Category Archives: Romania

Slavery in Romania

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An article on the slavery of Roma in Romania (actually in Wallachia and Moldova). Romanians are at long last starting to deal with the slavery and undergoing what happened in the USA in the 1960’s.
Unfortunate that the article contains a few mistakes (Gypsy is not derived from Athinganoi …)

– Romania turns its back on dark past of Roma slavery. In: Euractiv. 03.03.2018. https://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/romania-turns-its-back-on-dark-past-of-roma-slavery/ [link-preview url=”https://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/romania-turns-its-back-on-dark-past-of-roma-slavery/”]

Roma, Work, and Slovenia

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Although the high rate of Roma unemployment in Central and South-Eastern Europe is often attributed to a low level of education and professional skills, one of the more important reasons is discrimination that prevents Roma from entering the labour market on an equal footing.
Integration into the labour market should be a priority in promoting a full social inclusion. Some steps towards this goal were made by the recently completed two-year international Working Roma project, which included the Novo Mesto Society for the Development of Volunteer Work.
As project coordinator Tina Cigler says, in the Working Roma project, partners from nine European countries have tried to develop new tools to prevent intolerance against Roma in the labour market, thereby increasing their employment prospects. The tools and recommendations were developed on the basis of study visits by partner countries, consultations within different groups and good practices that we detected in our partner countries: Italy, Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Greece, Malta and the United Kingdom.
Let’s see.

– Se zaposlovanju Romov obetajo boljši časi? In: Dolenski List. 28.02.2018. http://www.dolenjskilist.si/2018/02/28/191553/novice/dolenjska/Se_zaposlovanju_Romov_obetajo_boljsi_casi/ [link-preview url=”http://www.dolenjskilist.si/2018/02/28/191553/novice/dolenjska/Se_zaposlovanju_Romov_obetajo_boljsi_casi/”]

French Chronicle …

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Not many news this week in France about Roma. First, an article that shows integration works. Roma who were part of a program around Paris found a job. The French defender of Human Rights, Jacque Toubon, lauded the successes of an insertion village near Paris. Other than that, in Triel sur Seine, residents are fighting for the closure of a Roma camp; a fire in a Roma camp is reported in the North of France; and Roma, while more likely to get measles are also more likely to vaccinate against it, given the opportunity.
Finally, two cases of criminality: Romanian thieves attacking women and card thefts in Western France.

– Des Roms quittent le bidonville pour se former. In: La Croix. 19.02.2018. https://www.la-croix.com/Economie/France/Roms-quittent-bidonville-former-2018-02-19-1200914823
– Toubon salue les résultats ” remarquables ” du village humanitaire d’Ivry. In: Le Parisien. 21.02.2018. http://www.leparisien.fr/val-de-marne-94/ivry-toubon-salue-les-resultats-remarquables-du-village-humanitaire-21-02-2018-7571622.php
– Camp de Roms à Triel-sur-Seine : des habitants expriment leur ras-le-bol au conseil. In 78 Actu. 23.02.2018. https://actu.fr/ile-de-france/triel-sur-seine_78624/camp-roms-triel-sur-seine-habitants-expriment-leur-ras-bol-conseil_15586775.html
– Camp de Roms : constat partagé, visions opposes. In: La Gazette. 21.02.2018. http://lagazette-yvelines.fr/2018/02/21/camp-de-roms-constat-partage-visions-opposees/
– Une caravane prend feu dans un camp de Roms, pas de victim. In: La Voix du Nord. 20.02.2018. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/321051/article/2018-02-20/une-caravane-prend-feu-dans-un-camp-de-roms-pas-de-victime
– Rougeole : ce que la ministre ne dit pas. In: NPA. 20.02.2018. https://npa2009.org/actualite/sante/rougeole-ce-que-la-ministre-ne-dit-pas
– Maine-et-Loire. Les cambrioleurs roumains s’attaquaient aux fermes. In: Ouest France. 23.02.2018. https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/angers-49000/mauges-les-cambrioleurs-roumains-s-attaquaient-aux-fermes-5584470
– Rennes. Six ans de prison requis contre le chef des voleurs de cartes bancaires. In: Ouest France. 20.02.2018. https://www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/rennes-35000/rennes-six-ans-de-prison-requis-contre-le-chef-des-voleurs-de-cartes-bancaires-5577768 [link-preview url=”https://www.la-croix.com/Economie/France/Roms-quittent-bidonville-former-2018-02-19-1200914823 “]

Roma Slavery

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An article on the Roma slavery in Romania on the anniversary of its abolition.

– Roma Slavery is Historical Trauma. In: Harvard Center for Health and Human Rights. https://fxb.harvard.edu/roma-slavery-is-historical-trauma/ [link-preview url=”https://fxb.harvard.edu/roma-slavery-is-historical-trauma/”]

More on Frankfurt

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The story of the stamp and the note on the passport of a Romni from Romania continues to feed the news. It made it to the Romanian news, where they noted that the German administration effectively defaced property of the Romanian State (yes, the passport). It continues to get coverage in Germany, as it is all too reminiscent of practices of the Nazis.

– Bedenkliche Vermerke in Pässen: Will Frankfurt obdachlose Roma-Migranten vertreiben? In: Sputnik. 21.02.2018. https://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20180221319658092-deutschland-frankfurt-sinti-roma-vertreiben/
– Ţigani români, în centrul unui nou SCANDAL: Riscă expulzarea din Germania – ‘Comportament scandalos’. In: Stiripesurse. 22.02.2018. https://www.stiripesurse.ro/tigani-romani–in-centrul-unui-nou-scandal–risca-expulzarea-din-germania—-comportament-scandalos-_1250381.html [link-preview url=”https://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20180221319658092-deutschland-frankfurt-sinti-roma-vertreiben/ “]

A Parallel

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An article making a parallel between Roma and African Americans due to slavery. Historically, one has to be careful because Roma slavery existed only in Wallachia and Moldova (which later became part of Romania) and to a lesser extent in other regions of Transylvania. Nowhere else. So the parallel is very valid in Romania itself, but cannot be generalised.

– Roma and African Americans share a common struggle. In: The Guardian. 20.02.2018. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/20/roma-african-americans-common-struggle [link-preview url=”https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/20/roma-african-americans-common-struggle”]

Really????

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The so-called “Ordnungsamt” – Office of Order – of the city of Frankfurt is in the middle of a controversy. One of their employees stamped the passport of a Romanian Romni with the official office’s stamp and wrote on the passport “Was met while aggressively begging”.
Not only is this illegal but it also reminds one of the past. Let’s hope the person who did this gets booted out.

– Ordnungsamt-Stempel im Pass einer Romni sorgt für Aufsehen. In: Merkurist. 16.02.2018. https://merkurist.de/frankfurt/repressalien-ordnungsamt-stempel-im-pass-einer-romni-sorgt-fuer-aufsehen_tIl [link-preview url=”https://merkurist.de/frankfurt/repressalien-ordnungsamt-stempel-im-pass-einer-romni-sorgt-fuer-aufsehen_tIl”]

Salzburg: Beggars and Snow

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An article on the plight of beggars – in some case Romanian Roma – during the winter. Lack of shelters, sleeping in the rough, poverty. Is this the “organised criminal beggar bands”?

– Drama um die Bettler in Schnee und Eiseskälte. In: Die Krone. 15.02.2018. http://www.krone.at/1641271 [link-preview url=”http://www.krone.at/1641271″]

Giuvlipen

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An article about the young Roma activist who produced and acted in the play “Giuvlipen” in Romania.

– How is Roma activist art challenging stereotypes? In: Al Jazeera. 07.02.2018. http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201802070119-0025585 [link-preview url=”http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201802070119-0025585″]

Romania: Theatre

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Some pictures of the Romania Roma Theatre company Djuvlipen who currently produces the play “Gadjo Dildo” in Cluj, Romania.
Nice it was published in India. How about in Europe too?

– Romania’s Roma culture seeks stage through feminist theatre company Giuvlipen. In: India Express. http://indianexpress.com/photos/lifestyle-gallery/romanias-roma-culture-seeks-stage-through-theatre-company-giuvlipen-5043769/ [link-preview url=”http://indianexpress.com/photos/lifestyle-gallery/romanias-roma-culture-seeks-stage-through-theatre-company-giuvlipen-5043769/”]

Romania: Theatre Against Prejudice

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“Gadjo Dildo” – a name chosen as a play on the title of Toni Gatlif’s movie “Gadjo Dilo” is a theatre performance based on stories of sexism and racism that Romnja encounter on a daily basis in Romania.
The play can be seen in Cluj and features Elena Duminica, a Romani actress.

– Romanian Roma use theater to address bigotry. In: The Christian Science Monitor. 22.01.2018. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2018/0122/Romanian-Roma-use-theater-to-address-bigotry
– Romania’s Roma culture seeks stage to depict discrimination. In: Reuters. 22.01.2018. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-romania-theatre/romanias-roma-culture-seeks-stage-to-depict-discrimination-idUKKBN1FB146?utm_source=34553&utm_medium=partner [link-preview url=”https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2018/0122/Romanian-Roma-use-theater-to-address-bigotry “]

Bear Skins

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An old custom in Comanesti, Romania, traced back to Roma: A ritual in bear skins to ward off evil.
On a side note, RT (a Russian government sponsored site) could do better: “The Roma community of Gypsies” WTF !!!

– Romanian villagers perform ritual ceremony in bear-skin costumes. In: RT. https://www.rt.com/in-motion/414691-romania-bear-skin-ceremony/ [link-preview url=”https://www.rt.com/in-motion/414691-romania-bear-skin-ceremony/”]

Moslems and Europe

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A scholarly work on the Moslem presence in the Balkan in the last two hundred years. And it concerns Roma too, as the fourth largest Moslem minority in the Balkans, after the Albanians, the Bosniaks, and the Turks.

– Revisiting Europe’s Muslim Heartland. In: TOL. 19.12.2017. http://www.tol.org/client/article/27422-albania-bulgaria-romania-muslims-islam-books.html [link-preview url=”http://www.tol.org/client/article/27422-albania-bulgaria-romania-muslims-islam-books.html”]

Buzescu, Romania …

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Yet another article, this time in Switzerland, about the Roma palaces of the city of Buzescu. Not good for all, and one can argue about the style.

– Die Roma-Paläste von Buzescu. In: 20 Minuten (CH). 21.10.2017. http://www.20min.ch/immobilien/story/13921220 [link-preview url=”http://www.20min.ch/immobilien/story/13921220″]

Collective Guilt

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What we really don’t need … A case of rape with a truly underage 12 years old girl due to a child wedding. The Rom, 25 years old was sentenced to 6 years of jail. It did the front page of the UK press and of course also of the Romanian one.
It is used unfortunately as a case f collective guilt.

– Roma man from Romania jailed in UK for raping 12-year-old pregnant wife. In: Romania Insider. 12.10.2017. https://www.romania-insider.com/roma-man-romania-jailed-uk/
– Romany Gypsy man, 25, is jailed for six years for having sex with his TWELVE-year-old wife after moving to Essex. In: Daily Mail. 10.10.2017. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4965092/Romany-Gypsy-man-25-jailed-six-years.html [link-preview url=”https://www.romania-insider.com/roma-man-romania-jailed-uk/ “]

Nostalgia

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An article on the Romanian Kitsch museum… Guess what it showcases over Roma: Kings and crowns – which actually don’t mean anything.
A further stereotype.

– Many eastern Europeans feel nostalgia for the communist era. In: The Economist. 12.10.2017. https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21730167-though-few-really-want-dictators-back-many-eastern-europeans-feel-nostalgia-communist [link-preview url=”https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21730167-though-few-really-want-dictators-back-many-eastern-europeans-feel-nostalgia-communist”]

Discrimination

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The “Therme Bucharest”, the biggest wellness and spa complex in Romania has been fined for discriminating against Roma. Specifically they were condemned to pay RON 30’000 for discrimination against two Roma who were pulled out of the line and told to get out.
Good!

– Therme Bucharest needs to pay moral damages for Roma discrimination. In: Romania Insider. 03.10.2017. https://www.romania-insider.com/therme-bucharest-damages-discrimination/ [link-preview url=”https://www.romania-insider.com/therme-bucharest-damages-discrimination/”]

Pennsylvania: Screening of our School

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Quite a few people of the town of Californai (PA) went to see a screening of the movie “our school” by Miruna Coca-Cozma – an excellent movie which highlights the difficulties and racism faced by Roma in Romania.
The town was at the centre of a media frenzy with the arrival of ca 50 Roma refugees from Romania.

– Film Shown to Highlight Struggles of Roma People. In: CalTimes. 03.10.2017. https://www.caltimes.org/3941/showcase/film-shown-to-highlight-struggles-of-roma-people/ [link-preview url=”https://www.caltimes.org/3941/showcase/film-shown-to-highlight-struggles-of-roma-people/”]

Pilgrimage in Romania

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Pictures of the Roma feast of St. Gregory in Costesti.

– AP PHOTOS: Roma celebrate religious feast day in Romania. In: Idaho Statesman. 27.09.2017. http://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/article175605856.html [link-preview url=”http://www.idahostatesman.com/entertainment/article175605856.html”]

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