Category Archives: News Eastern Europe

Bosnia News Eastern Europe

Bosnia and Hercegovina – Romanes Day

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Bosnia and Hercegovina – Romanes Day

A very small number of Roma speak their mother tongue. The question is why this is so. Are the Roma additionally exposed to discrimination due to the use of the Romani language, or is it not being given enough attention? And the activities so far have not produced concrete results.

Ago and Beko from Kakanj speak the Romany language every day, thereby emphasizing their tradition, and the language is passed down from generation to generation in their family. “It’s important for us, it’s part of our tradition. The first language is Romanes, and then it gradually goes to Bosnian.”

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Roma, and Health

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Bulgaria, Roma, and Health

The regional health inspectorate in Pernik organizes free preventive examinations for children of Roma origin with a mobile office – the institution reports. The purpose of these examinations is to improve the health status and access to medical care of people from vulnerable groups, as well as those living in areas far from medical facilities.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Attack and Manifestation

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Czechia: Attack and Manifestation

Several dozen Roma gathered on the square in Náchod on Saturday afternoon. According to representatives of the Roma association Náchod, the reason for convening the assembly was growing security concerns. Tensions have risen in the community following an incident last weekend in which a young Rom was assaulted.

The gathering, is meant to draw attention to the growing concerns of Roma about their safety in the city.

The grandmother of the attacked young man spoke at the meeting. “Hopefully it won’t happen again,” she said. She added that she was worried about the safety of Roma children.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and School Segregation

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Slovakia and School Segregation

Slovakia has been condemned by the EU for its de-facto school segregation of Roma children. The latest measures on de-segregation of schools voted by the Slovak parliament are being criticised by the association EduRoma. The parliament decided to ban two-shifts operations in schools and to teach Romanes in classes. EduRoma says that “In the name of language education, you will be able to officially separate those children from other children. You can segregate them in the name of language education, no one will tell you anything about it.”

Kosovo News Eastern Europe

Kosovo, Romanes, and Music

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Kosovo, Romanes, and Music

With a part of this musical opus, the International Day of Roma Language and Culture was marked by the ensemble “Egnatia”. The program included poetry in the Romani language as the chosen form for its promotion.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Roma and Funds – Some other News

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Slovenia, Roma and Funds – Some other News

Again an article about the funds allocated to municipalities with a Roma population in Slovenia. The current way these subsidies are calculated favours large municipalities, regardless of the number of Roma who live there. Now the government plans to change that. And several mayors are not for it.

In any case, Roma complain that the funds are not spend on purpose, and the mayors say that the funds are not sufficient to move the needle …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Roma, and Funds

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Slovenia, Roma, and Funds

In Slovenia, there are twenty-five municipalities with a registered Roma population, among them eleven in Dolenjsko, Posavje, Bela Krajina and the Kočevsko-Ribinška area. From 2021, based on Article 20a of the Municipal Financing Act (ZFO-1), they are entitled to additional state funds (3.5 percent of eligible spending), the main criterion being the number of all residents of the municipality. This means that the bigger the municipality, the more money it gets, regardless of the number of Roma. This is not fair for smaller municipalities with a large number of Roma.

Roma complain that the funds are not spend on purpose…

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Civil Right Lawyer

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Civil Right Lawyer

In the cases of illegally sterilized Roma women, beaten Roma during police raids and segregated Roma pupils, the courts finally recognized that their rights had been violated. However, this journey was not easy, it took a long time and in some cases it is not yet over.

These cases are also linked by the fact that the lawyer Vanda Durbáková from the Counselling Centre for Civil and Human Rights in Košice stood up for their rights. She has been representing the rights of Romae for over 20 years and also deals with public lawsuits, where they sue state institutions and point to systemic forms of discrimination and violation of the rights of Roma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Book

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Czechia: Book

The organization Slovo 21 has published a book  titled “Fameľija nadevše” [Famous above all], a collection of short stories in which fifteen Romnja authors share experiences and values ​​related to family through their stories. The collection was created within the Paramisara literary club, which provides authors with space for creative growth and mutual inspiration.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Prague: Concert

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Prague: Concert

At the end of October, the Concert of Legends took place in the Gong Theater in Prague. The event was organized by the Viva association with the financial support of the Prague 9 district. Traditional music accompanied by Josef Šenki’s cymbalum band was accompanied by Roma artists.

The composer, singer and musician Gejza Horváth gve an interview about the event.

Moldova News Eastern Europe

Moldova: Stipends

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Moldova: Stipends

93 Roma pupils and students will receive scholarships of 1,200 lei. The scholarships will be provided monthly by the Ministry of Education and Research. According to the authorities, the goal of the initiative is to reduce educational disparities and encourage young Roma to achieve academic success.

93 is not many compared to the Roma population of the country.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Uzhhorod, the War, and Roma

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Uzhhorod, the War, and Roma

A long reportage about the Western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod. Beside speaking to residents, refugees, people getting rehabilitated, they also looked at Roma from the city. 6’000 of them lived there prior to the war, and now almost 600 of them are enrolled in the Ukrainian Army. In addition, there are Roma refugees from currently occupied territories.

Unfortunately, they also speak about “barons” (which do not exist), and other stereotypes.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria: Brawl

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Bulgaria: Brawl

A fight between two Roma families in the village Mikrevo, Strumyani municipality, required the intervention of the police of Sandanski. Apparently, neighbours drank all day in the yard of one of the houses yesterday and after a decent amount of alcohol got into a fight.

This is bad, as such brawls regularly make it in the press in Bulgaria.

News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

North Macedonia and Romanes

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North Macedonia and Romanes

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski of North macedonia emphasised at the commemoration of the International Day of the Romani Language that taking care of the language is also taking care of the future of Roma culture and its values. With the support of education, cultural manifestations and international initiatives, he said we can be sure that the Romani language will continue to be part of our cultural wealth.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

International Romani Language Day

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International Romani Language Day

An article in the Slovak press on the creation and adoption of November 5th as the international Romanes Day.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and a Roma Neighbourhood

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Slovakia and a Roma Neighbourhood

The postman does not come to them, taxi companies refuse to take them home. Residents of the Farárske district of Trnava are requesting the intervention of the prosecutor’s office. The news say that Roma in that neighbourhood are destroying cars, fighting, etc. And that the police doesn’t even go in that neighbourhood.

Bad.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Romanes Day in Slovenia

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Romanes Day in Slovenia

On today’s World Day of the Romani Language, the need to preserve this language, which is on the verge of disappearing in Slovenia due to many factors, is becoming increasingly evident. According to Roma assistant Bojana Rozman, Roma is heard less and less, as young people rarely use it, and the school system neglects the Romani language. Also, the language is changing rapidly, modern expressions are entering, as a result of which its authenticity can be nullified.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Counting Roma Children

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Czechia: Counting Roma Children

Recent reports in the media about the collection of an estimate of the number of Roma children in primary schools have caused strong reactions and much confusion. This process, which has been running regularly since 2015, aims to monitor how the situation of Roma children in Czech education is developing and whether progress is being made in reducing segregation. The collection of data is a response to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights and the pressure of the European Commission, which drew the Czech Republic’s attention to the discriminatory practice against Roma children. This procedure is not a novelty.

Nevertheless, the criteria for saying who is Rom are dubious …

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