project

Future for Roma People Association,
Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria
Open Society Club,
Gabrovo, Bulgaria

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Protecting and Popularizing
Roma Culture in Central Bulgaria

Preconditions for the project
Aims of the project
Activities

Preconditions for the project

Unfortunately Roma in Central Bulgaria (and in general) have lost to a great extent their cultural roots. A significant part of them have adopted archetypes and characteristics of Bulgarian and Turkish cultures. This gradually leads to an identification with either Bulgarian, or Turkish ethnoi. In the light of this the acculturation is furthermore developing to a complete assimilation and loss of ethnic self-consciousness. .
It is much more valid for young and educated Roma.

There are three reasons for this negative process:

Prejudices against Roma have been accumulated for decades: the definition “Gypsy” bears a negative meaning due to the complete unawareness of Roma culture, history and folklore by other ethnic groups.

There was a trend until recently in the policy of the official institutions in Bulgaria towards ignoring Roma, especially by Bulgarian educational system: education in Bulgarian schools not long ago was completely in Bulgarian; there has been no information about Roma culture in the curriculum (history, literature and music). Something more, there was a hidden segregation of “Bulgarian” and “Romani” schools. In the course of time less and less Bulgarian children entered the “Romani” schools or Romani children – the Bulgarian schools. As a result of this the quality of education in “Romani” schools went down. The teachers, as well as the authorities, were showing persistently ignorance of them.

There has been however a significant progress achieved in this direction (or at least regulated by law), but the status quo has not changed because of financial and other reasons, especially for schools in villages with predominating Roma population. A huge number of the children of Romani origin do not know Bulgarian when entering school and they are not acquainted with the peculiarity of Bulgarian culture. In addition, the education does not include elements of Roma culture and Romani language (Romanes), the children are not able to adapt and as a result they soon leave school.

The third reason is the sparsity of the Roma elite. It is well-known that the intelectuals among given people are those who are the guarantees for the preserving of their ethnic self-consciousness. Unfortunately this process of assimilation has reached its highest degree namely among the intelectuals who have completed their university studies and have succeeded in their career.

Aims of the project

Major goals

Giving rise to preconditions for the restricting of the process of assimilation and provoking the ethnic self-consciousness of Roma people.

Giving rise to preconditions for overcoming the prejudices against Roma by members of other ethnoi.

Additional goals

Acquainting the young Roma people with Roma culture, history and folklore.

Acquainting Bulgarian and Turkish population Roma culture, history and folklore.

Establishing new pedagogical activities in the curricula in schools with compact groups of Romani pupils. The purpose of this attempt is to change the educational system introducing Roma culture thereby keeping the children at school.

Raising the ethnic self-consciousness among educated young Roma people and transforming them into a Romani elite.

Activities

1. Research activities – collecting myths, legends, songs and sayings which testify to Romani history. In the frames of the project a field research has been undertaken in August, September, and October 2001, by a group of Romani (in their majority) students. The spatial framework of the investigation includes mainly Veliko Turnovo District, but also Gabrovo, Pleven, and Targoviste District, namely Kardam, Vodoley, Ressen, Kamenetz, Beglesh, Gorna Studena, Morava, Muselievo, Karamanovo, Alekovo, Dryanovo, Levski, Svistov, Popovo, Lyaskovetz, Zlataritza, Pavlikeni, Dolna Metropolia, Bukovlak and Pleven. The research has spread over various Romani groups inhabiting the territory of Bulgaria: Horohane Roma (Drandari, Futadjii), Dassikane Roma (Burgudjii, Tuzhari), Kaldarashi (Vretenari, Bakardjii), and so on. It aimed at:

Founding and publishing of unknown ethnological material
Preserving the discovered material for the future generation. There is a real danger for disappearing Roma cultural heritage. It is known only Roma of the elder generation. This necessitates its recording and preserving for the younger generations.
Adapting the collected material for fulfilling the pedagogical purpose established, i.e. including it in the curricula of schools with compact groups of Roma pupils.
Involving Romani students in the project for preserving and strengthening their ethnic self-consciousness.

We have to emphasize that most of the Romani legends, myths and songs refer to concrete natural realia (rivers, trees and places), close to the villages where they would be recorded. We pay special attention to these sources, because they are easy to be understood by representatives of other ethnic groups: natural realia are the same for all people. So they can be easily established in the out-class activities (trips and excursions).

A working meeting has been held at the beginning of the project. On this meeting professors in ethnology from the University of Veliko Turnovo (ass. prof. Nikolai Kolev and ass.prof. Stefan Yordanov) have explain the methodology of field ethnographic work.

2. Publishing and popularizing the collected material. This has been conducted in two stages:

Creating a web page
Publishing a book “Roma Folklore from Central Bulgaria.” The book is free of charge, spread in the bookshop net Open World. It has been sent to all schools with compact groups of Romani pupils. It will orientate teachers in the wealth of Roma culture and facilitate them in their work with Romani pupils. The collection plays also an important role in the next stages of the project.

3. Organizing a course in Roma culture, history and folklore for teachers from schools with compact groups Roma pupils. The course is held with the cooperation of the Regional Inspectorate of Education under the Ministry of Education and Science. Unfortunately most of the teachers have no knowledge of Roma culture which is a serious obstacle in their work, especially with pupils from the primary classes. It is possible that including elements of the Roma culture in the school work will reduce the percentage of children leaving school. Moreover this does not require law-administrative change in the actual structure of Bulgarian school. The material can well be used as additional illustrative material. It is much more valid for Roma folklore, especially that section referring to natural realia.

Every participant in the course receives a package with materials from the previous stage of the project. He or she isinstructed how to use and apply them in their work with the pupils.

4. Organizing non-mandatory class forms, studying Romani folklore. This activity has started in the villages of Vodoley and Balvan. The course is based on the legends, songs and myths recorded during the first stage. This will result in several things:

The pupils of Romani origin will study their own culture and this will make them feel more comfortable at school and, at the same time, will favour the preserving of their cultural roots.
The courses are formed by pupils of different ethnic origin Their subject is the native region where all of them live together. This, on the one hand, will also help these children to overcome the prejudices against Romani children, and on the other hand will contribute to the integration of the children of Romani origin.

The courses are conducted with the help of the Regional Inspectorate of Education under the Ministry of Education and Science.

5. Organizing the children in amateur groups and ensembles. Most of them have outstanding musical talents; another part of them possess artistic skills. Because of the financial problems the amateur art activities of Romani children ware not one of the supported areas. Therefore organizing amateur groups of talented young Roma musicians and actors with the help of the Regional Inspectorate of Education under the Ministry of Education and Science is one of the tasks standing in front of the working group. The aim of the ensembles is preserving and popularizing Roma culture and music as well as giving opportunity to these children to develop their skills. The ensembles will function under the school authority, so their performans will help for weakening of the prejudices in the conscious of young Bulgarians and Turkish against Roma culture.

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