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Open Society Foundations: We Want to Hear What You Think
About the European Roma Institute
May 18, 2015
This post was coauthored by Dr. Nicoleta Bitu, on behalf
of the Alliance for the European Roma Institute*, Ulrich Bunjes, special
representative of the secretary general for Roma issues at the Council of
Europe; and Zeljko Jovanovic, director of the Open Society Roma Initiatives
Office.
Over the last few months, we have been promoting the
initiative to establish a European Roma Institute. Numerous discussions around
this initiative have been taking place at public events in cities throughout
Europe, including Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Berlin, Strasbourg, Sarajevo,
and Krakow, as well as online.
During these events, representatives of intergovernmental
and nongovernmental organizations, experts, activists, academics, artists,
curators, media experts, and governmental institutions have had the opportunity
to express their support or criticism of the Institute. And now that we have
come to a complete proposal, we would like to open this discussion up even
wider and allow everyone the chance to participate.
The idea of the European Roma Institute is not new. In
fact, it has been proposed by Romani intellectuals for decades. Agnes Daroczi,
from Hungary, has been one of the most vocal proponents of the idea. “When in
1992, after the change of the political regime, I founded the Romedia
Foundation, I knew that in order to be able to speak of ourselves, to express
our interests, to develop a suitable image, we need our own narratives and our
own institutions,” she says.
The Council of Europe and the Open Society Foundations
want to provide institutional, material, and financial support to make the
European Roma Institute a reality. As George Soros and Thorbjørn Jagland wrote
recently in a joint statement: “It would act as an important symbol—and symbols
are important, as is the ability to tell one’s story in one’s own voice.”
Today, the idea is more relevant and urgent than ever.
The economic crisis and political extremism are scaling up historical
anti-Gypsyism to the level that it can influence political and policy decisions
that affect Roma. More than ever in the last 20 years, Roma culture and identity
are used as scapegoats. If we want to achieve justice and equality for the Roma
in this environment, we must create a long-lasting response at the European
scale that can provide an alternative narrative about Roma and counter the
negative prejudice that poisons people’s minds.
We propose that the European Roma Institute be an
independent organization that aims—through arts, culture, history, and media—to
battle prejudice and increase the self-esteem of Roma. We hope it will
rigorously document Romani artistic and cultural heritage of all forms, not
just the mainstream, and provide opportunities for creative exchange.
One of the founding principles of this initiative is that
Roma themselves should present the image of who they are and who they are not. Roma
intellectuals, artists, journalists, writers, linguists, historians, and others
will lead the institute, with the support and cooperation of many other members
and contributors, regardless of ethnic origin.
According to the rules and procedures of the Council of
Europe, the proposal for the institute must first be reviewed by member states
to gauge their interest. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
formally endorsed the next preparatory steps and is currently consulting the
member states’ experts. We are opening the proposal for views and suggestions
from nongovernmental stakeholders.
We would like to hear your views about this proposal as
well. You can express them via email and Facebook. We also plan to organize
telephone conference calls. All those interested in a teleconference can email
us.
*The following are members of the Alliance for the
European Roma Institute: European Roma Cultural Foundation, Romedia Foundation,
Romano ButiQ, Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma,
Katalin Barsony, Dr. Nicoleta Bitu, Dr. Ethel Brooks, Timea Junghaus, Sead
Kazanxhiu, Saimir Mile, Andrzej Mirga, Anna Mirga, Dijana Pavlovic, Nadir
Redzepi, Romani Rose, Dr. Iulius Rostas, and Mihaela Zatreanu.
To learn more about our proposal for the European Roma Institute, read the complete background paper.
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