By Adrian Spirchez
There are nowadays, in Europe, between 12-15 millions
Rroma people. They represent the largest ethnic minority of the European Union
and the most neglected, by member states and societies, institutions and public
opinion, by us. During my internship at Médecins du Monde – Mission Banlieu, I
had the chance to meet a lot of Rroma families, of Romanian nationality, that
chose to come to France in search of a better life. My job was to accompany the
doctors on the field as a translator and a social & sanitary mediator for
the Rroma patients that live in the slums located in the department of
Seine-Saint-Denis – slums they were built without the permission of the local
authorities. The miserable conditions they accept to live in – squalid barracks
with no running water and improvised central heating, invaded by parasites and
rats made me think, in a rather strange way, of the title and the plot of Steinbeck’s
famous short story about the two solitary friends roving together in search of a better life. The 8th of April has been celebrated since 1990 as the International Rroma Day.
The first World Rroma Congress was held on April 8th, 1971 near London, Great Britain, and funded by the World Council of Churches and the Government of India. The International Romani Union was created during the 2nd Romnai Congress, held in Prague seven years later in 1978.
This year an official announcement encouraged all Rromas to “gather at noon to cast flowers into our nearest river, sea, ocean. Let the spirit of the International Roma Day unite us!” And unity is exactly what is needed during this time of trouble, especially for the members of the European Rroma communities which after the famous Grenoble discourse of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, have been more than once abused by the forces of order – forces as confused as the institutions they are representing, when it comes to tackle the Rroma issue that is the needs and complains of a people who cherishes freedom more than anything. What do Rroma people understand by the virtues of freedom, a topic so much romanticized by artists of all kinds, is another matter, far more tricky which will consequently require far more space than the one allocated here. Let’s just mention that their understanding of freedom translates the need to rather disobey the establish order, either in Romania or in France for example, because culturally and socially they feel, and in many cases they are indeed, discriminated against by the majority. But the irony is that nobody can really say, in Romania or in Europe, if they are excluded because of the way they choose to live their life or if they live the way they do exactly because they are differentiated and thus marginalized. A vicious circle!
The first World Rroma Congress was held on April 8th, 1971 near London, Great Britain, and funded by the World Council of Churches and the Government of India. The International Romani Union was created during the 2nd Romnai Congress, held in Prague seven years later in 1978.
This year an official announcement encouraged all Rromas to “gather at noon to cast flowers into our nearest river, sea, ocean. Let the spirit of the International Roma Day unite us!” And unity is exactly what is needed during this time of trouble, especially for the members of the European Rroma communities which after the famous Grenoble discourse of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, have been more than once abused by the forces of order – forces as confused as the institutions they are representing, when it comes to tackle the Rroma issue that is the needs and complains of a people who cherishes freedom more than anything. What do Rroma people understand by the virtues of freedom, a topic so much romanticized by artists of all kinds, is another matter, far more tricky which will consequently require far more space than the one allocated here. Let’s just mention that their understanding of freedom translates the need to rather disobey the establish order, either in Romania or in France for example, because culturally and socially they feel, and in many cases they are indeed, discriminated against by the majority. But the irony is that nobody can really say, in Romania or in Europe, if they are excluded because of the way they choose to live their life or if they live the way they do exactly because they are differentiated and thus marginalized. A vicious circle!
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