By Chuck Todaro
April 8th marked the Twentieth International Roma Day since the Gypsies of Eastern Europe broke free of the communist’s amalgamated “national minority” status and began openly acknowledging their heritage. However, according to the US State Department 2007 Country Report on Human Rights, Romania, home to Europe’s largest Roma population, is the setting for some of the most pervasive societal violence and discrimination against Roma. “This day offers the press the chance to reverse the usual negative stereotypes,” says Roma journalist Rudolf Moca during the ceremonies at the Apalina Public School in the Eastern Transylvania town of Reghin.
The day long celebration at Apalina begins in the school courtyard with speeches, the singing of the Roma National anthem Djelem Djelem, followed by a barefoot Roma dance performance, concluding with a skit portraying a confrontation between young Romani men being settled with a dance competition: the fastest dancer possessing the more complicated moves and greatest stamina exits the showdown with his head up and a woman under his arm.
Roma day has a special significance for the 4,000 Gypsies living along the two parallel roads at Apalina that bears the reputation as a den of thieves. “Whatever goes missing in town, I can guarantee you can find it at Apalina,” comments Maria, a downtown barmaid.
“When I go on my jobs, my boss reminds me not to tell them that I am from Apalina, he says to say I’m from somewhere else, or else they wont have any work for me,” says Dani Racz, who like many at the Roma of Apalina works the traditional trade of laying paving stones, a skill he learned from his father who learned from his father before him.
In September of 2006 the simmering discontent coming from both sides of the debate exploded during a police raid into the community that left 22 people shot, some of them numerous times like Denis Biga who claims to have been fired upon while shielding his infant nephew and pregnant daughter; seventeen rubber bullets were surgically extracted from his backside including another seven that could not be removed.
“They beat the children! Women washing clothes in the street – shot! Men working on their home – shot! [To them] all Gypsies are guilty… they do to the Gypsies like the Nazis,” Mr. Biga cries out while lifting up the back of his shirt bearing the riddled scars; his daughter and wife in the background look on with sullen faces.
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Social workers in the field contend that the education of Gypsy children faces a three front battle between parent apathy, poverty and disinterested educators. These factors are present in the experiences of Valentina, a thirteen-year-old Roma girl from Satu Mare in northern Romania:
Everyday my parents work from morning till night. At home we don’t have water, gas or electricity. Many times it is very cold. I do my homework only when I can. In the evening when Mommy and Daddy come home we hug. We are very tired and say ‘goodnight’. If I can’t do my studies I don’t go to school because I am too ashamed… Two years ago the school nurse came to our classroom and she found lice in my hair. She began to yell at me and it made me feel so bad. Everyone began to laugh at me and I was put to sit alone at my desk because no one wanted to stay near me or speak with me. My teacher said that I couldn’t come to school anymore if I didn’t clean myself because I threaten to contaminate others. I felt very bad and began to cry and I promised myself that I will never go to school again. Mommy and Daddy are not able to help me because they don’t have time for me.
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