Gypsies in the European Union: marginalized and condemned or change for better?
Gypsies, also know as Roma, live in Europe, most of them in former communist countries, many are also scattered in the Mediterranean area. There is not any clear definition of who they really are. Dictionary describes them as: “Dark-skinned Romany-speaking nomads of Hindu origin”. This definition, however, cannot suit them perfectly. Not all of them are dark-skinned and estimates say that only about 4 million of them speak some kind of Romany. The English equivalent “Gypsy” is derived from “Egyptian” but that is not who they can be referred to either. Some remnants of traditional roaming Gypsy culture prevail in the very small continuously declining scale. The Nazis murdered about 500.000 of them and communist era whose well-intentioned tremendously damaging paternalism made them settle down mostly in industrialized towns was not merciful either. In 2004, countries they largely live in joined the European Union. Is the Community able to meet their challenges better than their “homelands”? (more…)
1 Comment