horses

Interiews with Roma

An Interview with Ian Hancock

By Livia Dragomir

Ian Hancock was born in Britain in 1942 and he became the first Romani to receive a PhD from University of London. A reputed linguist, he is one of the most important Romani activists in the world at the moment. Currently a lecturer at University of Texas in Austin, he also directs The Program of Romani studies and the Romani
Archives and Documentation Centre. An inspiring figure for Roma everywhere he talks here about education, Roma language and the situation in Dale Farm, Essex.

1. As an academic and activist you have been at the forefront of the struggle for the rights of Romani people around the world for more than thirty years. What changes have you noticed in the last twenty years in the larger public awareness of the Roma way of life, especially since the fall of Communism in Europe?  Do you feel a certain progress has been made?

People are more aware of the fact now that we're "real" people and not storybook characters.  It is also (slowly) becoming evident that our differences from the rest of the population are very deep-rooted, language, culture, genetics -- and it has confused administrations, writers and so on. Also since the fall of communism, ethnic nationalism has resurged, shunning the "outsider" more than ever.  Without a country or a government we are constantly pushed to the edges.

2. Born in Britain and now living in the USA you had the chance to closely explore and promote Roma culture on two continents almost simultaneously. How the two continents compare in regards to the Roma rights and social situation?

Romani culture in the US is far more conservative than in the UK.  The language is in better shape (Romanichals call themselves Romanichals here, but the word is vanishing in Britain).  There is less intermarriage with Travellers, and thus the boundaries between Romanies and gawjas/gadje are much clearer.  Romanies are less visible, and FAR less politically motivated here than in the UK.

3. The recent situation at Dale Farm in Essex and the  extradition of Romanian Roma from France last year brings to attention the aggressively discriminatory politics against Roma people still present in Europe. What do you think could be done at local but also international level to stop such practices? Is there something to be learned from the American system?

Well there really isn't an American system, Romanies here survive by being invisible, not obvious.  Our only weapon at this time is to mobilize and use the law; file discrimination suits.  Boycott businesses.  This takes education to know how.  If we rely on the non-Romani world to solve our problems we won't get anywhere, we have to do it ourselves.

4. You have come to academia through an unusual route  and are the first to advocate education among the Roma and traveller communities. What do you think could be done to entice Romani parents to keep children, especially girls, in education for longer?

In my experience, we are not adverse to education, but to how it is made available.  In my essay on schooling I list some reasons for not wanting to send the kids to school.  I personally think learning the basics, plus Romani history, makes us better Romanies, though the older people think it dilutes our identity.  I disagree.

5. When speaking about the integration of the Roma in the greater society many have argued that the options provided are very limited-either full assimilation which implies the loss of a unique way of life or discrimination which does not allow any improvement. How do you think a common ground can be reached on this matter?

The Dalai Lama told me that we should abandon those customs that hold us back, and keep those that strengthen us.  This can be done, especially if they are modified to keep up with the changing times.  Here, married women don't cover their whole heads with a diklo now, but they still pin a brooch or something on top of their heads.  Same custom, differently handled.  We have existed over the centuries by adapting, generation after generation, but we have to keep a step or two ahead of the gawjas because we're not on a level playing field.  And in this electronic day and age, we're slipping behind.

6. As a linguist you have written extensively on the importance and the beauty of the Romani language ,the most popular example being your book "We Are the Romani People". How significant is the Romani language for the Roma identity as the numbers of those who are able to speak it varies in different diasporic communities?

In sociolinguistics, there is the maxim that "language is the vehicle of culture."  We express our social identity through our language.  What is the English for "mokadi kovels"?  Or xanamik?  Lose the word, and we lose the concept.  There are lots of dialects, but they are all dialects of the same language.  And for those who can't speak any, learning Kalderash is a place to start because that is becoming the default "universal".

7. The history of the Roma Holocaust is rarely talked about in mainstream media although the racist attacks against the ethnicity are not a rare occurrence, especially in Europe . What sort of reminder does the Holocaust hold for current and future generations?

That depends.  We are still letting outsiders define "Holocaust" for us, and tell us why we were targeted and how many of us perished.  The question is does it matter, in the long run?  Time is running out for the survivors to benefit from the reparations that elude us, and would a wider, general awareness that our people suffered genocide in the Porrajmos REALLY make the world view us with more compassion.  I doubt it.  It's fodder for journalists, that's about it.  

Travellers Homes

Travellers Homes Leaflet

This is a collection of twenty-six photographs illustrating the diversity of accommodation used by the Traveller communities. Photo exercises are targeted at KS2 but the photos provide useful information about the Traveller communities for pupils at KS3/4.

It is produced by The Traveller Education Support Service, METAT, SSPDC, Pauls Road, Opswich, Suffolk IP2 0AN.

More

Time to Talk

For the first time, one government department is now responsible for all policy on the well-being of children and young people.

The Time to Talk debate aims to gather views on what needs to be done to make things better for children, young people and families.

An online questionnaire has now closed. All the views they've gathered will feed into the Children's Plan, which comes out at the end of this year.

 

 

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