Speech by Yulian Kondur, Ukraine, RGPP '16
Thank you all for coming today to celebrate the 8th of April, the International Roma Day!
I would like to speak about the word “Roma” and what it means to me.
As we all know, 45 years ago, in 1971, the First World Romani Congress, which is deemed to be a strong impetus for the Roma movement in Europe, took place in London. The International Roma Community established the Romani Flag as the national emblem of the Roma people, and the song "Gelem, Gelem" as the anthem. And last but not least, the word "Roma" acquired its political dimension and, since then, has represented the whole International Romani community around the world.
I remember first celebrating the 8th of April with my relatives as a child. I remember that day as a colorful and very spectacular festivity. I was proud of myself and I was proud of being a member of these wonderful people. I had a sense of belonging, which I could not put into words then but I can try it now, many years later. Today, the word “Roma” unites people who share the same heritage all over the world regardless of their religious beliefs, their language, or the country they live in.
Besides uniting us, this word, “Roma”, aims at dissolving the prejudices attached to other names, the connotations of culture of poverty and misery. Stereotypes have been deeply entrenched in the minds of Gadje – non-Roma - and, sadly but truly, have fostered the exclusion of Roma from the social fabric. During the long, thorny path of Roma history, people have been abandoned and frightened.
However, I believe that the 8th of April serves as a special occasion of building bridges not only between Roma people, but also between Roma and Non-Roma, erasing the borders between “me” and “you” and creating a new “us”, something coherent which links us all together.
To my mind today, being Roma means being responsible for our people, keeping in mind the obligation of bringing about good, and the importance of obtaining and sharing knowledge. And although I am still exploring what being Roma means, I can declare that I am proud of being a member of this community. I am proud of being myself Roma.
I am proud of being Roma.
You can check out the photos from the event at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/132962779@N04/sets/72157664890861693