared locally several months ago, during the campaign for local elections, when one candidate for the seat of Daia mayor accused the current mayor of being an accomplice to such a deal.

Last but not least, Gandul newspaper reports that in the electoral campaign for general elections later this fall Liberal PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu will face in his constituency the candidate of the opposition Democratic Liberal (PD-L). PD-L will show up against Tariceanu in the county of Ilfov with candidate Sorin Minea, the owner of a prefab meat products who is very influential locally.

Romanian president slams Italy's gypsy rules

ROME (AFP) — Romanian President Traian Basescu has hit out at Italy's tough new stance towards gypsies Thursday, according to comments reported by ANSA news agency after a meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome.

"Romania does not approve, I repeat, does not approve, in part, or in large part, of measures taken by the Italian government," Basescu was quoted as saying during a joint press conference with Berlusconi, according to the Italian translation of remarks made in Romanian.

"Roma citizens are citizens with full rights in the European Union and should be treated as such," he added.

Basescu visited Romanian gypsies in a shantytown outside Rome before his meeting with Berlusconi.

"We understand part of the measures taken by the Italian government, but we cannot agree with treatment going beyond the norms of the European Union," he had earlier said in the camp in Rome's Magliana suburb.

Tough new immigration policies in Italy have focused on Roma, whom many Italians blame for rising crime across the country.

A promised crackdown featured heavily in Berlusconi's winning election campaign in April.

The government recently ushered in a plan to fingerprint gypsies, including children, and send police into the camps to take those fingerprints by force if necessary.

Bucharest said it was concerned by the new measures and has asked that Romanian diplomatic representatives be allowed to observe what the Italian authorities say is a census-gathering exercise.

Berlusconi told Basescu during their meeting that fingerprinting to identify citizens "is a common practice in numerous European countries" and that his government plans to extend it "to all Italian citizens."

Basescu and Berlusconi appeared to agree that the issue of how to deal with the Roma was a "problem" in both their countries.

"We recognise that we have an unresolved problem at home, that of the Roma minority. We propose to the Italian government to collaborate to resolve this problem," said Basescu.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni will travel next week to Bucharest for talks with this Romanian counterpart on how to integrate the Roma population using EU funds.

The European Commission has asked Italy to report on the conditions under which its census of Roma is being conducted.

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Thomas Hammarberg, has Italy's measures signified a "worrying" step away from international law.

Rome said those concerns are "totally unfounded."

Romania to collaborate on gypsies

President Basescu pledges 'shared plan' to resolve problem

ANSA) - Rome, July 31 - Romanian President Traian Basescu on Thursday said Romania would cooperate with Italy to resolve the problem of Italy's gypsy camps.

Speaking after a meeting with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, Basescu said Romania wants to create a ''shared plan'' to help free gypsies with Romanian citizenship living in Italian camps ''from the degrading state of poverty in which they find themselves''.

''We realise that we share the problem of the Roma (gypsy) minority, and we want to collaborate with the Italian government to resolve the issue, which we have been unable to do at home,'' Basescu said.

The Romanian president also defended Italy from international criticism that it was discriminating against Romanian citizens following a controversial census of gypsy camps that has been slammed by the European parliament and human rights groups.

''It's far from true that there has been negative behaviour towards the Romanian community in Italy,'' he said.

''The Italian government has put into effect simple safety measures to protect its citizens - not against Romanian citizens, but against people without correct identification papers.

''The Romanian state protects its citizens in whichever part of the world they find themselves, but we will never ask the authorities of another country to protect Romanian criminals,'' he added.

Earlier on Thursday he visited a gypsy camp with Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno and told residents that it was ''important to know'' how many Romanians were living in Italy and Europe.

He also warned gypsies that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated if they choose to return to Romania in the wake of the crackdown by the Italian government. ''Soon many of you will return to Romania, but the Romanian state will not accept criminals: the law must be applied,'' he said.

PRESIDENT SAYS EU LAWS MUST BE RESPECTED.

However, Basescu reiterated that the Romanian government did not approve of all measures adopted by the Italian government in its emergency security package and stressed that it would not turn a blind eye if these contravened European Union laws.

''Romanian citizens have full rights as European Union citizens and should be treated as such,'' he said.

Italy is set to deliver a full report on measures adopted towards its gypsy population to the European Commission by the end of July and has pledged to abide by any EC ruling.

Berlusconi repeated that the aim of the crackdown on gypsy camps - which Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has said he eventually plans to dismantle - is to improve integration, get children into schools and prevent minors being forced to beg and steal. He said Maroni will fly to Bucharest next week to meet his Romanian counterpart in order to discuss how best to use European Union funding to aid the integration of Roma communities.

Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu is also due to visit Italy in October to discuss the issue.

The vast majority of the 152,000 gypsies living in Italy are of Romanian origin, while a small percentage come from the Balkans.

Italy: Most want Gypsy camps disbanded, says report

Rome, 9 June (AKI) - Eight out of 10 Italians want Roma Gypsy camps dismantled, according to a survey released on Monday by a leading Italian research institute.

Demos-Coop, an institute that conducts social and political research, interviewed 1300 people across Italy in May. It found almost half of those surveyed were afraid of foreigners and wanted more police on the streets.

Hundreds of people protested in Rome on Sunday after local police dismantled a Roma Gypsy camp in the central area of Testaccio on Friday.

Roma Gypsies interviewed by Adnkronos International (AKI) before they were removed from Testaccio said they were being unfairly targeted by the government and being forced to move from their land.

"We are Italian citizens, we want to live like everyone else," one man told AKI. "We have suffered enough and we don't want our children to go through the same," said 'Mike', a Kalderash Roma.

The new Berlusconi government is committed to step up security and keep an electoral pledge to clamp down on illegal immigration and crime, while Rome's mayor has vowed to dismantle illegal Gypsy camps.

One Roma Gypsy, facing eviction on Friday, told AKI: "We want to live in a house like everyone else."

"We can afford rent, if they want us to pay, we can, we have no problem, but they keep promising us housing and nothing happens," said the woman.

According to the Roma interviewed and experts on the matter, Italians will not rent or sell land to the Roma Gypsies.

Police in riot gear waited at the entrance of the Testaccio camp on Friday and later escorted families in a convoy of caravans to Tor Vergata, on the eastern outskirts of Rome.

Many of the children attended school in Testaccio and families claimed it would be difficult for the children to attend if they were moved outside the city centre where they had lived for almost 20 years.

The dismantled camp had housed 150 people, including 50 children. Several told AKI they were all Italian citizens and had lived in the neighbourhood since 1989.

In an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) Karen Bermann, an American professor from Iowa State University, spoke to AKI about the widespread discrimination and the unfair treatment the Roma Gypsies face.

Bermann said they had been moved from nearby Campo Boario, where they had lived legally for about 20 years, while they waited for better accommodation, promised by the city government.

"About two and a half years ago, city authorities went to them and told them they needed the space," Bermann told AKI.

"The city said they would have another place to live, and that it would be in the zone of Testaccio, because the children go to school there.

"But (they said) we will in no way evict you until a mutually satisfactory location has been found."

Bermann claims to have a copy of the letter sent by the city government.

"The promise was not kept, and when the day came, the city came with police and told them it was time to go," she told AKI.

Bermann, from Iowa State University, works with Laboratorio Architettura Nomade, studies the living conditions of Roma Gypsy settlements in Rome, as part of an EU-Roma project.

The Gypsies were relocated from Testaccio to an area of land belonging to the University of Rome - Tor Vergata.

On Monday, the university's chancellor said that the government must act quickly to resolve the situation of the Roma, so the area they occupy can be used by students.

"The university reserves the right to protect its interests and assets of whom it owns," said chancellor Alessandro Finazzi Agro.

Tens of thousands of Roma Gypsies have entered Italy in the past few years since Slovakia and Romania joined the European Union, and they are blamed by many Italians for a recent rise in crime rates.

Many Roma Gypsies come from Romania and of the 150,000 Roma gypsies who live in Italy, about 70,000 have Italian citizenship.

Music Review: Princes Amongst Men - Journeys With Gypsy Musicians

Written by Richard Marcus
Published May 17, 2008


It's now pretty much common knowledge that the people most of the world refers to as Gypsies originated in the northern part of India. When they began their western migration isn't exactly known, but it is known that from India they set out on a road that took them first to Egypt, then Turkey, and from there on into Europe. Even though they have spread throughout continental Europe as far west as the Iberian peninsula it is the East that most of us seem to identify as being where Gypsies live.

Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Balkan states that stretch from what was once Yugoslavia down to Greece are the primary countries associated with Gypsies. Roma, as they call themselves, have become part of their cultural fabric. This is especially true in Hungary and Romania, where the folk music of these countries is now irrevocably linked to Gypsy music. This hasn't stopped them from being treated like second class, or even third class citizens in the years since World War Two.

Despised by a great deal of the general population, and denigrated as thieves, only Jews have a longer history in Eastern Europe of being ostracized and persecuted and both have suffered horribly for it. Yet somehow they have managed to survive. From the persecutions of the Inquisition to the Death Camps of the Nazis, and the intolerance of repressive Communist regimes, the Gypsies have been marginalized almost since they set foot in Eastern Europe. Living within their own communities and following their own traditions, the only bridge that has been built between them and the rest of the world has been their music.

Garth Cartwright is from New Zealand but like so many other people fell in love with the romantic side of Gypsy life. It was that infatuation that brought him to the Balkans in 1991 to begin the travelling that would end up becoming the basis for his book Princes Amongst Men - Journeys With Gypsy Musicians.

The book recounted his meetings with the men and women who performed Gypsy music in the Balkans, specifically Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. He chose those four countries for their "deep reservoirs of Gypsy music" and because their proximity allowed him to travel back and forth between the four countries with ease.

The book has been translated into a number of European languages, and is distributed by the Asphalt Tango record label in Germany, who specialize in the production and distribution of Gypsy music from Eastern Europe and Russia. So it's not surprising that they have just released a companion CD for the book.

Princes Amongst Men features the music of some of the best known performers from the four countries that Cartwright travelled through, performers that he spent time with and came to know personally.

While bands like Taraf de Haidouks and Fanfare Ciocarlia have achieved some name recognition in Western Europe and North America through touring and appearances in movies, (Taraf de Haidouks appeared alongside Johnny Depp in The Man Who Cried and he has become one of their biggest champions in the West), others on the disc won't be as well known to audiences outside of their own countries.

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Roma reaching Roma Gypsies key for 10-million plus worldwide

BUZAU, Romania (BP)—Forfeiting a starting position on a professional soccer team didn’t make sense to the parents of Mihail Stoica, a talented young Roma Gypsy believer from the mountains near Buzau, Romania.

For the Roma—an ostracized, poverty-stricken people group dispersed throughout the world—Stoica’s chance to rise above his status was a rare opportunity too good to pass up. Yet, the influence of the professional sports lifestyle came at too great a cost to stay in the game.

In a squatter village near Medgidia, Romania, a group of Roma children play near the railroad tracks. A Roma Bible study meets each week in this village.
“I was playing soccer, my personal idol,” Stoica said. “I didn’t think it was a sin to play soccer, but then I realized the price that came with that. So I left playing soccer and just followed Jesus Christ.”

In the summer of 2006, Stoica obeyed God by joining eight other young believers from across Romania to travel to a foreign city to tell others about Jesus Christ. These growing disciples are the result of the International Mission Board’s most developed work with the Roma.

The result of Roma reaching Roma is a key hope for other Gypsy work that spans throughout Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East and, more recently, into South America.

The Roma people made their way to Europe in the 14th century after being evicted from their native India. As early as the 1500s, many were removed from parts of Europe and relocated to South America.

Others traveled into parts of Northern Africa and the Middle East by force or by choice.

Through these staggered diasporas, the Roma have put down roots among people who despise them not only for their dark skin, but also for their poverty, illiteracy and poor living conditions.

Wherever their travels take them, Gypsies tend to adopt the local language and beliefs while still maintaining their own. The Romani language, strong family relationships and lifestyle characteristics unite the 10 million-plus Roma worldwide.

Best known for their wagons, fortune telling, colorful clothing and parties, the Roma are a proud, passionate people who fight against the loss of their culture and family circles.

IMB workers and national partners reach out through literacy education, teaching job skills and using Bible storying to evangelize and disciple new Roma believers.

Today, although this scattered people group may vary in dialect or location, IMB workers are able to minister along family and cultural lines to bring the Roma to Christ and train them to reach their own people—to have their own leaders and missionaries.

“When the Roma begin to do their own evangelism, they begin to cross barriers so quickly,” said Jim Whitley, an IMB worker who recently transferred from Romania to work in South America among the Roma. “A real indigenous church-planting movement. ... [T]hat’s the ultimate goal.”

Music Review: Gabi Lunca - Gabi Lunca: Sounds From A Bygone Era - Vol.5

Written by Richard Marcus
Published March 23, 2008

When my mother's grandfather came to Canada in the 19th century from Bucharest, Romania, (according to family legend he knifed a Cossack during a pogrom and had to leave in a hurry) they chose Quebec because they were fluent in French. Bucharest, along with a couple other cities, considered itself the Paris of the Danube. It was common for educated Romanians to be bilingual, and even favour French over their native tongue as a sign of their cultural refinement.

While this influence waned in the twentieth century, especially after Romania was "protected" from the corrupting influences of the West by the Iron Curtain, French cultural influences could still be found in certain areas. At the same time, while Romania's gypsy population had suffered horrible deprivations in World War Two due to being one of the Nazi's targeted inferior races, the influence of that culture on popular music that was performed in clubs in the cities, or community events like weddings in the country, was undeniable.

While the music was undeniably gypsy, with the familiar sounds of the tzimbal, violin, and accordion leading the way, and the language being sung was Romanian, the first time I heard Gabi Lunca sing I was reminded of Edith Piaf and others of the great French chanteuse tradition. Perhaps it's because I wasn't paying any attention to the lyrics, as I don't speak any Romanian, but only listening to the sound of the singer's voice, that I made the connection. Whatever the reason, there was no denying to my ears the connection between the two singers.

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ROMANIANS WANT ROMAS TO BE GYPSIES AGAIN

19:25 Mon 10 Dec 2007 - Rene Beekman

Romanians were afraid to be confused with Romas and wanted representatives of this ethnic minority to use the name Gypsies, Romanian dialy România Liberă said on December 10.

The majority of Romanians was said to be of the opinion that the incidents in Italy, of which Romanian citizens were the victims, had been ignited by media publications in which the terms Romanian and Roma were confused. Which was why Romanians wanted a return to the classical name for Romas, Gypsies, Dnevnik daily said.

A young Roma with Romanian citizenship was arrested in Rome in October on the accusation that he had robbed and murdered a 47 year-old Italian. After the incident, the Italian parliament accepted a decree, which would make it easier to expel EU citizens in the name of national security. Prefectures in Italian cities immediately started expelling immigrants, most of them Romanians. Around the same time, Romanian citizens had been attacked in several incidents by Italians.

Public opinion research by Gallup Romania, ordered by the Romanian agency for juridical strategy, showed that, according to 76 per cent of Romanians, foreigners frequently confused Romanian and Roma. According to 52 per cent of those interviewed, use of the word Gypsy would be correct, despite the fact that the ethnic group itself preferred to be called Romas. However, 34 per cent did not agree with the use of the word Gypsy.

More than half of the Romanians who had family in Italy, have been in touch with them since the incidents. Listening to the stories of their relatives, 44 per cent said media represented the situation more dramatically than it really was.

Ninety-one per cent of those who were interviewed, said they have no intention to go to work in Italy in the next six months and 81 per cent said they did not want to go to work in any EU country, România Liberă said.
According to a spokesperson of the agency for juridical strategy, Alfred Boulai, these figures were not the result from incidents in Italy, but from the fact that "those who had reasons to leave, already did so".

The emigration wave of Romanian labour force to the EU also dropped because "the large difference in standards of living has decreased," Boulai said.

Poverty and exclusion blight Roma

By Oana Lungescu
BBC European affairs correspondent, Avrig, Romania

The European Commission is set for an unprecedented meeting with Roma (Gypsy) people from all over Europe.

It is a response to the challenge posed by what has become the biggest ethnic minority in the enlarged European Union.

Europe's roughly 10 million Roma remain the poorest of the poor, often migrating abroad in search of work.

The recent murder of an Italian woman sparked off a wave of hostility against the Roma and dozens of expulsions from Italy.

The main suspect is Nicolae Romulus Mailat, a migrant from Avrig, in central Romania.

Crowded shack

His younger brother Gheorghe showed me the family home - a tiny one-room wooden shack, where four people cook, eat and sleep in two beds propped up with bricks. Most of the light comes from the television.

"Bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, it's all here," Gheorghe explains. "We went to Italy to get enough money to build at least another room."

A tall 16-year-old who rarely smiles, Gheorghe has never been to school.

Several other brothers, he tells me, are in mental institutions or foster care, and one drowned while crossing a river on horseback.

Eight months ago, they sold the horse to pay for the bus tickets to Italy.

"It was better in Italy, it was easier to get by," says Gheorghe.

In Romania, he earns less than $10 (£4.90) a day picking corn or potatoes. In Italy he worked on building sites for $60 (£29) or more.

His mother used to collect scrap metal or beg.

After Nicolae's arrest, the family fled Italy.

But when they tried to return several weeks later, the Italian border police would not let them back in.

Italy setback

"They told us we were up to no good and we should stay in our country," Gheorghe complains.

The Mailat family home, if you can call it that, is at the edge of an illegal Roma settlement in Avrig, at the end of a dirt track where the mud comes up to your ankles and dogs gather in packs to keep visitors away.

The mayor, Gheorghe Fraticiu, says there are plans to install electricity and running water.

But until then, people carry water in buckets from the nearby stream, which is overflowing with rubbish.


These miserable living conditions have driven most of Avrig's 800 Roma abroad.

Ilie Linguraru, an elderly man with a bushy moustache, can barely earn a living by making traditional wicker brooms and baskets.

He and his wife had plans to travel to Italy, but now - like everybody around here - he is too scared to go.

One man, he says, has shamed all of Romania.

But not everyone is complaining.

Next door, Viorel Floca and three of his sons have slaughtered a pig in the middle of the road and are busy scrubbing it clean with hot water and a plastic brush, eagerly watched by several grandchildren - some barefoot despite the cold.

They may not look it, but these Roma are not poor.

Here to stay

The men work as shepherds, own quite a few horses and pigs, and Mr Floca would not even consider emigrating.

"I'm not leaving my country," he says proudly.

"Who wants to work, should work here in Romania. Why should I go abroad to steal or pull faces to beg? God has given me strength and health, so I'm staying here in Romania."

Only a short drive away from Avrig's gypsy shantytown is Sibiu, this year's European capital of culture and a thriving city.

As in the whole of Romania, alarm bells are ringing about a growing labour shortage.

One local factory has even hired about 100 metal workers from India.

Some 35-40% of Roma children don't have access to school
Magda Matache
Roma rights spokeswoman

Some employers argue that the Roma are either lazy or lack the right skills, while the Roma claim they are being discriminated against.

What is clear is that despite millions of dollars from the EU and a government integration strategy, change is slow to come.

Magda Matache, executive director for Romani Criss, a Roma human rights group, says at least 40% of the Roma population is unemployed.

"Although a lot of improvements have been made in the education system, the level of illiteracy in the Roma community is still high and 35-40% of Roma children don't have access to school," Ms Matache explains.

"Roma families will not send their children to school because they don't see the importance of it, as after they finish school they won't get a job, they won't get equal treatment."

Romani Criss has started a television campaign to change perceptions.

Now that Romania is in the EU, the advertisements say, the Roma should not remain on the margins.

But even the most optimistic think it will take a generation or more until people like Gheorghe Mailat can feel at home in their own country and the rest of Europe.

I Don’t Want To Be a Gypsy Anymore

By Ella Veres

Many Eastern European immigrants carry over to the USA their racism and homophobia. This is an account of two incidents that i had to go thru in NYC as a part-Gypsy writer.

A racist incident occurred at my show and I don't know what to do about it. I hope you can tell me a way of dealing with it.

This fall I produced off-off Broadway my dramatic collage, Three Eco-Friendly Self-Propelled Clowns, in an attempt to make American audiences aware of the homophobia and racism that still exist in Romania, my place of birth. My intention was and still is to take the show back there to try to improve the situation.

Some of the text is based on actual words said by real Romanian people, and it was traumatic just translating their words. See, they talk about turning Gypsy people into soap, and I am partly Gypsy. Gypsy people are not hippies that have a romantic life style. They are Europe’s people of color and face situations similar to those that African American here faced before the sixties.

I didn’t know I was Gypsy until I was in my mid-twenties, when I was a student in American Studies and I came home to work on my genealogical tree for an exam. We were in the kitchen and my mom whispered our grandpa, the blacksmith, was a Gypsy, but we shouldn’t dream of saying anything to our father! Can you imagine a life like that? When I gave birth to my son, the first thing she asked was not if the baby was a boy or a girl, but if his skin was dark!
I came to America not to pursue a life of prosperity but to lead a free, authentic life, yes, to celebrate who I am and make sure my son is proud of his heritage and doesn’t face discrimination. I came here believing what JFK in his 1963 Address on Civil Rights said, that is “…every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated.”

Based on the facts I describe below, I fear it is not so.

1. Last week I had the director of the Romanian Cultural Center, a non-profit put together by anti-communist immigrants in the '70s, disrupted the show during an anti-racism/pro-Gypsy monologue. The gentleman heckled the actress and then when I asked him to keep his comments for after the show, he left in a huff, disparaging the show and saying to his companion, but loud enough for my crew to overhear it, “Who the fuck gives a shit about the Gypsies?!”

Earlier, when I told this same gentleman over the phone (he had called to make reservations as a result of my mailing out the show press release) that I am myself part Gypsy, he remarked that I for sure was a temperamental woman and he was eager to meet me. Then over coffee he asked me to read his palm. I didn't tell him to fuck off with his stereotypical, racist remarks because I was taken by surprise. It was the first time that I’d made it publicly known to Romanians that I am part Gypsy, and because I respected his anti-communist activities and we were looking for a sponsor to go with the show to Romania, I didn’t want to make waves. But it offended me.

2. In an attempt to reconnect with the local Romanian arts community I attended a Romanian production at la Mama Theater sponsored by the Romanian Cultural Institute, a state agency. The play, about a lesbian nun who was killed during an exorcism in a monastery in Romania in 2005, was based on a book of interviews, so we got a realistic depiction of Romanian day-by-day life and speech. That is, from beginning to end we heard homophobic, racist/anti-Gypsy, and anti-Semitic discourse going on in Romanian on stage and translated accurately in supra-titles. The anti-Semitic remarks, however, were not translated. The play’s racism was not addressed either in the Q&A session or in the playbill. The homophobia was slightly touched upon, but all that we really heard was how fantastic the director was. The intention of the creator was not clear: Was he attempting to portray Romanian reality in order to make us react against it, or he was unaware of its homophobia and racism? If he was going for reaction, then why didn't he translate the anti-Semitic remarks too?

Could it be that he is well aware that in America, in NYC, the Jewish community would have been highly offended and likely to react negatively to his enterprise, whereas he knows that as Edward Said remarked, “Gypsies are the only group about which anything could be said without challenge or demurral”?

It hurts me that such shows get applauded in NYC, today. I left a racist society, and here it is again in my face, in my hometown.

It is sickening what's going on in Europe. People, journalists, even the Foreign Minister say incredibly racist things and they go unchecked. Examples, “Gypsy people are monkeys, scumbags, sub-humans, thieves, and born criminals.” “Too bad Hitler didn't exterminate them.” “We should relocate the Gypsies in the Sahara Desert.” This was the Romanian Foreign Minister during his visit to Egypt commenting on Roma immigrants being expelled from Italy.
Also, as I was reading the supra-tiles I realized it is so weird, all nation names are written in English with capital letter. But Gypsy is always lower case… Basic respect denied.

I would like to do something about it, but I don't know how and what. I hoped there was a mechanism that concerned citizens could use, but wherever I called in NYC, they told me we have freedom of speech here and everybody can say whatever they want, so the only thing I can do is raise awareness thru the media.

I got in touch with the Roma writer of the pro-tolerance/Gypsy monologue and he said this situation is explosive and he’d raise hell in Romania. Well, I am torn about raising hell. I don’t want my incidents to create more conflict, but to make all parties involved that racism is unacceptable. Also, I asked him if it was safe for my parents and sister who are unprotected back home. He said I shouldn't worry and nothing will happen to them. Well, I do worry. Gypsy villages do get burnt down in Romania!

I hope you advise me on what to do, or connect me with some organizations that might take interest in the issue.

On my part, I’m writing letters to all people I’ve mentioned above, asking them to explain and rectify their positions and to be aware of the impact their racism has.

This experience was depressing. Whoever’s idea it was for me to come out of the closet publicly as a Gypsy should go to hell. Were it up to me, I wouldn't want to be a Gypsy anymore.

People are so busy with their Christmas shopping, they don't hear you. Gypsies? Who? What? I think it’s everybody’s issue, but it seems that American people have forgotten their own past, both with its horrors and victories. Again, as JFK said, “This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
Someone, can you help, please?

Happy holidays.

Ella Veres is a writer/performer/image maker living in NYC, hailing from Transylvania.

By Ella Veres http://www.ellaveres.com

Romanian Gypsy royalty embroiled in leadership struggle

Variously known as fortune tellers, musicians and beggars, the Gypsies in Europe are both romanticised and persecuted.

There are about eight million living in Europe, while Romania is home to the continent's biggest population - an estimated two million - and it is there that the Gypsy royalty live.

The Gypsy festival in the village of Costesti is a carnival of feasting and merriment. It is a time to indulge in some medieval-style decadence where the good life means a big belly and lots of bling.

The women wear long, colourful skirts, scarves over their hair, gold hoops in their ears and gold teeth in their mouths. The men flash their round midriffs, drink whisky straight from the bottle, admire their gold watches and rings and gnaw meat off the bone.

Every year, the massive party spreads across a village field in south-west Romania.

Each family seems to own a BMW or a Mercedes Benz. Their tables are bursting with food - roast meat piled on roast meat - and the music just does not stop.

It is a scene of fun and extravagance that belies the reality for most Gypsies.

Arguably Europe's most despised minority, they are more likely to live with disadvantage and discrimination. Even the term 'Gypsy' is a centuries-old misunderstanding, based on the notion that these travellers were from Egypt, hence the misnomer 'Gypsy'.

In fact, their ancestors came from northern India and the name they call themselves in their own language, 'Roma', is slowly taking hold.

Even though the Roma have been in Europe for centuries, they are still regarded as outsiders. In Romania, the Gypsy presence is strong - from the ghettos of the capital Bucharest, to the countryside villages.

And it is here in Romania that you will meet the gypsy elite, like Florin Cioaba. He is a politician, a businessman, a preacher - and wait there's more - because he is also His Royal Highness, the King of the Roma.

The King's palace, in the town of Sibiu, is a three-storey mansion with a throne room adorned with portraits of his late father. He was the first King Cioaba - a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp and a union official.

He crowned himself king in the early 1990s after the Communists were thrown out, and his son inherited the title.

King Cioaba usually wears a suit and tie, the trappings of a modern monarch, as he likes to call himself. On special occasions, he pulls out the good stuff - a gold crown, sceptre and medallion.

"As a king, I fight to defend their rights, because the Roma have to have a symbol to believe in - a man that they know is on their side and fights for them," King Cioaba said.


Vying for the throne

But the King of the Roma is not the only monarch in the neighbourhood.

Just around the corner, barely half a kilometre down the road, there is another ruler to meet, a man who claims to be the real leader of the Gypsies.

He is the self-declared Emperor of all Roma Everywhere - Iulian Radulescu.

A big man in his 70s, the Emperor walks slowly down the steps of his palace. He wears a gold robe and proudly boasts it was made in Turkey to looks just like one worn by the Pope.

Emperor Radulescu is King Cioaba's cousin and his biggest rival.

"Everybody you ask will say I am the greatest leader, that is what everybody will say," Emperor Radulescu said.

The Emperor says he has the noble blood to prove it - his father was a prominent Gypsy chieftain, too. He explains that in the late 90s, he was voted in by thousands of Gypsies unhappy with the rule of the King. So now he calls himself the Emperor.

Their long-running feud has descended to the level of personal slurs, with the Emperor accusing the King of "crowing like a rooster".

He says he thinks the King might be "sick in the head" and has told him to go check himself in to a mental hospital.

But King Cioaba stands firm in his position.

"Anybody can call himself the king of soccer or the king of beer, but I am descended from a family who led this nation and everybody knows that the real King is Cioaba," he said.


'Self-serving businessmen'

Both the King and the Emperor have a loyal following, but their conflict lies at the upper echelon of a society that lives on the fringes.

The Roma are at or near the bottom of just about every social indicator there is - employment, housing, education and general living standards.

At the village of Bratei, the Roma are traditional craftsmen, making copper pots and trays by hand. They once sold their wares from village to village.

But they have given up the travelling life to set up shop at home. Now they eke out a living day by day and dismiss the King and the Emperor as self-serving businessmen.

"He is King Cioaba and a king just for his type," one man said.

"He does things just for them. He says up front that he is on our side and he does something for us, but we get absolutely nothing."

The King and the Emperor at least agree on one thing - they both brush aside the complaints.

But they also both believe in the innate decency of their people.

The fortune told for the Roma has often been bleak, but these outsiders have also proved themselves to be survivors, enduring inequity and injustice to remain free in spirit, at least.

Roma camp goes up in smoke

THE Roma camp in Ballymun was set ablaze last week shortly after its 99 gypsy residents left for a charter flight back to Romania.

Our exclusive pictures show flames and smoke rising from the deserted camp just hours after the last remaining gypsies left following talks with gardai and representatives from Pavee Point.
Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze which was quickly brought under control.

Workers from Fingal County Council moved swiftly onto the camp after it was vacated and secured the site with steel fencing.

The Roma began to leave the camp on Tuesday but women and children continued begging at the roundabout up to last Wednesday morning.

By lunchtime on Wednesday the camp was deserted as the inhabitants prepared for their journey home.

Debris was left strewn around the site and uneaten food left on broken pieces of furniture. Damp mattresses and soggy armchairs highlighted the third world conditions the Roma were living in.
Empty cans of baby food and filthy nappies were scattered around the site and a wad of empty bank bags for coins left on a table.

The Roma had set up a camp on the roundabout at the busy junction just over two months ago.
Motorists complained that gypsy children were putting lives at risk as they dodged through early morning traffic to beg as adults watched from nearby bushes.

Just last month, Northside People reported how children – some as young as 10 - were weaving through busy traffic begging for cash from frustrated drivers.

The aggressive begging tactics shocked locals and the Roma were soon in the national media spotlight.

An alliance of 20 strong non-government organisations (NGOs) came together to highlight the appalling conditions in the camp. However, despite the squalid, makeshift, rain soaked conditions, the Roma claimed the camp was better than their living conditions back in Romania.

The Romanian embassy strongly denied the claims saying that unlike in Ireland, the gypsies were entitled to social benefits in their home country.

Pavee Point – who provided representation to the Roma community – defended their intervention in the crisis.

“We have every confidence in the role we have played over the past number of months in relation to the Roma and that we have not deviated from our remit,” a spokesperson said.
“Pavee Point never ever attempted to undermine or question the integrity of the Department of Justice or the courts to decide on the fate of the Roma on the M50.

“Pavee Point’s exclusive concern from the very start was the humanitarian crisis on the M50 roundabout. We were attempting to highlight the crisis and call on the State services to provide the basic necessities of life - accommodation, food, heating and clothing to allow the Roma live a dignified existence until the department or the courts decided on their fate.

“Pavee Point in its reporting obligations to its funding agencies has always emphasised the need for work with Roma. This has been reflected in our annual reports to funders, submissions and strategic plans. These are freely available for anyone who wishes to inspect them.

“We will of course cooperate with any request from the Government in their enquiries into this matter.”

The Spellbinding Music of Vardos

By Emma Hall
Special to the Epoch Times Jun 21, 2007


Vardos' Alana Hunt with her quick violin, Sofia Chapman plays the piano accordion and Indra Buraczewska on the bass at the Surrey Music Cafe in Box Hill. (Jarrod Hall)

Stories of cheese, milk, flies, horse taxis and mountains may not sound like the ideal night out, but it's merely the appetiser to the gypsy music that regularly sweeps the audience off their feet when Vardos work their magic. The trio play gypsy as well as traditional Hungarian and Romanian songs with a few Russian tunes thrown in.

Vardos energetically play a game of cat and mouse with their instruments while closely interacting with each other and the audience. Violinist Alana Hunt drives the trio with her violin; Sofia Chapman plays the piano accordion, while Indra Buraczewska – "the authentic European" – plays the bass.

Sofia Chapman explains why she is drawn to specialise in European music: "With the folk music and the gypsy music it just seems to be very lively and when you go and hang out in those communities you see everyone in the village just gets involved and so for weddings they'll go for days on end. It's just dancing and enjoying the music. It's exciting to get caught up in that too."

The band was formed in 1993 in Perth by Alana Hunt and since then Alana, along with Sofia, has made several trips to Europe to enhance their gypsy music training.

Watching them perform, it really doesn't matter where they're from; they've certainly captured the European gypsy music spirit excitement and humour.

During the show, Alana tells earthy stories of cheese, milk, flies, horses and mountains to introduce the origin of many songs. Some of Vardos's songs, particularly the Romanian ones, have slow melodies that are perfectly interwoven with each other. Other songs spin into a dizzying passion and dancing, and showcase the fantastic interaction between the three musicians who exchange meaningful looks.

One Romanian song about fairies at a stream had a lingering and mysterious quality to it that really made one feel as if walking in a deep forest.

"A lot of the people that we've learnt from do happen to be gypsies. That section of the gypsy community that plays the music, they just try and outdo everybody and play the best that they can and that's why whatever sort of music they play, gypsy musicians can excel at it," says Sofia Chapman.

Apart from playing to live audiences, Vardos have also branched out into film and television with a line-up of several short-film soundtracks to their name, including the ABC series "Seachange". More recently, in March this year, they were guests on The Footy Show playing their version of It's more than a Game.

They also featured in Ruth Cullen's documentary on artist Vali Myers, Painted Lady.

Vardos have toured in the US, Germany, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Switzerland, around Hungary and also played at the Famous Spiegeltent in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2003 they were nominated for the BBC Radio3 World Music Awards.

It is rare that musicians who are not native to the cultures of Romania and Hungary can hold their own when playing the music to which locals claim ownership. But even the locals admit that gypsy music is best left to gypsies; the fact that Vardos dare to tread into such emotionally charged territory speaks volumes. A quote from a Romanian local newspaper illustrates their passion: "If in the beginning of our careers we thought that we couldn't live without music, now we are sure that we can't live without Romanian music."

Vardos will perform on Saturday June 16 at the Austrian Club in Heidelberg West in Melbourne and at the Czech House on June 17 in North Melbourne. In true gypsy fashion the trio perform at a whole range of events that also include weddings. To find out more and sample their spellbinding music visit www.vardos.com.au.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2000 - 2007 Epoch Times International

Gypsy Caravan: US Theatrical Release!

Gypsy Caravan (a.k.a.: When the Road Bends...tales of a Gypsy Caravan) launches its U.S. theatrical release in New York City this June! It will screen in over twenty US cities throughout the summer.

Don't miss this dazzling display of the musical world of the Roma, juxtaposed to the real world they live in! Check for screening dates and theaters in a town near you.

For more details contact Little Dust Productions at 212-228-7777 or info@littledust.com
-or-
Karen O'Hara at karenoh@aol.com or 520-326-0813.

More about the film...

This rich feature documentary by Jasmine Dellal (American Gypsy) and shot by Albert Maysles celebrates the luscious music of top international Gypsy performers and interweaves stirring looks at their home life and personal stories.

GYPSY CARAVAN is an uplifting and moving documentary which explores the real lives of the Roma as we travel to their homes in Macedonia, Romania, India and Spain. Meet their families and see what music brings to their lives – a link to an ancient culture, a common language, a traditional career – all of which is a stark and often painful contrast to life on the road.

The personal drama and stories of these characters are interwoven with their performances, reflecting the imagery and emotion of their music. We see love and death and tales of lives that are raw and rich. They make us laugh and cry and laugh again, allowing us to understand and expand on the riches of Romani music and history, and letting us enjoy knowing the people intimately.

GYPSY CARAVAN is currently screening at festivals in Seattle, London and Transilvania. It launched at Tribeca and garnered festival awards from San Francisco to Nashville and Vancouver, and from Korea to the Czech Republic.

Read about the outreach efforts of Gypsy Caravan and the lessons learned about bringing this film to Roma communities and new and unexpected audiences around the world.

• Gypsy Caravan Outreach Journal I by Lucy Kay

•Gypsy Caravan Outreach Journal II by Sara Nolan

•Salon.com summarized it well: "Let me read your thoughts: You're not much interested in Gypsy music, and the historical and cultural stuff might be pretty dry. That's what I thought too: Wrong and wrong. ...a cinematic and musical experience that's absolute magic."

Read the full article.

When the Road Bends...tales of a Gypsy Caravan released by Shadow Distribution

Starts
06/15/2007
Ends
08/11/2007

Issues
Economic Justice, Family & Society, Immigration, International, Politics/Government, Racial Justice, Poverty, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Romany

Homepage
www.GypsyCaravanMovie.com

Contact
info@littledust.com

Posted on June 15, 2007 in Film / Screening by Anayansi

Student helps children in Romania

Posted: Monday, Feb 19, 2007 - 11:31:32 am CST
By Hillary Wundrow
Daily News staff writer

One Beloit woman was so touched by the children of Romania, she has visited them five times.

Melany Williams, the daughter of Stephen and Joyce Williams, enjoys traveling to Romania to share her faith and warm scarves with the impoverished children.

A Beloit College sophomore studying education and international relations, Williams first traveled to Romania at age 17 for a short-term mission trip. She was supposed to go to South Korea, but the trip was canceled because of the SARS outbreak.

“It was kind of a fluke,” Williams said. “I got there (to Romania) and fell in love with the country that I had hardly heard of before.”

During the first trip she traveled with Word of Life, an international Christian organization. Once in Romania, she spent her time in orphanages, doing evangelism on the streets and joining in drama and choir performances.

“It was something that took me out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it,” Williams said.

Although it took a while to warm up Romanians, the people were hospitable. When she got to know them better, they opened their hearts and took her in.

“They aren't as open as Americans on the first meeting, but once you have a connection, they are very warm and loving people and very committed to family, friends and relationships,” Williams said.

What really struck her was the many children in orphanages and on the streets.

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