Roma Want to Live Humanely and with Dignity

From the speech of Arus, President of the Zero Discrimination Association, at the "Roma meeting": "We want to live in humane conditions in our neighbourhoods, without being driven here and there. We want social improvements. We are here because we want health security, jobs, schools. We want good things for our brothers and sisters around the world."

Elmas Arus, President of the Zero Discrimination Association, made a speech at the "Roma meeting" in Istanbul, which was also attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. To those who want to change the name of their grandchildren because Narcissus is a Gypsy name; 'Narcissus is a flower. Roma and Gypsies are also spring."

We publish the full text of Arus' speech at the meeting held yesterday (14 March) at the Abdi İpekçi sports hall.

Hello to all of you...

Today we have come together from all over Turkey and Europe.

We are here because we have a cause...

But first of all, I would like to thank the Prime Minister and the Minister of State, Mr Faruk Çelik, Mr Ali Koyuncu, MP for Bursa, and Ms Nursuna Memecan, MP for Istanbul, for making it possible for us to meet here...

We have a message to share with the Prime Minister, the opposition parties, all politicians, all decision-makers and the world, with all our citizens, especially with my dear brothers and sisters who have filled this hall...

Brothers and sisters

When we were born, before anyone started insulting us as Gypsy-Romanians, we were one of the babies smelling of roses.

When we were on our mother's back, we were only "pitiful" beings in the eyes of others.

And when we stepped out of our makeshift houses onto the street...

As we saw those who ran away from playing steel-bat and house with us...

We turned round and asked our mum:

Why?

When we put on our uniforms and started school to learn the ABCs...

our mother thought that with the same uniform, we would not be noticed, we would get lost among the school children.

Unfortunately we didn't get lost...

The shoes on our feet and our accent gave us away.

First they took our desk mate away from us.

Then they took us out of the class...

Our teacher made us sit in the back row.

At that age, we discovered another uniform that we couldn't take off whenever we wanted, like the uniform on our backs.

We realised that this uniform does not last a lifetime.

As a novel says:

"First of all, we are human beings. In order to be recognised as human, we have tried to deny our Romaniness."

We are Roma.

Because we are here today:

We do not want to close our eyes, which we opened with this uniform, with this exclusion, with these prejudices.

That is why we say:

If 80 per cent of us are still illiterate, this is a shame on all of us.

We love reading and writing.

As long as...

Let us not be humiliated in schools.

Even if our hands are dirty, our souls are not dirty when we collect scrap from the city rubbish and recycle it.

As long as the police don't confiscate our scrap cheques.

Lack of humanity is more dangerous than poverty, you know.

To make our voices heard to those who are disturbed by Uncle Şadi praying in a mosque in Sarıgöl and say "Look at the gypsy praying in front of me"...

For Gamzeler, who walks to school every morning in her immaculate apron from a tent on a viaduct...

We are here so that Roma do not cry anywhere and are not left homeless.

We are here to make the voices of Gökhan babies who die of neglect in half-demolished houses and Zeynep babies who die in tents heard.

We are here so that children in Selendi do not lock themselves in their dowry chests for fear of being lynched...

To those who want to change the name of their grandchildren because Narcissus is a Gypsy name; "Narcissus is a flower. Roma and Gypsies are spring".

Dear members of the press...

We know that when you see us you immediately think of us playing.

On the way here, your managers may have said "don't miss the belly-dancers"...

Well, there is no need for them to say that...

Even if we are left homeless and without food, you come to us and say "let's play".

You are right, we dance, sing very well and play all kinds of instruments with our eyes closed.

As you can see, we are pleasant people.

As the saying goes;

"They loaded the goods of the Romans on the donkey and it was not filled, they loaded the pleasure on the camel and it was not taken."

Yes, we are pleasant people.

But do you know what kind of pleasure this pleasure is?

We are in the neighbourhoods of hell with hunger, poverty, "idara, mudara, dubara"

He gets up like he's in heaven,

we say good morning to you all and sell lavender scents.

Do you know that when we collect paper, we also collect our hopes from the garbage?

Do you know that when we sell you flowers, we also ask for your love?

Do you know that no one asks our children "what will you be when you grow up"?

Do you know why they don't?

Because their destiny is clear.

We are here to change this fate.

So that when our children grow up, like your children, they can say "I will be a doctor, engineer, policeman, teacher, historian, professor, even Prime Minister"...

We are here to open these paths.

So, members of the press, don't just write tomorrow that "they played".

Write about our aspirations and the ways to pave the way for us.

That we have dreams too...

And that we also say "ah" when we're hurt.

Yeah... We wake up in hellish neighbourhoods as if we were in paradise,

Because we know...

One day, in our real paradise neighbourhood, our children will study in separate rooms...

We will have the time to pick up a newspaper every evening, read the inside and comment on the country, just like you...

Without thinking about what we'll put on the table today...

Is that too much to ask?...

What else do we want?

We want to live in humane conditions in our neighbourhoods. We want to live with dignity, without being driven here and there.

We want social improvements...

We are here because we want health security, jobs, schools.

What else do we want?

We also want good things for our brothers and sisters around the world.

So that women are no longer sterilised in the Czech Republic because they are Roma...

So that healthy Roma children are not sent to school with mentally handicapped children in any country in the world...

That Roma workers in Hungary should no longer work in factories wearing overalls with the words "inferior race" written on their backs,

In Bulgaria, so that no Roma would be refused a job because they are Roma...

In Greece, so that poor Roma are not thrown out of their barracks during the Olympics to spoil the country's image...

In Italy, so that children are not fingerprinted just because they are Roma...

And...

To commemorate together the 1.5 million Roma who were massacred in the Second World War simply because they were Roma...

So that there will be no more massacres and genocides.

And so that no one, and I mean no one, is persecuted in Romania, India, Macedonia or anywhere else in the world just because they are Roma...

We came from all over Turkey,

And we say, finally,

You know that our resentments last until the cheesecloth dries.

Today, without breaking a tradition and waiting for the cheesecloth to dry, we are here to forgive everyone who has ever looked at us with prejudice, to get to know each other, to learn, to walk together in this life and to those who doubt our humanity;

For saying "Our Roma brothers and sisters are human, human, human"

We have come to thank our Prime Minister very much.

I embrace you all with love and respect. (TK)

Source: Bianet

http://www.bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/120665-romanlar-insanca-onurlariyla-yasamak-istiyor