SONIA MEYER

This week I am hoping to review DOSHA, the new novel by Sonia Meyer, a constant and reliable ally of the Romani people
I'm also working of the movies
THE GOEBBLES EXPERIMENT
and
THINNER, by Stephen King

I'd like to reprint a recent entry on Ms. Meyer's blog, Dosha.
It will make you want to read more.
Blog: Dosha

Post: Persecutions of Roma/Gypsies Have Never Stopped, 1400 to Now. Why?

Link: http://soniameyer.blogspot.com/2010/09/persecutions-of-romagypsies-have-never.html

Monday, September 6, 2010


Persecutions of Roma/Gypsies Have Never Stopped, 1400 to Now. Why?

Unlike settled Europeans, who fought war after war over territories, their own and those of their neighbors, all Roma ever wanted was to be left alone. Instead of war they showed respect to the territories they crossed, as well as the bigger animals that shared their living space.

They arrived into Western culture with a great variety of professions – iron-forging, horse-dealing, basket weaving, lace-making etc., and of course entertainment – music, dancing, traveling circuses with all kinds
of performing acts, fortune-telling.

So why the enduring hate? The reasons on the part of those who live a settled life have been explained, examined, over and over again – xenophobia, prejudice, misconceptions, the need to produce a scapegoat
to blame for their own times of trouble.

But what about the part of the Roma themselves? I personally believe, as more and more open territory came under control, the professions the Roma had travelled with for centuries became obsolete through
modernization, the Roma were forced into poverty and areas encircled by the totalitarian law of Might is Right. By then, what had once been the Romani way of survival was turning against them. Life in small,
traveling units, by then had resulted in division instead of unity, lack of unity in turn made them vulnerable to attack, lack of opportunity for work, forced them into petty crime (within their own culture, theft, lying were considered high treason, and practically non-existent).

Instead of human rights, a Roma baby received brands that he or she would never able to erase.

But I firmly believe a new day is dawning for the Roma people. I see, that instead of withdrawing into invisibility at the onslaught of persecution, as they have done in the past believing that only then they could survive, Roma people are starting to unite. Modern type leaders will start to emerge from their midst. They are starting to demand their European birth rights, thereby exposing the hypocrisy of countries who call themselves democratic. As they do so, idealistic non-Gypsies have
started to, and will increase in numbers, march along their sides in support.

'Opre Roma' (Roma Rise) is becoming a reality.