Nu-skool Roma singer Kerieva at the Acoustic Yurt
Black Out Europe - Roma refugees in the 21st century
As a testimony of sick capitalist societies and failed EU-interventions in the Balkan region, Roma refugees in Germany are facing mandatory rejection and mass-deportation
The years between 2005 and 2015 were officially declared as the "Decade of Roma inclusion". Twelve European countries, except for Spain all in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, developed action plans and established programs that promised to serve an inclusion of the Roma minorities in the mainstream society. As growing Roma slums all over Europe, violent persecution in Hungary, Serbia or Kosovo and especially France's desperate attempt to deport thousands of Roma refugees back to EU-member Romania proves, promises of "including" parts of Roma minorities has failed in large measure.
Who are the "Roma" ?
To analyze the reasons, it's not even necessary to get into the single regions' contexts, economic developments or war issues. It's enough to critically evaluate the terms of "Roma" and "inclusion". In Germany, it's common to prescribe the formerly called "gypsies" as "Sinti and Roma". This seems to be politically correct. While talking about Eastern Europe, it's very common to reduce it to just "Roma". But who are these million of people between Greece and Estonia, between Italy and Ukraine? There is no answer. Sometimes, it's people whose mother tongue is Romani. But even the Romani language has hundreds of varieties. Sometimes it's people who refuse to live a Bourgeois life under control of bosses and state authorities. Sometimes it's just people who speak the state language but do not belong to the major religious groups. Sometimes it's people who call themselves "Gypsies", sometimes they strictly refuse such terms and sometimes, they identify themselves totally with their nationality and speak only the official language. Sometimes it's just people with dark skin and sometimes it's people whose exposed wealth is not explainable.
The attempt to define people who in any possible way differ from the majority of the population is a problem not only for authorities, it's as hard for possible supporters and fighters against mechanisms of exclusion and persecution. So firstly, the main aim should be to leave people the space for a self-determined identification. Many people reject the classification as "Roma" for different reasons. So the fight against Roma exclusion should at the same time reflect the tendency to reproduce wrongly given attributes to people who simply have a very complex social and linguistic background.
What is "inclusion" ?
Regarding the very German debate on "integration", the definition of "inclusion" in other states is very similar. Starting from the perspective of the mainstream, white, German-speaking, Christian and tax-paying citizen, it's simple to define "minorities", "values" and "duties". After succeeding to define features of a minority, it's easy to demand "the others" to "integrate". Being integrated or included is nothing else than being forced to adapt to a certain way of life, to obey written and unwritten rules and to give up a self-determined lifestyle.
Analyzing the debates in countries such as Hungary, Romania, Serbia or Bulgaria, it is very obvious, that the intended "inclusion" is almost identical with assimilation and forced adaption to social structures of a capitalist society in national frames. By promoting "education", it's meant that the position of the official language among groups of different languages shall be strengthened. By promoting "equal chances", economically poor people shall be prepared to enter the working market and fill the lack of young workers and contributors to retirement funds.
Germany's role
During times of socialism in Romania or Bulgaria for example, social tensions were comparably low. People who're today classified as "Roma" were quite accepted, which is in mains parts due to the authoritative working regime and nationalist policies. Who didn't work in state-enterprises or didn't speak the state language was punished or directly arrested. More than that, differing cultural heritage among the people in one state were commonly officialized, controlled and used to promote the image of a culturally rich and therefore superior state. Some parts of this tradition to instrumentalize diversity in music, literature or language is present in the Germany of today: So called "Balkan music", which is often represented by "Roma orchestras" or "gypsy dances" is extremely popular in the last years. A film like "Black cat white cat" by Emir Kusturica turned out to be a must-see for upper-class Germans, although it very simply reproduces cliché images of "exotic" Roma in Serbia and makes the audience laugh about them continuously. Well-known bands from Romania, Hungary or former Yugoslavia have no problem traveling around Western Europe and entertaining well-paying audiences. Even street-musicians who're identifying themselves as Roma are widely accepted or appreciated. But when it comes to people escaping from poverty and violence to central and Western Europe, they face rejection and institutional persecution.
Clemens Wigger
Break Isolation Network
Roma Community in Solidarität mit der "Break Isolation" Bewegung! In 13 Bundestaaten und Weltweit
Thousands of balloons will fly
8. April 2013 for World Wide Roma Movement
Gegen die Ausgrenzung und Isolation von Flüchtlingen in Lagern - Solidarität mit der "Break Isolation" Bewegung! https://thevoiceforum.org/node/3087
Viele Städte haben bundesweit bereits zugesagt sich an den Aktionen zum 8. April zu beteiligen und rote, grüne und blaue Luftballons steigen zu lassen:
* Berlin * Göttingen * Köln * Hannover * Essen/Mühlheim * Magdeburg * Erfurt * Bremen * Wiesbaden * Hamburg * Freiburg * Münster * und Kassel *
sind schon dabei.
Aber auch weltweit ist die Resonanz überwältigend! In zahlreichen Städten werden Events zum 8. April veranstaltet und in vielen von ihnen werden ebenfalls Ballons in den Himmel steigen:
Tirana/Albania * Buenos Aires/Argentina* Perth/Australia* Vienna/Austria * Belarus* Saint Niklas&Brussels/Belgium * Sarajevo/Bosnia* Rio de Janeiro/Brazil * Sofia/Bulgaria * Toronto/Canada * Chile * Bogota/Colombia * Zagreb/Croatia * Cyprus * Prague/Czech Republic * Denmark * Ecuador * London/England * Estonia * Helsinki/Finland * Paris&Cagliari(Sardinia)/France * Georgia * Greece *Budapest/Hungary * Chandigarh/India * Iran * Dublin/Ireland * Genoa&Lombardy&Marche&Campania/Italy * Jerusalem/Israel * Jordan
* Gnjilane&Haxi Zylfi Megija&Prizren&Pristina&Mitrovica/Kosovo * Latvia * Luxembourg * Skopje&Kumanovo/Macedonia * Mexico * Moldova* Podgorica/Montenegro * Netherlands * New Zealand * Norway * Bialystock/Poland* Portugal * Sibiu&Cluj(Rata Pata)&Bucarest/Romania * Ekaterinberg/Russia * Glasgow/Scotland * Belgrade&Beocin/Serbia * Bratislava/Slovakia* Ljubljana/Slovenia * South Africa * Barcelona&Valencia/Spain * Sweden * Bern/Switzerland * Istanbul&Edirne/Turkey * Odessa/Ukraine * New York&Houston&San Francisco/USA *
Meldet euch bei uns, wenn ihr euch mit den Aktivist_innen in eurer Stadt vernetzen wollt oder wenn es bei euch noch keine Aktion gibt und ihr selbst eine organisieren wollt! Setzt ein Zeichen für die Rechte von Roma!
Gegen Ausgrenzung, Abschiebungen, Diskriminierung und Zwangsräumungen!
Wenn ihr dabei seid, vergesst nicht Videos und Fotos zu machen und uns diese zu schicken!
Unsere Freund_innen aus Großbritannien bitten uns Banner mit dem Slogan "Save Dale Farm" zu zeigen und sie in ihren Kämpfen zu unterstützen. Dale Farm wurde im Oktober 2011 von der Polizei gewaltsam geräumt:
"Dale Farm is the largest Roma and Traveller owned-community in Britain. We have been fighting for 12 years to prevent the destruction of the estate by ethnic-cleansing. On 19 October 2011, the defensive barricades were stormed by riot police firing Taser guns. Several people were hurt and 40 arrested. But while 50 properties were destroyed most people just moved caravans onto the private road and remain there today. Now we are forming co-operatives with the aim of re-building Dale Farm and our fight continues in the law courts and through protest action. We know there have been many "Dale Farms" all around Europe and we want to join up with you and protest together on Roma Nation Day 8 April against anti-Roma racism, violent eviction and brutal deportations. Please carry a banner for "Dale Farm"." (mehr dazu: romanationday.org/en/)
Und vergesst nicht unsere Hinweise zur Durchführung der Luftballonaktion!
http://www.alle-bleiben.info/termine/unterstuetzer/ballonaktion-tipps.p…
motivation video https://vimeo.com/60460838
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europeanromamovement.org/
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