Gypsies are living all around the world. The pictures of Gypsies living in the different parts of the world have been montaged for a video that we broadcasted in cingeneyiz.org: Irish Tinners, Tanzanian Basket-makers or Japanese Leather-workers. It is so interesting that our people have similar problems everywhere. Throughout the history, we have had valuable contributions to humanity. We have never shed blood with the ambition for power. Even the people, who despise us through using the most unsuitable epithets, know that Gypsies are a peaceful community. Despite these positive characteristics, people we are living together misunderstand us. Prejudices, unjustified criminations, racist beliefs cause our people suffering. Being a Gypsy becomes a barrier while looking for a job, in education and in all parts of everyday life as if it is a shame. What a big pity for human being that we are being labelled as “a half” in the phrase of “seventy two and a half nations”. What have the Gypsies to do in the face of these universal problems? Should we see this situation as a result of destiny and leave it behind or look for proper ways to solve our problems? This shame cannot be defined as destiny. We cannot say “that’s the way life goes”. Our pains have to be salved. But how? What have the Gypsies to do?
There is a meaningful Anatolian byword: “Nobody suckles a child doesn’t cry”. So first of all, the difficulties have to be explained. We have to reflect our problems in a correct style. Unfortunately, our German, French, Arabic, Japanese or Turkmen neighbours, that we have been living together for ten thousands of years, have wrong impressions of us. Since we cannot express ourselves properly, prejudices have been dragging on. We have to unite to tell our problems to our neighbours and explain that all of us are human. Hiding our own identity cannot solve the problems. We are Gypsies. We have had countless contributions to humanity throughout the history. Being a Gypsy is not a shameful thing. We must tell these realities without hesitation and weariness, with a deep and strong voice. We can be accepted by our neighbours only this way.
Power comes from uniting, but unfortunately our community is disintegrated today. Our people are uninformed from each other and disputed with meaningless reasons. Unless we are united and organised, we cannot explain our problems. We have to orderly and systematically express ourselves in solidarity. We will have more chance to correct our own faults if we unite. Both our neighbours and civilian / official institutions will pay more attention to us if we unite. The projects that we produce in order to solve our problems will be carried out if we unite.
Today, people are living within the boundaries of the countries which belong to different state authorities. Gypsies exist in all of these countries and every Gypsy is both a Gypsy and a citizen of the country he/she lives in. The citizenship brings some rights and duties to Gypsies like the other citizens. In the future, Gypsies are going to live with their neighbours in these countries, like today. Likewise, Gypsies are going to be the citizens of the countries they live, like today. We are going to live as a German citizen in Germany, French citizen in France and Turkish citizen in Turkey.
Gypsies have to solve their problems within the boundaries of the countries they live in and in a harmony with their neighbours. Otherwise the problems may turn into antagonism. Gypsies do not have any other place to go.
The greatest guaranty we have in the countries we are living in is the rights of citizenship which have been handled through the grand struggles of people. These rights have to be applied for all citizens without any differentiation considering religion, language and origin. The thing we have to do is to struggle against the faults we witness and the discriminating attitudes which are contrary to the laws. But what kind of a struggle? A struggle through activating the legislative power, informing the official institutions of the problems and putting the scientific realities and the culture of tolerance in the foreground instead of prejudices.
Gypsies do not need distinctive rights or different statues. If we actually have the main citizenship rights that we have de jure, the problems will be largely solved. At this juncture, Constitution and egalitarian citizenship rights have to be the basis of the Gypsies who are living in democratic countries.
We have asked what the Gypsies have to do. To sum up with,
-We have to explain our problems and express ourselves bravely without hiding our identity and feeling ashamed.
-We have to be united, see our mistakes and do our duty seriously.
-We have to defend our constitutional citizenship rights we have and inform the public through applying to official institutions to activate the law against the people who violate these rights. We have to demand to put the citizenship rights into practice instead of distinctive rights or privileges.
The Gypsies from different parts of the world can solve their problems only through this kind of approach.
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