In the presence of guests, visitors, collaborators, and friends, the Roma community celebrated the World Day of Romani Language on November 4, 2023, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. The rich cultural and artistic program accompanied the event, in which participated the Folklore society “Uj nap, uj esely” from Hungary, the Roma cultural and folklore society “Darda”, the vocal ensemble of teachers of the Prva gimnazija Varaždin “Gimnatori”, the tambura ensemble “Romske duše”, and Santino Spinelli ”Alexian Group”. The traditional Lifetime Achievement Awards “Ferenc Sztojka” and “Šaip Jusuf” were handed out to this year’s laureates Agim Saiti and Bajram Haliti, on whose behalf son Orfej Haliti accepted the award. Special recognitions were also given to Roma language promoters Genaro Spinelli, Davide Chiarelli, Goran Đurđević, Sofiya Zahova, and Fred Taikon. During the official program, the documentary film “A Romale” was shown. The audience awarded the director Hrvoje Mabić and the film’s protagonists Vedrana Šajn, Severina Lajtman, and Talita Jašarevsk with a big applause thus recognizing the quality of the film and the importance of the topic it deals with, which is shown through the autobiographical stories of three young Romani women.
During this year’s celebration of World Day of Romani Language, on behalf of the Roma community in Croatia, Croatian Romani Union ”KALI SARA” awarded the medal “Rromani Daj” (“Romani Mother”) to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, as a sign of gratitude for his continuous contribution to development and improvement of position of the Roma community in Croatia through government programs and measures.
Contribution to the integration of the Roma national minority
Due to emphasized anti-Roma social attitudes, the merits of prominent Roma often passed under the radar and were ignored and denied. Their contributions to modern society are mostly relegated to the margins of social visibility, and their work and fate are narrowed by the burden of prejudices that add to their contribution being underestimated. Despite this, the work of those individuals who encourage society to deconstruct negative attitudes and change the perception of the Roma by presenting them through the prism of positive examples that encourage reflection contributes to changing the public discourse built on stereotypes towards the Roma. The opening of the extended exhibition display was therefore also an opportunity to reward those individuals with a note of appreciation for the integration of the Roma national minority. The idea of awarding worthy individuals was suggested by Veljko Kajtazi, Member of Parliament, and Suzana Krčmar, president of the Croatian Romani Union to affirm the value of all the efforts and attempts that contribute to the inclusion of Roma in society, but also so that others can find a source of inspiration in their example and inspiration for creating a more inclusive and sustainable society based on solidarity, understanding and tolerance.
Of the two notes of appreciation awarded on this occasion, one went to the prominent political reporter of NOVA TV Sabina Tandara-Knezović, and the other to the Croatian lawyer, human rights expert, former Croatian Ombudsman Lora Vidović.
In her reports, Tandara-Knezović deals with the issues of the Roma national minority in Croatia, consistently warning the public about the devastating consequences of social misunderstanding and apathy towards the most discriminated ethnic group in the country, while creating a more tolerant media landscape which includes Roma as well. Her reportage on the Roma settlement of Capraške Poljane stood out, which she referred to upon receiving the note given to her by the member of parliament Kajtazi and President Krčmar. I am overjoyed for this award and you moved me. When I was doing a large reportage, I came to Capraške Poljane and even though I know that Mr. Kajtazi doesn’t like that word, they told me: ‘You are ours, you are our blue gypsy’, and in that context, this was nice, she said, stressing that this award is only a confirmation of her previous work, but also an incentive to continue working on the integration of the Roma into society, with the help of media as the most powerful weapon in that process.
The second laureate served as ombudswoman from 2013 to 2021, and in her two mandates, Vidović especially devoted herself to the defense of the human rights of the Roma national minority in Croatia. She worked closely with the Croatian Romani Union “KALI SARA” and other institutions and organizations in charge of defending the rights of vulnerable groups, especially the Roma minority. She was active in the field, visiting Roma settlements in all parts of Croatia to get to know the community and detect the fundamental problems it faces to improve the level of protection of the basic human rights of Roma citizens.
After the formal part, the evening continued in a more relaxed atmosphere. The audience was entertained by the musical duo consisting of Senad Ahmetović and Buki Skandal, who in the spirit of the event introduced themselves by performing some of the most prominent Romani songs.
