News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia and Education

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According to the article, education, being the most important segment of the Strategy for improving the position of Roma men and women, primarily aims to include Roma children and youth in Serbia’s education system. Pedagogical assistants in primary schools is very important factor of this strategy and they have multiple roles.

Ganimeta Zejnula, pedagogical assistant at the “Petar Petrović Njegoš” Primary School in Zrenjanin, drew attention to the results achieved by Roma students who receive assistance in their studies on a daily basis.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Pianist and Presenter

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The young pianist Orsolya Lázoková, a Romni from Tornale, Slovakia, where she works as a television presenter at Madrom TV. She is a graduate of the Private Music and Drama Conservatory in R. Sobota and is currently continuing her piano studies in Banská Štiavnica. She enjoys her work as a presenter and editor and gathers new experiences.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Discrimination?

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Renáta Karchňáková comes from Vranov nad Topľou, Slovakia, and has never denied she is a Romni. She has a university degree, works as a nurse, and says that people respect educated and decent Roma.
She may be right, but frankly, this would be a real exception…

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland, Social Housing, and Roma

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Another article in a long series about Roma in the city of Pułlawy, Poland. This time about Roma who illegally live in vacant premises in social housing…

The real questions i.e. why are there vacant premises, and why can’t the Roma get to them legally are not addressed here.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Roma and Schools in Slovakia

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Ildikó Kotlárová comes from the Olaš (VlaX) Roma community and has been breaking stereotypes since she was a child. As a teacher and director of the Lajos Mocsáry Elementary School in Fiľakovo, which is attended primarily by students from the Roma community, she fights against stereotypes.

She says that those who live in generational poverty cannot lead their sons and daughters to education. Even if they wanted to learn, they don’t have the finances to do so.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Discrimination

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A polemic article in the Slovenian press on Roma and on the defender of the principle of equality of the country. Basically, they say that Miha Lobnik, defender of the principle of equality, must ensure that Roma “are discriminated against” in order for him to justify his salary and that of his 28 employees.

Well, in Slovenia, discrimination against Roma is ripe. The article tends to dismiss it.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Roma in Serbia

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The association “Urma” was founded in 2003, and the primary area of activity was the preservation and nurturing of Roma heritage, through traditional Roma dance and music performed by members of the cultural and artistic society. They received funding from the competition of the Provincial Secretariat for the Economy, Employment and Gender Equality for the performance of public works. Miodrag Veldi, president of the association, spoke to Telegraf.rs about the implementation of this work.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia: Romodrom

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As part of the traditional musical and stage event ROMODROM, organized by the Roma Cultural Centre, the audience had the opportunity to enjoy the music of the Amaro Del group and the recitation of the actress Iskra Brajović, who interpreted verses in the Roma and Serbian languages, Miroslav Mika Antić and Jovan Nikolić Jofa.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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Another case of the Roma “problem” in Slovenia. In this case, the difficult cohabitation of Roma and locals in the town of Šentjernej. The people there apparently no longer feel safe in their municipality, the situation is getting worse, and their trust in state authorities to improve things is decreasing. Apparently, insecurity is indeed increasing.

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Poetry in Serbia

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The Association of Roma Writers and the Association of Writers of Serbia organised a poetry New Year and presented the book “December Meetings” – a collection of poetry for children and adults, prose and aphorisms, as part of the traditional Poetry New Year.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Business Seminars

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More than 80 Roma from Žarnovica and its surroundings took part in infoseminars aimed at starting their own business. The Black and White civic association organized these free seminars for Roma people interested in starting an independent business in the region.

“In total, we conducted 12 seminars on the topics: Legal forms of business (starting/restarting your own business), Economic aspects of business and Basics of marketing for small entrepreneurs. 84 interested people took part in these, a quarter of them were women, which makes us very happy.” said Andrej Kováč, chairman of the civic association.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland: Interview

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An interview with Sonia Styrkacz, a psychologist from a Silesian Roma family married to a Carpathian Polish Rom.On Christmas traditions, she says: “On Christmas Eve, various traditions mix in our house – Romani, Polish, Catholic, Silesian, highlander. I am a Silesian Roma, my husband is a mountain Roma from Podhale, so our family traditions are different. In my family home, holidays were a time of meeting, peace and conversation. Religious aspects receded into the background. For my husband, there are no holidays without mass. We also have different culinary traditions – my husband’s family fasted on Christmas Eve, while mine ate meat. We weren’t preparing maybe 12 dishes, but there had to be a lot of food – stuffed cabbage rolls, pork chops and minced meat, roulades, which we took over from Silesian cuisine.”

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland, Prisons, and Roma

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Reports and complaints about the improper treatment of Roma in Poland’s prisons have reached the ombudsman’s desk and indicate the widespread use of stereotypes and violations of prisoners’ rights.

Bad, but not surprising.

Europe

Interview with Željko Jovanović

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An interview with the president of the Roma Foundation for Europe. He says that “If Europe wants to live up to its own values, it cannot continue to treat the Roma the way it has before”.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Roma

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An interview with a Czech activist living in Slovakia. She speaks about the prejudices that Roma are facing there. About stereotypes, she says:

“That Roma don’t want to work, they are just a burden and if they wanted to, they would get out of that situation right away. That’s a narrative I don’t agree with because social problems can’t be solved quickly. And people feel that it is everyone’s personal fault when they live in poverty. But often it may not be the fault of the person and his family, but the fault of the system. Especially if a person is already born into generational poverty and is not to blame.”

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