At the Budapest-based media advocacy organization Romedia Foundation, we have started working on the last phase of the production of The Brothers. Having finished shooting on location in Kosovo (Mitrovica, Leposavic, Pristina) – see video here – we are working hard to release a feature length documentary in April 2012.

The film is a close and personal account of three brothers who have been separated by the deportation policies of the German state of Lower Saxony, two of them now living in the last Romani IDP camp in north Kosovo, in Leposavic, with their mother. Their older brother studies and works in Hanover.

For four years, the Romedia team has been returning to Kosovo regularly to film the situation of Romani IDPs in northern Kosovo. The first news documentary we made, Trapped – the Forgotten Story of the Mitrovica Roma (2008), brought a previously unheard local Romani perspective to audiences from Monte Carlo to France, Belgium, Germany and Hungary. It introduced the background and showed the consequences of the Kosovo war for Mitrovica’s Roma, resulting in the “gravest public health disaster in modern Europe” (WHO director for Serbia Dr. Dorit Nitzan in Trapped).

A young Romani boy clings to the wire in Trapped: The Forgotten Story of the Mitrovica Roma

Romani refugees from Mitrovica can be found all over Europe. Indeed, the many countries we traveled to for our Mundi Romani – the World through Roma Eyes series: Italy, France, Germany, Montenegro, Serbia… Everywhere we went, we heard about the tragedy of the destruction and burning of the Fabricka street mahala, the former – and partly reconstructed – Romani neighborhood in the southern (Albanian) part of Mitrovica, in June 1999.

In 2009, when we were once again filming in north Kosovo as part of a larger film shoot in the region (we were filming in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro as well), we visited our friends in the Leposavic camp and met with another side of the story. Halime and her sons Sedat and Nazmija (12 and 13 years old at the time) had just been repatriated from their home near Hanover, Germany. The children had never been to Kosovo before and, barely a month after their arrival, were still clearly traumatized by the sudden upheaval.

Looking back at the footage of that first encounter in January 2010, we could see clear signs of grave psychological stress on the children. Upset by what we had seen, we decided to get in touch with the Romani activists leading the Alle Bleiben! (All Stay) campaign in Germany. Thereafter we were dedicated to doing everything we could to bring much needed international attention to the situation of the family- by doing what we do best – making a film…

Our relationship with the family grew stronger and stronger as we met and filmed them several times in both Kosovo and Germany. We got closer and closer to the story and to the family. By now we felt really involved in their plight and had been overcome with a feeling of injustice and anger at the inhumane way in which the family had been treated.

Romedia filming in Kosovo - January 2012

The arguments of the German and Kosovan authorities were understood. Economic pressure of the former and EU aspirations of the latter drove both parties to sign the readmission agreement. The personal suffering that would follow was an expense both parties were happy to pay.

Filming Nasmija and Sedat on a bridge in Mitrovica

The brother and their family were of course not alone. Many Roma, Serbs and Albanians also had their lives turned upside down. They were all being sent ‘home’ but, in reality, to children born and bred in Germany, there was only one place they could consider to be home, and that was not Kosovo.

The Brothers - Back in Kosovo but Born in Germany

We are adamant that the brothers belong in Germany, along with their parents, and we not alone in that view. In Germany, the school directors, the social workers, family neighbors and many others with whom the families had daily contact also agree. They are German, they belong in Germany.

In September 2011, we released Uprooted – Children’s perspectives on Europe’s Repatriation Policies, a short advocacy film (22’20”) financed by the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOS) and the Open Society Roma Initiatives. Below you will find the a short teaser for the film.

Uprooted premiered on national Kosovo television on 29 September 2011 and will be premiered in the US on Link TV on 6^th March. It will also be broadcast in the UK on Community Channel in the coming months. The film is available upon request to all who wish to use it to bring attention to the reality behind some German states’ repatriation policies.

Our next project, The Brothers, is inspired by our four-year personal experience of filming in north Kosovo and our increasingly close relationship to the Hasani brothers, their personalities and their life stories. This will be their film as much as ours.

The production of the feature length documentary film is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and will be premiered in April 2012.

COMING SOON…

Johann "Rukeli" Trollmann

A bokszról gyakran megoszlanak a vélemények. Néhányan az erő és tudás művészi formáját és megnyilvánulását látják benne, míg kritikusai a elvakult brutalitás kifejezéseként tekintenek rá.

Függetlenül a sport iránti érzelmektől, Johann Trollmann története egyike a hősi tragédiáknak.

Hannoverben 1907-ben született és nőtt el egy tizenegy gyermekes szinti családban a német város régi negyedében.

Trollmann már nyolc évesen nagy tehetségnek számított a szorítóban és hírneve csak erősödött ifjú korában, amely időszak alatt két hannoveri boksz klub a BC Heros Hannover és a BC Sparta Hannover-Linden növendéke volt.

Gyorsaság, mozgékonyság és váratlan erő jellemezte, amellyel Trollmann a „Rukeli” becenévvel vált ismertté, amely név a „ruk” azaz „fa” romani szóból ered.

Ellenfelei képtelenek voltak legyűrni „Rukeli”-t, így ebben az időszakban amatőrként négy regionális bajnokságot és az Észak-német bajnokságot is megnyerte.

1928-ban, úgy tűnt ő képviselheti Németországot a stockholmi olimpián, ám az állami hivatal megakadályozta szereplését, arra hivatkozva, hogy „stílusa nem elég német, inkább sárgás”.

Ez volt az első de korántsem az utolsó találkozása a rasszizmussal.

A rá jellemző kitartással és elszántággal Trollmann két év elteltével profi ökölvívó lett Berlinben, így lehetősége nyílt, hogy bizonyítsa tehetségét a német ökölvívó tekintélyek előtt.

Trollmann a ringben

Rukeli dinamikus hozzáállása és technikás stílusa rövidesen csodálók tömegeivel töltötte meg a lelátókat, köztük jelentős számban a szebbik nem képviselőivel.

1932-ben Trollmann-nak harminckét csodálatos küzdelme volt. Mégis – miközben klubja hírneve nőttön nőtt – ő egyre inkább nem-kívánatossá kezdett válni a fasiszta média számára, és a  „CIGÁNY A SZORÍTÓBAN” jelzővel gúnyolták.

Miután a zsidókat hivatalosan is eltiltották a sportoktól, a félnehézsúlyú bajnoki öv tulajdonos nélkül maradt, az akkori bajnok a zsidó származású Erich Seeling ugyanis elhagyta az országot.

Váratlanul, bár meglehetősen rossz körülmények között, Trollman a dicsőség kapujában találta magát, amikor Adolf Witt ellen léphetett szorítóba 1933. június 9-én a gazdátlan övért rendezett párviadalon.

Természetesen a küzdelem nem nélkülözte a politkai töltetet, amiben Witt játszotta az árja harcos szerepét, akinek nem jelenthet akadályt szinti ellenfele. Eközben azonban a „Fa” sem arra készült, hogy könnyen kidöntsék.

Valójában Trollmann hat meneten keresztül uralta a ringet, majd a helyi boksz szövetség elnöke, aki egyben a náci párt tagja is volt, elrendelte, hogy a bírák döntetlen eredményt hirdessenek.

A jelenévő tömeg közt azonban a szakértő közönség felháborodása akkora nyomást gyakorolt a bírákra, hogy azok kénytelenek voltak visszavonni a határozatukat és Trollmann-t nyilvánították győztesnek.

"Rukeli", amint gyakorol

A drámai siker egyszerre csalta az öröm és a bánat könnyeit az érzelmeivel is küzdelmet vívó Trollmann szemébe. Mialatt természetesen örült, hogy megnyerte a bajnoki címet,  apja (kép alul) elvesztése egy végzetes gyomorbetegség miatt mély szomorúsággal töltötte el.

Hitler közismerten nagy csodálója volt az ökölvívásnak és szívesebben látta volna ha a ringben a felsőbbrendű faj győzedelmeskedik főleg a zsidók, a romák és a szintik felett, így Trollmann diadalának látványa meglehetősen felizgatta a nácik vezérét.

Ezért talán nem is meglepő, hogy Trollmann regnálása igen rövid életű volt. Egy héttel a mérkőzés után a hatóságok közölték, hogy őt is megfosztották az övétől és ezt egyszerűen „gyalázatos magaviseletével” és „rossz ökölvívásával” indokolták.

Trollmann, balról a második, a háború előtt, Hannoverben

A következő hónapban, miután figyelmeztették, hogy változtasson extravagáns stílusán és ne táncoljon úgy mint egy cigány, Trollmann szőkére festette haját és testét liszttel fehérítette ki, majd ringbe szállt Gustav Elder ellen és szándékosan kikapott.

E vakmerő show által dacolt a német rezsimmel, de egyben utolsó mérkőzése is volt mint profi német ökölvívó.

A náci rezsim egyre erőteljesebben kívánta gyakorolni hatalmát, így a szintik 1938-ban ugyanabba a státuszba kerültek mint a zsidók, ami azt jelentette, hogy a koncentrációs táborok elkerülésének módját a sterilizációban jelölték ki számukra.

Ekkor Trollmann elkeseredett lépésre szánta el magát: úgy döntött elvál akkori nem-szinti feleségétől és aláveti magát a sterilizációnak, hogy eképp mentse meg hitvesét és kislányukat.

Munkaszolgálatosként 1939-ben behívót kapott a német hadseregbe és több országban is szolgált mielőtt faji okokból leszerelték 1942-ben.

Azon a nyáron Trollmann-t szülővárosában Hannoverben letartóztatták és elszállították Hamburgba a KZ Neuengamme-i koncentrációs táborba.

Itt hamar felismerte egy SS-es bokszbíró, aki elrendelte, hogy segítkezzen a német katonák kiképzésében, annak ellenére, hogy a gyötrelemes munkaszolgálat alatt Trollmann már csak törékeny árnyéka volt egykori önmagának.

Miután fogolytársai szövetkeztek, és Trollmann hamis halálhírét keltették, 1943-ban Wittenbergbe szállították, ám fényes bokszhírneve miatt hamarosan újra felfigyeltek rá.

Ez alkalommal már kénytelen volt kiállni a tábor egyik legmagasabb rangú tisztjével, Emil Cornelius-szal, és annak ellenére, hogy a náci bánásmód brutalitása ebben az évben hágott tetőfokára, Trollmann megnyerte a párviadalt.

Ez volt Rukeli utolsó szereplése mint harcos. Egy gyáva bosszú eredményeként a vesztes Cornelius mindenki szeme láttára ölte meg Trollmann-t míg a többi fogoly épp feladatait végezte a kényszemunka alatt.

Johann ’Rukeli’ Trollmann 1943 március 9-én mindössze 36 éves korában hunyt el. Egyik öccse szintén gyilkosság áldozata lett még négy hónappal korábban, Auschwitz-ban. A bánattal küszködő édesanyjuk, Fridirike (alul) 1946-ban halt meg Hannoverben.

Másik öccse, Albert „Benny” Trollmann, aki szintén lelkes ökölvívóként sokat tanult bátyjától, Johanntól, 1991-ben súlyos gyomorbetegségben hunyt el 78 évesen, Hannoverben.

Hetven évvel azután, hogy megnyerte a bajnoki címet, a családja túlélő tagjai, közöttük lánya Rita Vowe és nagyszerű unokaöccse, Manuel Trollmann kapták meg az alábbi képen látható bajnoki övet, ő pedig posztumusz felkerült a német félnehézsúlyú bajnokok hivatalos listájára.

Manuel Trollmann a kiváló unokaöcs és lánya Rita Vowe

2011 nyarán ideiglenes emlékművet állítottak Hannoverben és Berlinben. Az emlékmű neve 9841. Ez volt Trollmann azonosítószáma a Neuengamme-i fogolytáborban.

"9841"-es emlékmű

Az alkotók (A Bewegung Nurr és Florian Gopfert) szerint a ferde emlékmű azt a küzdelmet szimbolizálja, amivel a nagy bokszolónak az élete során kellett szembenézni, amikor emberi méltósága ellen a náci rezsim, a diszkrimináció és a terror eszközét alkalmazta.

A Romédia Alapítvány hamarosan elindítja „A Requiem Auschwitz-ért” elnevezésű projektjét, ami egy nagyszabású európai rendezvénysorozat része. A kezdeményezés arra vállalkozik, hogy felhívjai a figyelmet a romák szenvedéseire a genocídium idején.

Ennek a sokoldalú erőfeszítésnek az a célja, hogy az oktatás és a kultúra eszközeinek használatával újra összekösse Európa Roma és Szinti lakosságát a holokauszt örökségével és ezáltal elősegítse a nagyobb megértést és toleranciát velük szemben, valamint hozzásegítse őket, hogy kezelni tudják azon kihívásokat, amikkel szembe kell nézniük napjainkban.

A projekt nemzetközi partnerei:

ALFA Foundation/International Gypsy Festival (Hollandia), Romano Kher National Centre (Románia) for Roma Culture, Philarmonischer Verein der Sinti und Roma (Németország), Slovo 21 (Cseh Köztársaság), Roma People Association (Lengyelország) and the Romedia Foundation (Magyarország).

További információért klikkelj az alábbi linkre: http://www.requiemforauschwitz.eu/

Szerző: Alastair Watt

Fordította: Molnár Csaba

Andrea Pirlo-t, Ricardo Quaresma-t, Jose Antonio Reyes-t és Rafael van der Vaart-ot a labdarúgáson túl még egy fontos dolog köti össze: Roma Származásuk. A köztudatban nyilván úgy élnek, mint Olaszország, Portugália, Spanyolország és Hollandia  futballvilágának nagy tekintélyű nemzetközi játékosai, ugyanakkor ezek a játékosok roma örökséggel is büszkélkedhetnek. A labdarúgást és a romákat  Kelet-Európában leginkább a futball-huliganizmussal kapcsolatban emlegetik, főként a roma közösségek elleni izgatás okán. Holott a kapcsolódás a romák és a labdarúgás között lényegesen pozitívabb oldalról is megközelíthető, ami egyben inspiráló is lehet sok roma fiatal számára.

A fenti négyes a milánói San Siro-tól a barcelonai Nou Camp-ig a legpatinásabb stadionok világában forogva lett kiválogatva és kitüntetve mint a jelenlegi roma játékosok közt a legsikeresebb és legkiemelkedőbb karriert befutottak.

Alábbiakban megismerkedünk eme játékosokkal, az olvasóra bízva a nagy kérdés megválaszolását: “Ki minden idők legnagyobb roma labdarúgója?”

1.     ANDREA PIRLO

Észak-Olaszország lombardiai régiójában Flero városkában született egy szinti családban. Pirlo-t széles körben generációja legjobb irányítójaként tartják számon.  A nagy áttörést már tinédzser korában elérte még a Brescia csapatánál, azelőtt, hogy a jól jövedelmező  Inter-Milánhoz igazolt volna 1998-ban. Ez időtájt a haladás klubszinten megakadt ugyan, de csillaga a nemzetközi színtéren emelkedőben volt.

Az olaszok csapatkapitányaként 2000-ben a U21-es Európa bajnokságon nemcsak a legtöbb gólt szerző játékos lett, de megválasztották a torna legjobb játékosának is, így bezsebelte a torna Aranylabdása címet.

Ennek ellenére kibontakozását nem folytathatta az Inter keretei közt, mivel 2001 nyarán eladták a legnagyobb rivális klub, az AC Milán-nak. Az Inter vesztesége óriási volt, míg a Milán hatalmasat nyert az üzleten, amint az alábbi, legendás milánói szabadrúgás-gólok is mutatják.

A következő évben a Milán megnyerte az olasz nemzeti bajnokságot és a siker középpontjában a legkreatívabb középpályás cím díszelgett. Eközben Pirlo meghatározó szerepet vállalt az olasz válogatott figyelemre méltó sikerében is a 2006-os világbajnokságon. Miután az elődöntőben legyőzték a házigazda Németországot, a döntőben a Franciaországot büntetőkkel elverő olaszok emelhették magasba a trófeát, Pirlo pedig a a torna harmadik legjobb játékosának járó Bronzlabdát is megkapta.

Andrea Pirlo, amint magasba emeli az UEFA Bajnokok Ligája trófeát 2007-ben.

2007-ben Pirlo a Milán színeiben másodszor emelhette magasba a Bajnokok Ligája trófeáját és a  Milán-nál elért karrierje befejezése előtt a 2008-as Európa Bajnokságon valamint a 2010-es világbajnokságon is képviselte Olaszországot. 2011-ben méltóképp ért véget egy tíz éves varázslatos pályafutás, hiszen a  klub hét év után ismét megnyerte a Serie A-t. Pirlo jelenleg a Juventus csapatában játszik, ahol sokan remélik, hogy tapasztalata és klasszisa nagyban hozzájárul a klub korábbi patinás dicsőségének visszaszerzéséhez.

2. RAFAEL VAN DER VAART

Észak-Hollandiából, Heemskerk városából származik, ahonnan viharos gyorsasággal Európa egyik leghatékonyabb támadó középpályásává avanzsált. Hollandia összes parkja rendelkezésre állt a gyakorláshoz a spanyol anyától és hollland apától származó Van der Vaart-nak.

Az Ajaxhoz kerülvén hamar az egyik legkeresettebb középpályás játékos lett. Számos nagyon látványos gól fűződik nevéhez. Az Ajax-nál töltött ideje alatt megnyerte a Johan Cruyff Prijs nevével fémjelezett, az Év Tehetségének járó díjat a 2002-es és 2004-es bajnoki győzelmeiért. Mindezeket egy nemzetközi karrier követett előbb a Hamburgnál 2005-ben majd az igen jómódú spanyol óriáshoz a Reál Madridhoz igazolt 2008 nyarán.

Rafael Van der Vaart gólöröme a holland válogatott színeiben az angolok elleni találkozón.

Ez időtájt 2006-ban Van der Vaart már a hollandokat képviselte a világbajnokságon, valamint a 2004-es és 2008-as Európa Bajnokságokon. A 2010-es vb-n Dél-Afrikában, mint a holland csapat kapitánya egészen a döntőig vezényelte csapatát, ahol 1-0 ás vereséget szenvedtek a spanyoloktól Johannesburgban.

A 28 éves holland roma futball-maestro jelenleg az angol ligában szereplő Tottenham Hotspur csapatát erősíti, ahol kulcsfigurának számít a klub azon törekvéseiben, hogy a hazai és nemzetközi sikereik számát növeljék.

3. JOSÉ ANTONIO REYES

Reyes, spanyol káló szülők gyermekeként látta meg a napvilágot Sevilla dél-keleti részén Utrera kerületben. Spanyolország és Anglia közönségét villámgyors futásával és bombaerejű lövéseivel kápráztatja el.

Tinédzserként Reyes a Sevilla ambiciózus csapatában ért el hatalmas sikereket 86 meccsén 22 gólt szerzett szélsőként majd 20 évesen az angol Arzenál csapatába igazolt 2004 januárjában.

A fiatal káló annyira népszerű volt a Sevilla szurkolók körében, hogy a klub elnöke úgy döntött, lehetetlen őt eladni egy másik spanyol gárdának, noha a Reál Madrid erősen érdeklődött iránta.

Angliában aztán Reyes tagja lett annak a legyőzhetetlen Arzenál csapatnak, amelyik megnyerte a Premier Ligát 2004-ben, majd azt követően az angol FA kupát 2005-ben.

José Antonio Reyes az Atletico Madrid színeiben.

A Reál Madrid egy évig kapta kölcsön majd 2007-ben Reyes a szomszéd Atletico Madrid-nál írt alá szerződést, amellyel három év után az Európa Kupában jutott el a csúcsra, a Fulham legyőzésével Hamburgban.

A nemzeti válogatott színeiben 21 alkalommal szerepelt, egy olyan időszakban, amikor minden idők legsikeresebb spanyol válogatottjáról beszélt a sportvilág. Reyes válogatottbeli szereplésének legszebb pillanata 2003-ban volt, amikor a spanyol armada Örményország ellen 4-0-s győzelmet aratott, amiből két találat mögé Reyes neve kerülhetett.

Az elmúlt hónapban Reyes ismét a gyerekkori klubjához a Sevilla-hoz csatlakozott azzal a reménnyel, hogy újra feléleszti egykori klubja esélyeit és természetesen sajátját is a közeledő 2012-es EB-re.

4. RICARDO QUARESMA

A kiemelkedően tehetséges portugál támadó Lisszabonban született és indult útjára egy Roma családból. Lisszabonban szerezte első élményeit a futball világából, ahol trükkös játékával sokkolta az ellenfelek védelmét a Sporting csapatában, megnyerve a portugál bajnokságot is 2002-ben.

Ricardo Quarisma neve fémjelzi Portugália mennydörgő csapását.

Ezt követően, a nagynevű Barcelona csapatánál írt alá szerződést egy szezonra, majd visszatért a portugáliai Porto-ba játszani. Itt gyarapítja patinás éremgyűjteményét három bajnoki kupagyőzelemmel 2005-ben, 2006-ban és 2007-ben.

A 31 alkalom során a nemzeti válogatott színeiben, nemzetközi porondon, 2007-ben Belgium ellen szerzett góljával szerez hírnevet. A 2008-as EB-n szintén gyönyörű góllal járult hozzá az akkor még koraérettnek tartott tehetség, a Csehország elleni 3-1-es győzelemnél Svájcban, Genf városában.

A varázslat az Inter-nél majd a Chelsea-nél folytatódik, aztán a török Besiktas klub szerződteti 2010-ben. Törökországban a magasan képzett Quaresma ismét hozta a formáját és éremgyűjteménye a török kupagyőzelemmel gazdagodott 2011-ben.

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Fenti négy tehetség az egyik legnépszerűbb játékban elért pályafutásával példát mutat a világnak arról, hogy mire is képes egy Roma sportoló. Hiszen világ- és Európa-bajnokok, angol, olasz, portugál és holland bajnokcsapatok tagjai ők.

Káprázatos játékuk bekerült a köztudatba és a róluk szóló legendák ezerszer hangosabban harsognak, amely legendák mellett a szélsőséges huliganizmus csak bugyuta motyogás.

Johann "Rukeli" Trollmann

Boxing often divides opinion. Some see it as an artform and an exhibition of strength and skill, while its critics view it as a chauvinist display of brutality.

Regardless of your feelings on the sport, the story of Johann Trollmann is one of heroic tragedy.

Born in Hannover in 1907, Trollmann was raised as one of eleven in a Sinti family in the old town of the German city.

Friederike Trollmann, mother of Johann

From the age of eight Trollmann was showing great talent in the ring and his reputation would go from strength to strength in his teens when he practiced with the BC Heros Hannover and BC Sparta Hannover-Linden.

Noted for his speed, agility and surprising power Trollmann became known as “Rukeli” which stemmed from the Romani word for tree ‘ruk’.

Trollmann in boxing action in the late 1920s

Opponents were unable to shake “Rukeli” during his days as an amateur as he won four regional championships and a North German championship.

In 1928, Trollmann seemed destined to represent Germany at the Olympic Games in Stockholm but officials refused his participation on the grounds of his supposedly “yellow, non-German style.”

This was to be his first but by no means last encounter with racism.

Rukeli in the gym

With typical tenacity and determination, Trollmann turned professional two years later in Berlin as he now had a point to prove to the German boxing authorities.

Very quickly his dynamic approach and technical talent saw Rukeli win swathes of admirers, many of whom were female.

In 1932 Trollmann fought an amazing 32 times but while his box-office appeal grew he began to draw unwanted attention from fascist media who labeled him “the gypsy in the ring.”

After Jews were officially banned from the sport, the light heavyweight title was made vacant by Jewish boxer Erich Seelig who had fled the country.

Suddenly, albeit in sad circumstances, Trollmann had a shot at glory as he was paired with Adolf Witt on 9 June 1933 in a contest for the unoccupied belt.

The fight was politically charged, with Witt playing the role of the Aryan who would supposedly make light work of his Sinti opponent. However, the “Tree” was not going to be chopped down easily.

Indeed Trollmann dominated the fight for six rounds before the chairman of the boxing authority, by now a member of Hitler’s party, ordered that the judges call a “no decision.”

Uproar followed among the large crowd of knowledgeable boxing fans to such an extent that the authorities had to revoke their decision and declare Trollmann champion.

This dramatic success saw an emotional Trollmann shed tears of both sadness and joy in the ring. While naturally, he was overjoyed with winning the title he had also lost his father William (pictured above) to a fatal stomach illness earlier that year.

Hitler was known to be an admirer of boxing and was keen to see his idea of the master race being superior to all others, especially Jews, Roma and Sinti, so the sight of Trollmann succeeding agitated the German leader.

Predictably, Trollmann’s reign was short-lived. One week later he was notified that he would be stripped of his belt for what boxing authorities claimed to be “disgraceful behavior” and “bad boxing”.

The following month, having been warned to change his flamboyant style and told not “to dance like a gypsy”, Trollmann dyed his hair blonde and used flour to whiten his body before taking to the ring and losing  against Gustav Eder.

It was a courageous show of defiance against the Nazi regime that would be his last act in German professional boxing.

As the Nazi regime exerted their authority more and more vigorously, the Sinti were given equal status to Jews in 1938 with sterilization the only way of avoiding being sentenced to a concentration camp.

Fearful for his life, Trollmann opted for sterilization and divorced his non-Sinti wife in order to protect her and their daughter.

Trollmann (2nd from left) in Hannover before the war

Having served time in a Labour camp, he was called up to the German army in 1939 and served in several countries before being discharged for racial reasons in 1942.

That summer, Trollmann was arrested in his home town of Hannover and transported to the KZ Neuengamme concentration camp in Hamburg.

Here he was soon recognized by an SS boxing referee and ordered to help train the German soldiers despite long days of excruciating labor rendering Trollmann a frail shadow of his former self.

After other prisoners conspired to fake Trollmann’s death, he was transported to Wittenberge in 1943 but soon his boxing fame brought more sinister attention.

This time he was forced to fight one of the camp’s highest ranking officers, Emil Cornelius, and despite years of brutal treatment under the Nazis, Trollmann won.

It was to be Rukeli’s last stand as a fighter. In an act of cowardly revenge, Cornelius murdered Trollmann in front of other prisoners during forced labor duties.

Johann “Rukeli” Trollmann died on 9^th March 1944 at the age of just 36. One of his younger brothers Henry had also been killed four months earlier at Auschwitz. Overcome with grief, their mother Friedirike died in 1946 in Hannover.

Trollmann's brother Heinrich (Henry) who was also killed in the Holocaust

His younger brother Albert “Benny” Trollmann, who was also a keen boxer and learned much from Johann, died of a stomach illness in 1991 at the age of 78 in Hannover.

Seventy years after winning the title, his surviving family members including his daughter Rita Vowe and great nephew Manuel Trollmann were given his championship belt and he has been posthumously listed officially as a German champion at light heavyweight.

Manuel Trollmann (Johann's great nephew) and Rita Vowe (Johann's daughter) in Hannover at the 9841 sculpture

In the summer of 2011 a temporary memorial was erected in his honour in Hannover and Berlin. It was named 9841, Trollmann’s prisoner number at Neuengamme.

Sculpture 9841 in Viktoria Park, Berlin fittingly beneath the trees.

The artists (The Bewegung Nurr and Florian Gopfert) said that the sloped sculpture aimed to represent the struggle which the great boxer faced with such dignity throughout his career and in his later life against the discrimination and terror of the Nazi regime.

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The Romedia Foundation will soon launch “The Requiem for Auschwitz” as part of a large-scale European project to raise awareness and change attitudes toward the plight of Roma in the genocide.

The goal of this multi-faceted effort is to use tools of education and culture to reconnect Roma and Sinti populations of Europe to the legacy of the Holocaust and thereby foster greater understanding and tolerance toward them and help them address the challenges they face today.

The international partners for the project are the ALFA Foundation/International Gypsy Festival (Holland), Romano Kher National Centre (Romania) for Roma Culture, Philarmonischer Verein der Sinti und Roma (Germany), Slovo 21 (Czech Republic), Roma People Association (Poland) and the Romedia Foundation (Hungary).

More details can be found here – http://www.requiemforauschwitz.eu/

In almost three years, the campaign has grown and grown, establishing a wide network of Romani women all across Europe and beyond.

Taken from our 2011 interview with Alina Serban, a talented Romani actress from Romania

Taken from our 2011 interview with Alina Serban, a talented Romani actress from Romania

We are always looking for inspirational Romani women to join our network and feature in the campaign. If you think you, or someone you know, could enhance the campaign, send us an email at mundiromani@gmail.com

Videos have played an important part in the campaign and here we showcase four examples to give you a flavor of what “I’m a Roma Woman” is all about.

In the summer of 2011, we spoke to Agnes Osztolykan who earlier that year had received the International Woman of Courage Award from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US first lady Michelle Obama.

“I founded the organization so the kids wouldn’t have to go beg in the streets” said Selvije Rushiti, Chairman of the Association for One Future of Roma – The Mother’s Heart when we interviewed her in her native Albania in 2009.

In January 2010 we spoke to Carmen Santiago in Athens and her powerful words really struck a chord with our campaign: “This is a new generation of young, strong women who are educated and can see the situation clearly. And they do not like what they see.”

In our most recent video, we hear the story of Anasztazia Nagy, a 27-year old Hungarian Roma who had to battle hard to attend the local grammar school before excelling in her studies. She is now working for the Roma Education Fund as a Programme Officer and is determined that her children and the next generation of Roma can benefit from the same opportunities for which she worked diligently to earn.

You can learn all about the campaign from our website – www.romawoman.org – and we want to hear from as many of you as possible to build our ever growing network into something truly helpful for Romani women everywhere.

SPEAK OUT and BE THE CHANGE!!

Andrea Pirlo, Ricardo Quaresma, Jose Antonio Reyes and Rafael van der Vaart have more than just football in common. They may be highly regarded international players of Italy, Portugal, Spain and Holland respectively but they are also boasting Romani heritage.

Football and Roma are more often discussed together with reference to right-wing hooligans in Eastern Europe and their tirades against Roma communities. However, the Roma connection with football is something which should be celebrated and can act as an inspiration to many young Roma.

Modern Roma footballing talents have graced the greatest stadia in the world, from the Nou Camp in Barcelona to the San Siro in Milan and the above quartet were selected as, among current Romani players, they have had the most illustrious and successful careers.

Each player’s career to date will be profiled before we ask the big question: Who is the greatest Roma footballer of all time?

1. ANDREA PIRLO

Born into a Sinti family in the town of Flero in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, Pirlo is widely regarded as the best deep lying playmaker of his generation. The Italian made his breakthrough as a teenager at Brescia before a lucrative move to big-spending Inter Milan in 1998. During this time, his progression at club level stalled but on the international scene his star was rising.

At the European under-21 Championships of 2000, Pirlo, who captained the young Italians, was not only top scorer but was also voted the best player of the tournament for which he received the Golden Player award.

However, at Inter he continued to find himself out of favour and was sold to their greatest rivals AC Milan in the summer of 2001. Inter’s loss was very much Milan’s gain as demonstrated below as he scores one of his legendary free-kicks in the Milan derby.

Pirlo became an integral midfield component of an excellent Milan team, winning the Champions League in his second season by beating fellow Italians Juventus in the final of 2003.

The following year, Milan won the Serie A title with the creative midfielder at the heart of their success.

Meanwhile in the Italian national team, Pirlo played an instrumental role in Italy’s remarkable victory in the 2006 World Cup. Having defeated hosts Germany in the semi-finals, Italy beat France on penalties in the final to lift the trophy and Pirlo was awarded the Bronze Ball after being voted the third best player at the tournament.

Andrea Pirlo lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy for AC Milan in 2007

In 2007, Pirlo lifted the Champions League for a second time with Milan and represented Italy at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup before finishing his Milan career in 2011, fittingly ending a 10-year spell at the club by winning Serie A for the first time in seven years.

Now at the age of 32, Pirlo plays for Juventus where his experience and class is hoped to restore Italy’s most decorated club to former glories.

2. RAFAEL VAN DER VAART

Hailing from Heemskerk in the north of Holland, van der Vaart has survived a turbulent career to become one of the most prolific attacking midfielders in Europe. Born to a Spanish mother and Dutch father, van der Vaart grew up playing football in caravan parks across Holland.

He made his break at Ajax where he quickly became one of the most sought after midfield players in Europe.  He had a knack for scoring spectacular goals, and plenty of them. During his time at Ajax he won the Johan Cruyff Prijs for the Dutch Football Talent of the Year before claiming two Dutch league titles in 2002 and 2004.

He followed this with a move to Hamburg in 2005 where his excellent form further raised his international profile and earned him a prosperous move to Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2008.

Rafael van der Vaart celebrates scoring for Holland against England in 2006

By this time van der Vaart had already represented Holland at the World Cup in 2006 and the European Championships in 2004 and 2008. In the World Cup 2010, he finished the final as the Dutch captain although they lost 1-0 to Spain in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The 28-year old Dutch Roma maestro is now playing for English club Tottenham Hotspur where he is a pivotal figure in their drive for domestic and European success.

3. JOSE ANTONIO REYES

Born to Spanish Kale parents in the Utrera district of south east Seville, Reyes has dazzled fans in both Spain and England with his lightning quick running and powerful shooting ability.

As a teenager, Reyes was a massive success in an ambitious Sevilla team, scoring 22 goals as a winger in 86 games before being sold to English club Arsenal in January 2004 at the age of 20.

The Kale youngster was so popular among Sevilla’s fans that the president decided it would be impossible to sell him to any other Spanish team, even though the likes of Real Madrid were very interested.

In England, Reyes was part of the invincible Arsenal team who won the Premier League in 2004 and followed this with the FA Cup in 2005.

Jose Antonio Reyes playing for Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League

After a year on loan at Real Madrid, Reyes signed for neighbors Atletico in 2007 and three years later lifted the Europa League after beating Fulham in the final in Hamburg.

At international level, Reyes has picked up an impressive 21 caps during a time in which Spain has had its most talented and successful squad of all time. Reyes’ greatest moment for Spain came in October 2003 when he scored twice in a 4-0 win against Armenia.

In the last month, Reyes has re-joined his boyhood club Sevilla and will hope to rekindle not only their fortunes but also his own with Euro 2012 approaching.

4. RICARDO QUARESMA

Flamboyant Portuguese attacker Quaresma was born in Lisbon and hails from a Romani family. It was in his native Lisbon where he made his first impressions on the football world, terrorizing defences with his trickery while playing for Sporting where he won the Primeira Liga in 2002.

Ricardo Quaresma unleashing a trademark thunderous strike for Portugal

Subsequently, Quaresma was signed by the mighty Barcelona where he spent one season before returning to Portugal to play for Porto. Here he would add another 3 Primeira Liga titles to his medal cabinet in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The wonderful goal against Belgium in 2007 was the first of Quaresma’s international career which has so far seen the winger attain 31 caps. In Euro 2008, the precocious talent also scored a fine goal in a 3-1 win against Czech Republic in Geneva, Switzerland.

Spells at Inter and Chelsea followed before he was signed by Turkish club Besiktas in 2010. In Turkey, the highly skilled Quaresma has re-discovered his early season form and added a Turkish Cup winners medal to his growing collection in 2011.

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These four modern talents have prospered in the World’s most popular game, showing audiences around the world exactly what a Roma sportsman can do. Here we have World champions, European Champions as well as English, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch champions.

These players let their feet do the talking, and in doing so were a thousand times louder than any extremist thugs stumbling and mumbling around the terraces.

Alastair Watt

Florian Farkas, president of ORO

A letter from the leader of the Hungarian Roma Self-Government, Florian Farkas, to the European Commission has defended the widely criticized recent reforms of the Hungarian government.

Addressing the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, the Roma government head stood up for Hungarian President Viktor Orban, who has been under serious pressure lately after controversial reforms were adopted at the turn of the year.

The president of ORÖ voiced the growing concern of several hundreds of thousands of Roma “due to the persistent attacks against our country (Hungary) and its prime-minister, Viktor Orbán. It concerns me also because in the recent years the European Union and our country handled the European Roma Convergence as a high priority strategy which now can be jeopardized.”

The apparent concern of Farkas is that recent tension between the EU and Hungary could damage the European Roma Strategy which was deployed last year.

Farkas insisted that, despite widespread indifference towards the Hungarian leadership, Orban was playing a key role in the integration of minorities, including the Roma: “There is a common-decision mechanism, co-created by the Self-Government and the Hungarian Government, between the ORÖ and the Prime-minister to help the integration of the disadvantaged groups which is motivated by Hungarian government support for democratic values”

The bold Farkas, ignoring popular belief among the Roma population that the government is negatively influencing the situation, claimed “The Hungarian Government has a clear goal to stop the social segregation, and to start the process of integration between Hungarians, Roma and all minorities in the country.”

The letter continued in a similar vain, continuously supporting the Hungarian authorities of whom Farkas did not ask a single public question during the entirety of 2011.

Defending Hungarian reforms   

Speaking of the recent reforms in various areas of Hungarian law including media and the courts, Farkas wrote of his full confidence in the Hungarian leadership: “It was unusual, efficient and an exemplary democratic move that be a model for EU Member States as well, especially because it carries the objectives of the European value system”.

Defending the criticism of Hungary like a badly beaten boxer on the ropes, Farkas accused foreign detractors of “seeming to forget the new democratic achievements (of Hungary) celebrated together a few months ago.”

No doubt anticipating a cold response from the Hungarian Roma he claims to represent and defend, Farkas began his conclusion by navigating his way precariously along the moral high ground.

He stated: “To more than 10 million Roma living within the EU, the European Commission and you as chairman of the committee have a human and moral responsibility and task. Therefore, I ask that with the prestige of the institution represented by yourself, during the negotiations the terms of the preventive financial assistance don’t jeopardize the new mechanism for the elimination of social differences.”

Farkas saved the most desperate pleading until the end: “I ask you to call the attention of the international public opinion that we have a Democrat Prime Minister of Hungary, in support of disadvantaged social groups, including the rise of Roma.”

The reaction to the Self-Government leader’s letter has been one of serious discontent. To even the remotely well informed spectator, this was a statement made not with the interests of the people Farkas is bound to represent, but rather to safeguard his own personal political position. 

Perhaps this is the result of a growing culture of fear among Hungarian organizations, whether they are political, media or otherwise, that speaking out against the government will have dire consequences.

The recent mass cull of staff at Hungarian TV stations and the closing down of the main opposition radio station are examples of the dangers of speaking against the authorities.

International opposition

Farkas’ letter is in stark contrast to that of Amnesty International (AI) who, on January 16, released an open letter to EU Commissioners expressing concern about the situation in Hungary.

AI demanded that the European Commission should act urgently to press the Hungarian Government to make sure that its new constitution and national laws are in accordance with human rights standards in the EU.

The letter went on to criticize restrictive media laws which it considers a potential threat to freedom of expression in Hungary.

“The Commission must finally get serious with the Hungarian Government and insist on respect for the fundamental rights which are the basis for EU membership,” said Nicolas Beger, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office. ”It’s time the EU delivered a human rights assessment of the Hungarian constitution and took the necessary steps under Article 7 of the Treaty of the EU.”

Hungary adopted new media laws in September and December 2010, which were amended by Parliament in March 2011. These codified the formation of a new solitary body which regulates all media sectors.

This development worried the AI who yesterday warned: “Serious concerns were expressed immediately after the legislation was adopted, warning that concentrating powers over all types of media into a single body may have an adverse affect on the exercise of freedom of expression. These concerns grew during 2011.”

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, was critical of level of freedoms in Hungary

International criticism of the Hungarian reforms has been growing with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe both publicly raising doubts about democratic freedoms within the EU state.

Meanwhile, the leader of the far-right Jobbik party, Gabor Vona, predictably insisted that Hungary is being unfairly attacked by the EU: “What the Hungarians got from the European Commission is a kick in the head, while we are on the ground.”

The question now is: who should the Hungarian Roma trust with the defending of their safety, rights and interests?

Farkas’ latest action casts serious doubt on his suitability for the role, particularly having neglected to consult the Roma population for whom he speaks at a time when it is especially crucial for someone in his position to conduct his duties with the utmost integrity.

Shortly before this article was posted, the European Commission announced its plans to take measures against Hungary on three matters: Data Protection, Retirement Age of Judges and the Independence of the National Central Bank. See the full announcement below: 

http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/videoplayer.cfm?ref=82123

The special rules for “working in a multicultural environment” refer to officers handling immigration issues with the advice being issued by National Police Chief, Joseph Hatala.

The developments have received a mixed response from police officers and criminologists. Some believe that the new law will actually help the police to identify criminals while others have criticized the measure, claiming that it will only deepen the already existing prejudice within the force.

The main role of the police’s minority liaison division in dealing with minorities is to forge relationships with different cultural communities, youth organizations, refugee organizations as well as realigning minority leaders of social organizations.

Ultimately, the information gathered in the process is shared with the National Bureau of Investigation, the Alert Police Department, the Airport Police Directorate and regular police officers.

Furthermore, the instructions allow the chief of police to use the minority liaison to investigate any crime in which he thinks a minority group may have been involved. The assumption of innocence is put to one side.

Prejudiced police

Law enforcement and investigative bodies have been under pressure to reduce feelings of prejudice within the National Police. A decade ago, there was great controversy at the national Police Academy where an investigation found that its students were widely anti-Roma.

Research carried out by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee in 2007-2008 found that “Roma people are three times more likely to be stopped by police than non-Roma persons”.

Police activity against Roma communities in Hungary has come under international scrutiny

The police and Hungarian state in general, were under serious pressure when in April 2010 Amnesty International issued a report “highlighting the shortcomings of the Hungarian criminal justice system in identifying and addressing hate crimes, in particular racist violence that mostly affects Roma people in Hungary.”

In October 2011, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg expressed concern about police behavior against Roma communities.

The Commissioner stated: “Patterns of discrimination and ill-treatment by police towards Roma are widely reported. Roma have been subjected to police violence in detention facilities and public spaces, such as Roma settlements during police raids. When investigations have been carried out, they frequently appear to have been biased or discriminatory.”

Suspicions of racism among the police intensified further when an internal police internet forum was found to contain officers exchanging derogatory opinions on the Roma. However, similar discoveries have been made across Hungarian society, not only within the police, leading to a growing sense of unease and alienation among Hungarian Roma.

Police protecting a Roma community in Hejoszalonta, Hungary 2010

The head of the police had aimed to address these issues and tried several ways to tackle this widespread prejudice. He announced a record number of Romani officers, and encouraged police officer candidates among Roma children entering secondary schools. In addition to this, cooperation agreements with Roma minority self-governments, and a special rapporteur on the Roma were ready to be launched.

However, such measures were not warmly welcomed within the police force as leaders continually stressed that social issues could not be solved by police alone..

One police officer, wishing to remain anonymous, claimed that as a district agent with a good relationship with local residents, he could not understand the purpose minorities being given special attention and found the new regulations to be vaguely worded.

Results will take time

The new instructions were paved with good intentions according to National Institute of Criminology Fellow, Finszter Geza. The scholar insisted that it was a necessary means to encourage cooperation from minorities and bring them closer to the police.

“This type of instruction in Hungary has not yet been undertaken, even though in almost all European countries with multi-cultural societies, there are such solutions” – said Finszter.

He cited Holland as an example where, he explained, there are lots of immigrants from a variety of cultures, so each police officer is obliged to partake in an educational program in which the officer becomes acquainted with an ethnic group’s traditions and habits.

Finszter continued, and outlined that the solution to the problem was clearly handed down to every police service by the Declaration of Human Rights.

“Every police organization will answer to a centralized bureaucratic element, so the problem is more complicated. A professional attitude and cultural change is required, these things do not happen immediately, but over many years.”  stressed Finszter, who hopes that the chief provision will have a positive impact on the police.

However the criminologist also found it important to note that the instructions had an introductory section, attempting to explain the need for the new measures. “Thus the statement is a bit of a self-criticism as well. For example, the prejudice reported among the police must exist for this to be made clear. “

Nothing new

Further anonymous officers claimed that the instructions do not say anything new. ”It would be nice to know why the command was issued. Last spring we were already provided instructions on how to be a police officer and to keep in touch with the minorities’ – he said. They said the objective is not new, because the police’s role was still to prevent crime above anything else.

The impact of the latest police guidelines will be seen in the coming months. However, from the outset, in a country which is no stranger to ethnic or racial tension, paying specific attention to minorities may be sending the wrong message to the Hungarian people.

Many will take this as an assumption of criminality within Roma communities, and particularly volatile sections of society may take this as justification for persecution. It certainly won’t discourage the extremist right wing groups and their paramilitary wings in their anti-Roma activities.

Having said that, in an article of January 10, the extreme right media portal kuruc.info has actually criticized the instructions for which the title read “Pintér (Minister of Interior) protects Gypsy criminals again: “special attention” has to be paid to them from now on”.

Sandra Zepp is an activist from the Gens du Voyage community in Belgium. As a member of the Centre de Mediation des Roms (CMRGV) and co-founder of Les Filles du Vent (The Girls of the Wind), Sandra is a prominent voice in the promoting of Roma rights and is herself a proud Roma woman.

Gens du Voyage (Travelling People) is a term used for Roma, Sinti and Kale (Gitanos) groups who are citizens of Western European countries. They are traditionally travelling communities and have mostly distinct claims from the Roma from Eastern Europe, who are sedentary. Problems in Belgium, for instance, stem from the non-recognition of caravans as homes. Urban planning rules also fail to address the needs of the Gens du Voyage and reinforce the stigma they suffer from the rest of society.

We met Sandra for the first time at a conference in Brussels during the EU’s Belgian presidency in 2010, where she presented her moving schooling project to us from inside a caravan that she and her colleagues at the CMRGV had driven into the conference premises. She was introduced to Romedia by her boss, Ahmed Ahkim, of CMRGV, a great friend of the Romedia Foundation and an outstanding activist for the Roma in Belgium.

Happily, Romedia and Sandra’s paths crossed again in Granada in October, at the Council of Europe’s Conference of Roma Women, where she and her sister got acquainted with their fellow Romani women activists from all over the world.

The Filles du Vent (visit their website here) is a group of female Gens du Voyage from Mons in western Belgium who started meeting within the framework of a project in 2004-2005.

In 2009, the group started to work actively, focusing on two main objectives:

1. To open up debate about the situation of female Gens du Voyage in Wallonia. This debate is supported by the Centre de Médiation des Gens du Voyage et des Roms en Wallonie (for more info, visit: http://www.cmgv.be/) and in the framework of a variety of meetings, roundtable discussions and workshops;

2. To keep alive the dynamics of the group’s training. Les Filles du Vent have found training to be a particularly rewarding activity, teaching skills in arts and crafts (painting, floral art, theater, calligraphy, jewellery creation, etc.) and distributing certificates for successfully completed courses.

Another product of CMRGV’s excellent work was the “Des Roms Debout” (Roma Standing) exhibition which was the result of a marriage between the artistic approach of photographer Virginie Nguyen Hoang and the civil commitment of the Centre de Médiation des Gens du Voyage et des Roms en Wallonie (Mediation Center of Traveller and Roma in Wallonia). Details of the event can be found by clicking the link below:

http://www.cmgv.be/index.php?option=com_simplecalendar&view=detail&catid=4:expos&id=15:des-roms-debout&Itemid=190

The photographer followed Roma in Brussels and captured moments of their lives. She gives us a humane and courageous vision of a “dehumanized” and “voiceless” people.

Taken from "Des Roms Debout" exhibition

If you would like to cooperate with Sandra or find out more about her work in Belgium, you contact her at fillesduvent@korkoro.org

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This interview is the first in a series made with the women at the Conference from across the world as India, Columbia, Macedonia, Spain, France and the UK were among the countries represented. Keep reading the blog to hear their insightful opinions on the situation in their own countries and what it means to them to be a Roma woman. 

In this post, we consider the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was ratified in Paris in 1948. Sixty-three years on and some fundamental freedoms are still absent for many minorities, including the Roma.

Here we have picked five articles from the Declaration and have presented corresponding films to show that, for the Roma living in Europe, some rights and freedoms are by no means universal.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

A boy clings to a barbed wire fence in Mitrovica in a settlement ridden with lead poisoning

“Trapped” tells the forgotten story of the Mitrovica Roma, a once prosperous refugees population abandoned by the international community and left to die of lead poisoning in the toxic Mitrovica camps.

Full film available here: http://mundiromani.com/videos/?video[video][item]=56

Article 11

(1)  Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Taken from our film "Guilty Until Proven Innocent". Roma families were abruptly expelled from France in the summer of 2010.

“Guilty” uncovers the roots of the issues at stake around one of the biggest media stories of 2010, the collective expulsion of Roma from France, and brings to light damning evidence of institutionalized racism in Europe. A story of immigration and rejection as seen through the eyes of Roma.

The entire film can be found here: http://mundiromani.com/videos/?video[video][item]=80

Article 14

(1)   Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

The potential success of integration of Roma is clear to see through the eyes of three school children. But with their status uncertain, deportation or repatriation against their will is a source of constant worry in “Uprooted”. The whole film will be available very soon but in the meantime, here is the trailer.

Article 17

(1)   Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

A young Roma girl savoring the last days of Sulukule

“Last Days of Sulukule” follows the final days of the famous district of Istanbul where a 1000 year old Roma neighborhood and UNESCO World Heritage Site was demolished by the local government in 2008.

Watch the full film here: http://mundiromani.com/videos/?video[video][item]=56

Article 26

(1)   Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

This film “Ukraine 2008 – School Segregation” investigates the widespread problem of school segregation, covering the shocking story of social and educational exclusion in the Ukrainian town of Uzhhorod.

Young Roma boys smiling in Ukraine as they brave school segregation policies nullifying their education

Watch the whole film on segregation here: http://mundiromani.com/videos/?video[video][item]=57