| Roma communities want to have their representatives in government bodies Yesterday, Roma people all over the world celebrated their national holiday. The first world congress of this dispossessed people, held in London in 1971, decided that April 8 should be considered International Roma Day and celebrated on a grand scale.
However, in Russia yesterday the holiday was a failure not only for ordinary gypsies, most of whom did not even really know that they had a reason to celebrate, but also for the leaders of gypsy public organizations. Having convened a press conference in Moscow in such cases, the perpetrators of the “triumph” with sour faces told journalists about the troubles and problems of their people. According to Maer Janko, president of the Roma Foundation for the Development and Support of Gypsy Culture, the main problem for the Roma has been the active participation of the sons and daughters of this people in the drug trade. Unlike the Roma barons, who usually flatly reject accusations of involvement in the distribution of heroin and marijuana, Mr. Yanko did not refute the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that in many regions it is the Roma who are active players in the black drug market. Therefore, instead of congratulating them on the national holiday, Mr. Yanko and his associates appealed to their people to join forces in the fight against the spread of drugs. In addition, “Roma”, together with Russian cultural and public associations of Roma, took the initiative to begin an open dialogue with representatives of the authorities and security forces to develop a comprehensive program to combat the “shackles of drugs.” “We are considered a corrupt, dishonest and thieving people, and this stereotype must be broken,” said Mr. Yanko. The problem with this attitude, in his opinion, is that the Roma are a people of extremes. Among them there are people who are spiritually developed, engaged in art, business, as well as beggars, drug dealers, criminals and swindlers.
The gypsies intend to break the stereotype with the support of the Moscow government. With the help of the capital's authorities, the Roma Foundation intends to create a cultural and festival complex “Gypsy Compound”. The new complex, which will be able to provide several thousand jobs for representatives of the Roma people, will include a sports complex, a school, a cinema and concert hall, a production center, and a restaurant. As part of this project, according to the president of the foundation, work will also be carried out on social adaptation and rehabilitation of adults and children. “Our children sometimes do not take root in civilized schools due to their national characteristics and the biased attitude of teachers and classmates,” Mr. Yanko complained. Every Roma, regardless of social status, will be able to come to the Podvorye. If you believe Maer Janko, then such a project has no analogues in the world.
True, Mr. Yanko admitted that drug trafficking is not the only problem facing the Roma today. Distrust of representatives of this people trying to break into the political elite also causes a wave of indignation in him. The people, to which at least 9 million people in Europe alone consider themselves, have the right to count on the right to vote in international organizations. By the way, officially about a million Roma live in Russia. But, as representatives of the Roma Foundation assured, there are actually many more of them, since many do not want to recognize their nationality, and those who do, sometimes, due to legal illiteracy, do not receive a passport. At the same time, Maer Yanko assured that so far none of the Roma are aiming to become presidents of Russia or other countries. Anna ShPAK |
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