The Roma festival was recently held in Karviná. Temperamental rhythmic music sounded in the summer cinema area all Saturday afternoon and evening. Various ensembles from the Czech Republic and Slovakia alternated on stage, creating a great atmosphere for all visitors.
Category Archives: News Eastern Europe
Google Translate Romanes
Nice to see that google translate allows for translations in Romanes. It definitively has a bias towards Vlach Romanes, which is not the most common Romanes, but this is a good start! The choices of words on World, to think, and a few others show this bias, but on the other hand, they still use the old Romanes for “life”, which is not Vlach.
Wonder how this was compiled…
Google and Romanes
Romanes is finally in Google Translate: The biggest language expansion in history! Google added 110 new languages.
- Romština konečně v Google překladači: Největší jazykové rozšíření v historii! Google přidal 110 nových jazyků. In: Romea. 30.06.2024. https://romea.cz/cz/domaci/romstina-konecne-v-google-prekladaci-nejvetsi-jazykove-rozsireni-v-historii-google-pridal-110-novych-jazyku
Tomáš Kačo
An interview with the Romano pianist and composer Tomáš Kačo. He is now well established in many countries of the world after his studies at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. After fulfilling his dream – concerts in the Rudolfinum and Carnegie Hall – he has other goals ahead of him and he wants to be a role model for Roma.
- Ze 12 sourozenců se dostal nejdál, uspěl v USA: „Chci být vzorem pro Romy“. In: Stream. 27.06.2024. https://www.stream.cz/galerie-osobnosti/ze-12-sourozencu-se-dostal-nejdal-pracuje-v-usa-chci-byt-vzorem-pro-romy-65037378
Slovakia, Covid-19 and Roma
Some Roma communities in Slovakia were placed in absolute isolation during the Covid 19 pandemic, which nowadays thought to have been an overly restrictive measure which possibly violated the basic human rights of the inhabitants of the affected Roma communities.
- Zuzana Kumanová: Covid-19 a Romové? Restriktivní opatření, která vynucovali vojáci se samopaly, zřejmě porušovala základní lidská práva Romů. In: Romea. 22.06.2024. https://romea.cz/cz/komentare/zuzana-kumanova-covid-19-a-romove-restriktivni-opatreni-ktera-vynucovali-vojaci-se-samopaly-zrejme-porusovala-zakladni-lidska-prava-romu
Czechia: Scholarships
Roma students of secondary and higher professional schools as well as university students can apply for a scholarship from the ROMEA organization for the school and academic year 2024/2025 from Monday 17 June to Monday 22 July. The scholarship program of the ROMEA organization was launched in 2016, and since then a total of 605 scholarships worth 10.025 million crowns have been distributed to 301 students. ROMEA will support 20 more students this year than last year. A total of one hundred Roma students will be able to receive a scholarship.
- ROMEA spouští nový ročník stipendií pro Romy: Letos se zvýší finanční částka a podpoří se více studentů než loni. Stipendium získá stovka studentů. In: Romea. 25.06.2024. https://romea.cz/cz/domaci/romea-spousti-novy-rocnik-stipendii-pro-romy-letos-se-zvysi-financni-castka-a-podpori-se-vice-studentu-nez-loni-stipendium-ziska-stovka-studentu
Bulgaria, Roma, Beggars, and Switzerland
Due to the presence of s few Roma beggars from Bulgaria in Bern, members of the police in charge of foreigners went to Burgas, Bulgaria, together with journalists from the Tages-Anzeiger.
They do report on the poverty, precarity, and dreadful living conditions, but also speak (rather lest someone speak) about Roma chiefs, who, when owed money that is not repaid, “forces” people to work, “for example as a beggar” in Switzerland. They also say that begging is an important source of income.
Not when the average income of a beggar is less than 20 francs. There are other means that are way more lucrative.
- Dieses Elend treibt Roma zum Betteln nach Bern. In: Tages Anzeiger. 24.06.2024. https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/betteln-in-bern-spurensuche-in-einem-roma-dorf-in-bulgarien-641085761016?gift_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJldGFqMjEyODI3MyIsImlhdCI6MTcxOTI5OTg4MSwiZXhwIjoxNzM1MDY3ODgxLCJ0ZW5hbnQiOiJ0YWdlc2FuemVpZ2VyIiwidW5pdHlJZCI6IjY0MTA4NTc2MTAxNiIsImp0aSI6IjFkYTFhNzc0Y2YwOTBjMjI4NjFmZDhmNDJjNjM3OWFmODg5Mjg0YjNjZGExNTQ1ODhmMTgyZmQ4M2NlNmEyMjgifQ.2CvOUpsfY8KlRM70ytTTqnuGLN6gcHIvUEH5aMQIpwA
Roma and Czech Schools
A dreadful reportage in a segregated school in the Czech Republic. Karel Rajchl, the director of the Vojanova Elementary School in Děčín says that getting children and their families to cooperate is often almost impossible.
“Shh, they’re writing a test,” she warns, upon entering the seventh-grade physics class. The teacher replies “It doesn’t matter, they can’t do anything anyway”. In the last pews, two boys don’t even bother to have an open notebook in which to calculate the task entered on the blackboard, they just giggle. “These boys are one step away from raping our young female teachers,” states principal Rajchl dryly as he leaves the class again.
No Comments…
- Děti učíme jíst příborem, máme i bezpečáka. Jak to chodí v romské škole. In: iDnes. 22.06.2024.https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/zakladni-skola-decin-reportaz-segregace-romove.A240621_180216_domaci_vals
A reportage in Arte about the discriminations that Roma refugees from the Ukraine are facing in the country.
- Les Roms ukrainiens discriminés en Allemagne. Arte. 19.06.2024. https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/120868-000-A/les-roms-ukrainiens-discrimines-en-allemagne/
Bratislava: Exhibition
An exhibition of drawings by children on the theme of Roma personalities has opened in Bratislava in the baroque courtyard of the university. “Especially for Roma children, this topic was very inspiring, encouraging and instilling pride. For children from the majority society, such a topic is an opportunity to get to know successful Roma,” explained Agnes Horváthová, founder of the civil association Romano kher – Rómsky dom, which organizes the competition.
- FOTO Deti nakreslili rómske osobnosti: Na nádvorí Univerzitnej knižnice otvorili výstavu Farebný svet – Coloriskeri luma. In: Bratislavske Noviny. 20.06.2024. https://www.bratislavskenoviny.sk/aktuality/stare-mesto/80966-deti-nakreslili-romske-osobnosti-na-nadvori-univerzitnej-kniznice-otvorili-vystavu-farebny-svet-coloriskeri-luma
Slovakia and Poverty
An article on the improvements in terms of work and poverty in the town of Rimavská Sobota, in South Central Slovakia. There, the unemployment has been the highest in Slovakia for a long time, but it has fallen sharply over the last 10 years. In addition, a large investment is planned for the district, the German company Winkelmann will build a plant there, which will create 450 jobs.
At the exit meeting on Wednesday, the government distributed approximately two million euros to various projects in the districts of Rimavská Sobota and Poltár.
What benefit will come to Roma still needs to be seen.
- Z Rimavskej Soboty sa pomaly vytráca chudoba. Regiónu pomôže Winkelmann aj rýchlocesta. In: Dennik. 21.06.2024. https://e.dennikn.sk/4058512/z-rimavskej-soboty-sa-pomaly-vytraca-chudoba-regionu-pomoze-winkelmann-aj-rychlocesta/?ref=inc
Czechia: Pilgrimage
Svátý Kopeček revived the traditional June Roma pilgrimage again this year, bringing together participants from different communities and places. The event connected faith with traditional Roma culture.
- Romská pouť na Svatém Kopečku spojila kulturu, víru i společenství. In: Charita Olomouc. 20.06.2024. https://www.olomouc.charita.cz/aktuality/romska-pout-2024/
Slovenia and Roma
There was an altercation between Roma and non-Roma in an elementary school in the municipality of Brežice, Slovenia. This made the news in the country, and a controversy arose as the mayor of Brežice wrote in social media “a Roma student attacked an eighth-grader in class.” The question raised whether this is an incitation to racial hatred or not.
- »Romski«, slabšalni pridevnik. In: Mladina. 21.06.2024. https://www.mladina.si/233581/romski-slabsalni-pridevnik/
- V Brežicah posvet o medvrstniškem nasilju in romski problematiki. In: RTV365. 20.06.2024. https://365.rtvslo.si/arhiv/prvi-dnevnik/175054506
Slovakia and Roma
For a change a positive article about Roma. A employee of a supermarket about her colleagues who are all Roma. According to her, 90% of the team are Roma: They are hardworking and family-oriented. They also take the whole family to team building.
- Nika má v tíme 90 % rómskych kolegov: Sú pracovití a rodinne založení. Aj na teambuilding vezmú celú rodinu. In: Dobre Noviny.06.2024. https://www.dobrenoviny.sk/c/217327/nika-ma-v-time-90-romskych-kolegov-na-pracovny-timbilding-vezmu-celu-rodinu
Poland: A Never-Ending Story
A team, appointed by the Voivode of Lesser Poland to solve the problems of the Roma community in Koszary has started work. Currently, the settlement located on plots belonging to the Limanowa commune is inhabited by over 120 Roma (including a large group of children), but a large part of them live in unauthorized construction works, which are subject to a valid demolition order. The first proposals were made on how to effectively enforce the law without escalating tensions in the area where the Roma have lived for half a century. One idea is to relocate Roma families to larger cities.
Already a few years ago, families living in the buildings, brick houses with water, sewage and electricity connections, received final decisions requiring demolition. So far, none of them has complied with the order.
- Rozwiążą problemy Romów w Koszarach? Wojewoda powołał specjalny zespół. In: Gazeta Krakowska. 18.06.2024. https://gazetakrakowska.pl/rozwiaza-problemy-romow-w-koszarach-wojewoda-powolal-specjalny-zespol/ar/c1-18614561
Slovenia and the Roma “Problem”
The Slovenian president met the mayors of the municipalities of the Novo Mesto region regarding the Roma “Problem”. These mayors have proposed drastic measures to limit social benefits for Roma. They were not approved in parliament as they were obviously targeted at a minority, but the issues persist, and the mayors are pushing the government for action.
- Predsednica na sestanku s predstavniki občin in pristojnih institucij o romski problematiki. In: Preiskovalno. 14.06.2024.https://www.predsednica-slo.si/sl/objave/predsednica-na-sestanku-s-predstavniki-obcin-in-pristojnih-institucij-o-romski-problematiki/
Slovenia, Social Help, and Roma
A vehement article in the Slovene press against the social help that Roma in that country are getting. According to the article, “Roma have the highest child benefits and social assistance in Slovenia, which prevents them from working, they live in non-profit apartments in settlements that have become ghettos, they do not pay rent, and they break in, threaten and attack everyone: the old, the young, women, the disabled. Among the Kočevci, because of the indifferent attitude of the government towards the increasingly serious Roma problem, it is boiling.”
Well, what about that fact that no-one in Slovenia would employ Roma?
- KOČEVCI IMAJO DOVOLJ NASILNIH, KRADLJIVIH IN BREZPOSELNIH ROMOV! In: Preiskovalno. 16.06.2024. https://preiskovalno.si/clanek/romi-kocevje-1288484
Czechia, Roma, and Strasbourg
The city of Vsetín will file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in the case of the eviction of Roma in 2006. In his opinion, the right to a fair trial was violated in the dispute. The court condemned the city of Vsetín for the eviction of Roma from a boarding house in 2006.
The house was in bad condition, and the city then had it demolished. Some of its residents, including the plaintiffs in the case, had previously failed to pay rent. The Roma ended up either in container houses elsewhere in Vsetín or in old houses outside the region.
- Vsetín podá v kauze vystěhování Romů z města stížnost k soudu ve Štrasburku. In: O24. 18.06.2024. https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/regiony/vsetin-poda-v-kauze-vystehovani-romu-z-mesta-stiznost-k-soudu-ve-strasburku-350367
- Vsetín podá v kauze vystěhování Romů stížnost k evropskému soudu ve Štrasburku. In: ČTK. 18.06.2024. https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/2533354
Miss Romani Czechia-Slovakia
On the weekend in Hodonín, the final of the Roma beauty queen pageant took place. Twelve finalists, who were chosen from more than sixty applicants, competed for the title. The winner was sixteen-year-old Martina Balažová from Liptovský Mikuláš.
- Česko-slovenskou Miss Roma se v Hodoníně stala šestnáctiletá Slovenka. In: iDbes. 17.06.2024. https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/revue/spolecnost/cesko-slovenska-miss-roma-martina-balazova-romea-romska-kralovna-krasy.A240617_102232_lidicky_nh
Slovakia and Roma
Almost a hundred years ago, the so-called Pobedim massacre, a pogrom against Roma, took place in Slovakia. In October 1928, a group of rioters from Pobedimi attacked a Roma settlement. The pogrom left behind destroyed houses, injured and six dead, including a six-year-old child. But no one saw and did nothing. This event is commemorated by a production of the Slovak National Theatre.
- Budete mať luft! Slovenské národní divadlo připomíná pogrom na romskou osadu v roce 1928. In: iRozhlas. 16.06.2024. https://www.irozhlas.cz/kultura/divadlo/budete-mat-luft-slovenske-narodni-divadlo-pripomina-pogrom-na-romskou-osadu-v_2406160010_kac
EN 
DE 
FR