No Reply From the "Brothers"

Like all slums, this one looks unusual to someone who thinks that Romanies lead exotic lives; or very poor to those who think that they have made a lot of money dealing in foreign currency at the markets; or cold and decent to those think that Romanies spend their lives brawling. There is still a lot of bias with regard to Romanies. Tanasije Mirijevski, who represents this settlement in the Mirijevo municipality, said that a journalist inspired with Emir Kusturica's film came to visit them on May 6 (St. George's feast day) and then wrote a very ordinary article with the prosaic headline "A Pig's View Of Zvezdara". Since then Tanasije is very suspicious of journalists.

Gypsy caravans and hackney-coaches are no longer part of the exotic paraphernalia linked to the Romany image. There are no more feather collectors, trough-makers, and the blacksmiths' workshops have long tumbled down. Makeshift houses line the steep streets. Most Romanies are poor and work for the public water supply company or the public utilities company. "I clean the whole city, only my street is always dirty", said Ramadan Sac who works for the Belgrade utilities company together with his son.

Editor of the Romany language program on Radio Belgrade Dragoljub Ackovic is considered by most journalists as one of the most competent collocutors among the Romanies. He said that only 30% of his compatriots were employed, that 10% held seasonal jobs, and that 60% were unemployed. Ackovic said that the last relevant research was carried out 12 years ago, so that it is possible to speak only of percentages now. According to estimates, between 500,000 - 600,000 Romanies live in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On being told that this was probably an exaggerated number, Ackovic said that in the census and surveys only one-fourth of the Romanies declared themselves as such, while the rest declared themselves as members of the majority population they were living with, whereas in some countries their number was kept secret. Ackovic did not think that this was the case in Yugoslavia.

During the rally of Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo in Smederevo, and subsequently at the Staro Sajmiste (old fair) location in Belgrade, the following slogan was seen - "Brothers Serbs and Montenegrins the Romanies are With You". Ackovic is the author of the slogan and he said that if the Serbs wished to reply in equal measure, they had the opportunity of doing so on 8 April when the Congress of Romany Unity was going to be held. The congress was going to open the question of a "national program of emancipation", meaning that it would demand of the Serbian Government that the Romanies be given the status of a national minority and not be treated as an ethnic group, and in accordance with the status of a national minority be given greater rights, above all in the fields of education and information.

In Orlovsko naselje they do not seem to have reached a unanimous stand on national emancipation. The locals gave us some incredible information - nearly 70% Romany children understand the language but they don't speak it. Those close to Tanasije Mirijevski urge national emancipation, others suspect that there are those who wish to "rise" through "politics", even though musician Ljubomir Kostic believes that Romanies "should be more protected. As soon as something happens here, everybody says 'gypsy business'". The locals complain that the police come quickly only when an investigation has to be conducted, but that they're very slow when they have to protect someone in a fight. Then they swear at the Romanies. Once the police punished them after some kids broke the headlights on their car. ("God, were they angry.") Alija Ferhatovic has worked at the cemetery Novo Groblje for many years and underlines that he has never felt any discrimination. But there are different views: a woman says that her son is 'white gypsy' and that he works with two of his light skinned compatriots in a cafe owned by a Serb, but that some of his dark skinned friends aren't allowed to enter the cafe. Tanasije is obsessed with 'white gypsies", and said that often the 'white" ones left the settlement and built a house in another settlement, not a Romany one and then only came to visit their old neighborhood, while visitors from the slum weren't welcome, as they'd give them away. None here believe that a mixed marriage would have much chance of surviving. Another woman complains that teachers transfer Romany children who are bad pupils into special schools for retarded children. "If a child is fidgety or lazy, that doesn't mean that it is stupid", she said. She has no complaints about the criteria in giving marks.

Tanasije Mirijevski is also president of the Committee for the reconstruction of Orlovsko naselje, but regards any mention of the settlement being moved as heresy. A study on this slum by prof. Vlado Macura says that in dealing with the status of this settlement, the arguments used most often state that it is illegal and not part of the city plans. This interesting and well written study says: "The expressions found in most documents concerning this issue are: 'to remove an unhygienic settlement', 'priority for removal', 'program for removal', to pull down', 'to move'. Obviously, the matter concerns a wrong attitude with regard to the city's rights, according to which the poorest and socially uninfluential strata who live in misery and poverty can only be moved away, their houses pulled down and their settlement obliterated".

This "Year of the Romanies" has started badly for the Romanies: children were found suffocated in a fridge in Novi Sad, a three-and-a-half year old boy was torn apart by dogs in Rospi Cuprija, four Romanies were killed in Obersdorf, gypsy children in Italy were given Barbie dolls filled with explosives...