Roma - Europe's Ostracized

I'm making a switch back to Serbia for today's blog post after reading my friend's post and referring article about the plight of the Roma living in Belgrade. While living in Belgrade, I had written about the Roma on numerous occasions. So often I had looked down below the Gazella bridge in Belgrade at the large Roma settlement below while riding across this major bridge in the comfort of a car or bus. Below I saw tiny shacks made out of cardboard, scrap wood, tin, and other recycled items. Mud and garbage was ever present. Smoke often emanated from the shacks, sometimes wafting past satellite dishes. For the Roma living there, it wasn't much, but it was home.

Now it is home no more. Prompted by a planned upgrade of the bridge, the Roma were evicted, with some given as little as 20 minutes to gather their meager possessions and leave. Some were given "alternate housing" of metal containers located outside of the city. For a population that makes its living from recycling what others throw out (as well as other small things such as washing windows of cars at stoplights or playing the accordion/violin on the streets or buses), this was a move that posted major hardships. And that was for the "lucky" ones that actually were given housing.

The over 12 million Roma (otherwise known as Gypsies) of Europe face similar hardships. In addition, they are the continued subject of discrimination throughout the area. Even people who wouldn't consider saying racist remarks about others feel perfectly comfortable saying derogatory generalized remarks about the Roma. For the 500 years that the Roma have been in Europe, they have always been on the outside of mainstream society, with many Roma not learning the local language, going to school, and typically living in separate, squalid communities. Like the Roma living under Gazella Bridge, many don't have the proper identity cards that would make them eligible for the country's medical care and other services. Due to the continued acceptance of discrimination and desire for countries to beautify or modernize, the Roma get pushed farther and farther out of society and what they call home.

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Gypsy Dancer (Color Pencil)

Serbians love to dance. We Roma like to dance as well. While their dances tend to be more constrained, circular dances, our Roma dances are wild by comparison. I love swishing my colorful skirt back and forth, then working up into a twirl so strong that my skirt hem rises nearly to my waist. At such moments I am lost to the world, immersed in a feeling of eternal bliss. Dancing makes me forget all the hardships and discriminations we as Roma face on a daily basis. In addition to our brass bands and this dancing, we have our own language and culture, which we staunchly seek to preserve. Recently I was asked to perform as part of the Serbian dance group Kolo. Some members of my Roma community under the Gazelle Bridge didn’t want me to join, but I see it as an opportunity to show those Serbs and others that our dance and culture is just as beautiful. Perhaps then when Serbs see our cardboard homes with plastic tarp roofs, they will see beyond our economic poverty and look at us as a real, vibrant people.

Artwork available for sale. 
Blank greeting cards can be purchased at Zazzle

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Happy Đurđevan Day!

Today is the slava of Sveti Đorđe, or St. George as he would be called in the West. It is one of the more important slavas (celebration of a family's patron saint - often more important than your own birthday) of the Serbian Orthodox church. St George is also the patron saint of of the Roma (gypsies). Đurđevan, celebrated each May 6, is associated with the beginning of spring. Homes would be decorated with flowers and blooming branches. All the walls would be washed with water from church wells and special baths with flower water would be taken. The feast dinner typically includes roasted lamb. Music, particularly brass bands, is an important element.

Last week, when walking through the Roma quarter of Vranje, a Roma man came up to us. After reassuring him that we were not reporters, a conversation followed. He explained that his family, like all the other Romas in Vranje, was cleaning their home in preparation for Đurđevan. He even invited us to come to his slava, but we said that we would be back in Belgrade on the 6th. Of interest, he mentioned that he was a Muslim. I found that rather odd that a Muslim would be celebrating a Christian event, but it turns out that Đurđevan is celebrated by Roma, regardless of religion. Had we been in Vranje, it would have been a treat to see the Roma celebrating Đurđevan out in the Trg Slobode, complete with their famous brass bands in a loud, vivacious style.

Happy Đurđevan!

You can find a basic introduction to a slava here:

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A Stroll through the Roma Quarter of Vranje

Roma Quarter
Our next destination was the Roma quarter, inhabited by the city’s Roma, or gypsy population. Although the homes were much more substantial than the shack dwellings in Belgrade that I typically associated with the Roma, you could definitely tell when you entered into this quarter. Here the homes were painted in bright colors, with laundry strung everywhere. Void of any walls or fences, everything happened out in the open. Sheep were slaughtered right on the sidewalk, laundry washed, and mothers nursing. Older women wearing bold combinations of patterns sat on the steps, smoking. Men sat just inside the doorway, playing cards taking advantage of the natural light. A wagonload of pigs was driven down the main street, pulled by a small hand-maneuvered tractor. Radio music including Roma violin music filled the air.

In the middle of the Trg Slobode (freedom square) was a tall bronze statue of the most famous Roma trumpeter of Vranje. For some reason, folded carpets were placed around the base. A stocky Roma man with alcohol on his breath approached us, concerned that we were reporters. Reassuring him that we were not, the man relaxed after Pat continued conversing with him. He then invited us to come back to Vranje on May 6th to celebrate the slava (religious “birthday” of the Roma patron saint) with his family. The man explained that people were spring cleaning their homes in preparation for the event, hence the extra amount of shoes and other items found outside. Politely declining an offer for coffee, we moved onwards.


Old Hammam
Heading down the hill towards the city center, we went past the Old Hamam. Built at the end of the 17th century, this small brick and stone building with multiple small sloped square terracotta roofs housed only one bathtub, used by both men and women. We heard that it had been turned into a discothèque that was now closed.

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I Saw My Neighbor in the Dumpster

This evening I went for a walk, determined to enjoy the beautiful weather despite an onslaught of pollen allergy symptoms. I enjoy walking in my neighborhood in Senjak, an area of Belgrade that once was the home of the princes and other elite. Now it is a mixture of expats, embassies (or ambassador residences), wealthier Serbs, and a few residents from olden days. Homes range from the cute and simple white cottages with aging tile roofs to the turreted former palaces, to the tacky mafia-like structures that look totally out of place.

Right next to my apartment building (which is less than 5 years old) is a small brick shack. Its roof, damaged two winters ago in a fire (likely because the owner was trying to heat it using wood) now has a large large plastic sheet over the hole held down with bricks. The yard is full of items rescued from the dumpster, including broken baby strollers, chairs without backs, potted plant carcasses, clothing remnants, and much more. I like it when the trees green out, as I don't have to see the rubbish when look outside my window.

This evening as I walked past the Hungarian Embassy, I saw a short person standing on a wooden crate and trying to reach into the garbage dumpster. Suddenly he reached in further, his whole upper body now out of sight. Such "involvement" was a bit unusual, as I typically would see the dumpster "divers" simply picking through the top with their hands or a stick. Emerging with some "treasure," when the man turned around I recognized the man as my Roma neighbor - otherwise known as a "gypsy." Smiling politely and saying "dobar dan," I greeted him and moved on.

I wonder what treasure will be added to the yard next....

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The Roma- Belgrade's Recyclers

In Belgrade, city recycling is sparse. Money is a big factor, as it takes quite a bit to start up recycling facilities and recycling trucks. I hate throwing cans, glass bottles, plastic, etc. in the garbage.

Instead, the biggest recyclers in Belgrade are the Roma. You will see them around town with their push carts, bicycle carts, and even motorized carts. During the cold of winter, up steep the hills of Belgrade, in neighborhoods, in busy streets - all places where you see these carts. The main contents of these carts is cardboard, gathered from dumpsters. Boxes are carefully flattened and neatly stacked, so as to fit the maximum amount in a cart. Some likely is used for their ramshackle homes and the rest they get money from the government. It's a win-win situation for all.

In addition to collecting cardboard, the Roma are great dumpster divers. Pieces deemed as potentially useful/wanted are often placed next to the dumpsters or attached in a bag. Items tossed and unwanted become treasures for the Roma. Items, particularly discarded furniture, are welcome additions to their homes. Some items are sold along the street next to the main flea market. I even hear that there is a Roma flea market.

I do hope that Belgrade starts a true recycling program soon. Until then, it's the Roma that perform much of this service....

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New Identity Cards a Big Problem for Serbia's Unaccounted Roma

This year Serbia introduced new high-tech ID cards with chips and biometric data. According to the new regulation, all citizens over 16 residing in Serbia must have a new ID card by July 2011. The new cards include a chip with personal data on citizenship, residency, and address under an individual citizen number. Biometric data will include a face analysis, fingerprints, signature, digital photo, and digital fingerprint. Sounds pretty high-tech!

For around 400,000 Roma in Serbia, large obstacles are in the way of getting one of the new ID's. Because they live in temporary settlements without addresses, these Roma do not have the permanent place of residence required to register for an ID card. At least two generations of Roma don't even have birth certificates. Without an ID card, the state administration cannot account for them. The lack of an ID also creates large barriers for the Roma in entitlement to social services such as education and health care, as well as getting a job.

Currently, the Serbian authorities are not addressing the issue with any urgency, nor is there any real plan.

Source: The Belgrade Times, March 8, 2007

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The Big Chill

Freezing Temps - and No Heat
The last few days have been the coldest that I've experienced in my two years in Serbia. For much of the winter, temperature lows fluctuated right around the freezing point. Today, the temperature when I woke up was -16° C. This cold weather has moved in from Russia. Yesterday morning at school, one of the three power lines at the school went down. Unfortunately, it was the line that also held the server, routers, and much of the school's heating. For much of the day, kids wore their jackets in classroom, but the greatest whining was that the network was down. It's amazing how dependent we become on technology!
In typical Serbian fashion, getting a straight answer on the cause of the outage and when the power would be restored was elusive. Finally about 15 minutes before the end of the school day, the power went back on.

The Roma
On days like this, I think about the people in the city who do not have proper housing - namely the Roma. Most of their shacks are built from cardboard, tin, and other scrap material. Certainly not weatherproof or winterized. There are many who say that the Roma choose to live that way. However, I find it hard to believe that they actually like or prefer enduring the winter temperatures in such conditions.

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Education and the Roma - 2004

Dear all,

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here in Serbia we didn't
have off of school today, but still celebrated a staff dinner after school.

This morning, the head of the Serbian Red Cross (who has two children at our
school) came and spoke to the upper school students for the kick-off to
their charity drive. The student council decided to cooperate with the Red
Cross here in its work with the Roma children. The Romas are often known by
others as gypsies. They have been living in Serbia (former Yugoslavia) for
hundreds of years. Having said that, they are a proud "race" and have
retained their own culture, language, and identity. Unfortunately, that also
has meant that they have not assimilated into their "host" culture, leading
to some ostracism and definite misunderstandings/misconceptions.

According to the Red Cross speaker, the number of Roma people in Serbia is
unknown, but some estimates are as many as half a million. The Roma are
populous here, as they are in other eastern European countries.
Unemployment, lack of education, and poverty are big problems for the Romas
here as in other countries. Most Roma children do not go to school - partly
because their parents don't see the need (it is more important to them to
beg, steal, or spend the time collecting cardboard or other items for small
amounts of money), and/or because they don't fit in - no proper clothing,
can't speak Serbian, etc. This lack of education then perpetuates the
poverty cycle and accompanying problems.

The Serbian Red Cross has begun in the last three years piloting a program
that is the first of its kind with the Roma population. It has begun setting
up kindergartens for Roma children, catering to ages 4-7. Here they are
helped in their acquisition of Serbian, given warm clothing, have toys to
play with, a good meal, and a good start on education. The belief is that if
the Romas begin to get their children in school at an early age, they will
then feel successful and stay in school longer, get that necessary education
which leads to jobs, and begin a more positive cycle.

The student council is kicking off a drive to collect warm clothing, canned
goods, toys (used and new), school supplies, and hygiene products. These
items will be donated to the kindergartens. Currently there are 30 Roma
kindergarten centers, but by January that number is expected to be around
50. This "charity" choice is an interesting one for the students at our
school in that the local students (which number around 25%) come from
wealthy families and often harbor the attitudes of their parents - that
Romas are undesirables, etc. By collecting items for the Roma children,
(some) going into the homes and schools of the Roma children and seeing
their situation, I hope that this disadvantaged population is seen by our
students in a different light. I also hope that our advantaged children will
begin to appreciate the special opportunity they have been granted due to
their privileged financial and social status to have an excellent education
and all its advantages. And, of course, I hope they will experience the joy
of giving to others. Many overseas students will enter higher-level
international positions (such as diplomatic) as adults. Greater empathy for
the disadvantaged and actively working to address their needs will benefit
the entire world.

Until later,
Melissa

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