USE+FUL | Who are these Roma People ?

Roma people originally migrated from northern India and came to Europe. There are different theories as to why the Roma migrated. It is argued that the reasons for migration are wars, slavery, and the search for freedom.

Roma people immigrated all over the world. However, they generally live in the southern part of europe. They have been named differently in each country they migrated to. The origin of the word gypsy comes from Turkish (çingene) . It used to mean poor in old Turkish. Later, the Persian form began to be used among neighboring countries. Over time, Roma people were named with various names due to dialect differences. For example; Greeks say: Τσιγγάνος ( Tsinganos ), Italians say: Zingaro, Slavic countries say: Cigan.

In many regions, Roma were forced into slavery, a practice which continued into the 19th century in Romania and elsewhere. Roma were also sentenced to death throughout the medieval era in England, Switzerland and Denmark. This later grew into organized persecution. Many countries, including Germany, Poland and Italy, ordered the expulsion of all Roma. In the 1930s, the Nazis in Germany saw Roma as “racially inferior” and murdered hundreds of thousands of them during World War II. After the war, Roma continued to be discriminated against and oppressed, especially in the Soviet Union. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the Czech Republic and Slovakia sterilized around 90,000 Romani women against their will.

In most languages, “gypsy” is considered insulting and is rejected by Roma organizations. “Roma” is the right word to use for all related groups, regardless of their country of origin. It became the accepted global term in 1971, when representatives of Roma communities adopted a flag, anthem and international day (8 April). However, there are some countries where “gypsy” or an equivalent may be accepted by the people concerned.

What’s the difference between Roma and Travellers?

Travellers have a different ethnicity to Roma, and live in countries across Europe including France, Ireland and the UK. They often maintain a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle, unlike most Roma.

How many Roma are there?

There is no official or reliable count of Romani populations worldwide. In Europe, there are between 10 and 12 million Roma. Most of them – around two thirds – live in central and eastern European countries, where they make up between 5 and 10 per cent of the population. There are also sizeable Romani minorities in western Europe, especially in Italy (around 150,000 Roma and Travellers), Spain (600,000-800,000), France and the UK (up to 300,000 in each country).

What’s the situation for Roma in Europe today?

Millions of Roma live in isolated slums, often without any electricity or running water, and struggle to get the health care they need. Many live with the daily threat of forced evictions, police harassment and violent attacks. Romani children also often suffer segregation in schools and receive a lower standard of education.

What impact does this have?

Roma have more health problems, worse housing and lower literacy levels than non-Roma people. In central and eastern Europe, they can expect to live 10 years less than others. On average, they also earn less and are more likely to be unemployed. Without good jobs, they can’t afford proper housing, good health care, or a quality education for their children.

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Mustafa Tuncer, volunteer@ICDET

VIE+W | Minority groups in Bulgaria

Last week I went to Svishtov, Veliko Tarnovo, Varna and Burgas. I met a lot of people from minority groups. Almost all of them talk about the same thing: poverty.

During a week-long trip to the north and east of Bulgaria, I saw that people from minority groups generally talk about the same things. They talk about their low wages and their financial difficulties. Apart from that, some Bulgarian people express their discomfort with them.

They do not want the assimilation campaign of the past to be repeated. The suffering of people in those years was so great that they do not want their children to see and experience such an environment. They said that after the communist era passed, they now live more comfortably and more free, but sometimes criticized by the Bulgarians. I would like to tell you about an incident that I personally experienced.

While we were being vaccinated at the hospital, the nurse told us why we are here, to leave the country, and said nothing to our Italian friends. It's really sad that things like this happen. Everyone can live in peace as long as no one bothers anyone. I saw that some stereotypes and prejudices continued in Bulgaria. However, I noticed that there is no such distinction between young people. With my experience, I can clearly say that racism decreases as the average age decreases. The person I interviewed in Svishtov was also advocating this. He said: “The important thing is to be human. Now everyone is looking their own way. I am guiding young people to live in a more peaceful society.

Whether they are Christians, Muslims, Bulgarians or Turks, as long as people sit down and try to understand each other.” These thoughts are really valuable and I think everyone should listen to these words. I think these ideas should be instilled in children at a young age in schools. Thus, a more peaceful society can be achieved in the future.

This person I interviewed also said that reading is really important, but because of poverty, many children can't afford to study. Children who do not receive a good education also acquire bad habits or tend to do harm. I think governments should support the educational life of every child. I hope things get better with education. In addition to this, I interviewed with the vice mayor who is from that minority group. He argued that minority groups should be involved in society and should be supported and said that otherwise they would live together and count in the same place without adding anything to them.

When I went to a neighborhood with Roma people, I saw people living in miserable conditions. I think these people should be educated as well. Because they have more than three children although their financial situation is not good. It doesn't make sense to take responsibility for so many children when they can't even take care of themselves. Apart from that, another thing I saw in the neighborhood was the old and bedridden couple. After the fire in the neighborhood, their houses were damaged and although the firefighters said they would help, no one helped. The people living there think that they cannot get help from anyone because they are gypsies and speak Turkish.

To sum up, I think the most important thing is to educate people. It is very important to do this starting from a young age. Because at a young age, it is much easier to put certain things in children’s heads. I also think that adults should be given lessons on issues such as sexuality and life and I hope in the future everything will become better and brighter.

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Mustafa Tuncer, volunteer@ICDET

USE+FUL | MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO ("A Healthy Mind In a Healthy Body")

“CREATIVE MOTION”

In collaboration with Synergy Bulgaria NGO

Physical and mental health are intimately interconnected: our genetic and biological characteristics have a strong impact on our mood, emotions, thoughts and beliefs, as well as the opposite. When we are feeling stressed or weak there are a lot of factors involved and we can’t find our specific meaning by only looking at one side: we have to take in consideration the mind-body connection.

Have you ever heard about scientific research that underlines physical activity as a protection factor for the development of future mental issues or disorders? Or that moving your body can help you to decrease existing difficulties, can release your stress problems and increase your imagination and creativity?

The event in which my colleagues and I participated, organized by Synergy Bulgaria NGO, was focused on this topic. More specifically, the main highlighted point was: how can we unlock creativity through our bodies’ movements?

The facilitator of the event was a professional Latin dancer and with her engaging personality she managed to guide us in a unique self-discovering body-movement journey. She shared a lot of her personal growth process explaining how, in her case, the passion for dance saved her from anxiety problems and related panic attacks. She shared with us her passion, involving us in basic dancing moves that permitted us to feel the energy and the positive vibes of our bodies on our emotions and mood. Indeed, after dancing we were all feeling more relaxed and familiar to the context and to each other.

The event definitely stimulated some inner reflections and connections: we get insights and self-awareness of the creative processes that can take place within us.

Reflect: what does it feel like when you allow yourself to be brave enough to balance your life with your mind-body connection and creativity?

“You must make time daily to care for your mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health.”

― Lailah Gifty Akita

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Ilaria Staltari, intern@ICDET