Urban renewal is an issue which is a particular concern to all citizen living in our country. We will evaluate the issue with its dimensions regarding Roma in this article. Roma living in big metropols like İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara and settlements in Thracia, coastal Aegean, Mediterrenean region, western and central Blacksea region have been influenced by urban renewal projects in last 10-15 years. The urban renewal process will be quickened as far as it's understood from events and important results regarding Roma directly will appear.
12 Aralık 2013 Perşembe
Are There any Relation between Roma and the Name Kıpti 05/14/2012
Many Roma families living in Turkey know that the name Kıpti was written in the identification cards of their ancestors in the religion section. The situation preoccupy our people. They wonder if there are any relation between Roma and Coptics or not. Actually, there are no real connection between Roma and the Egiptian Coptics. Semantic change of the word caused Roma and the other Cigany groups to be registered as Kıpti in the Ottoman registrations.
The History Of The Roma 04/16/2012
All Gypsy communities who subsisted on commercial nomadism before the spreading of industry have their own histories. Roma, as one of the most crowded Gypsy groups of Balkans, have their own history which started with a migration process from India to Europe. Roma individuals have to know this history very well if they want to be able to defend their personality and their society against prejudices and stereotypes targeting Romani identity.
About Romanipe and Ciganipe On The Occasion of April 8 04/06/2012
Our readers know that we don't use the word Gypsy (Cigany) as a name defining an ethnic community. The word Gypsy (Cigany) is the common name of peripatetic peoples, who exist all around the world, in Central Asia, Anatolia, Balkans and some regions of Middle East. There is a clear similarity among Roma, Abdals, Loms, Doms, Mugats and the others which unite them under the umbrella term Gypsy (Cigany). Lands, herds and forestal areas these peoples had owned were captured from them throughout history. So they lost the chance of subsisting on agriculture, herding, hunting or gathering. They produced some craft productions and served services in exchange of food with surrounding populations. This process make these peoples a part of universal Gypsy caste.
What Does Being Roma Mean? 03/26/2012
Roma people are one of the biggest Gypsy groups of the Balkans. Roma people have a language named Romanes and a history of 1000 years which started in North India. Although the oldest ancestors of Roma started their long journey in India, Roma Gypsies are real Balkanians. Either Romanes language and the other features of Roma culture were complated in the Balkans after a long migration process.
Why Do We Use The Word Gypsy 14/02/2012
We, as Çingeneyiz.org team, insist on identifying ourselves with the word Gypsy (Cigany). Some of our friends and audiences of our web page wonder the reason of our insistence about the issue. We will explain why we published our web with the name cingeneyiz (amen Cigan isinam-we are Gypsy) and insist on using the word today in this article.
Our Main Problems / Gypsies Suffering From Universal Caste System 02/10/2011
We are Gypsies. Gypsy is the name of a universal caste. Humanity was branched two caste thousands of years ago. On the one hand Gypsy peoples belong to Gypsy Universal Nation. On the other hand, non-Gypsy peoples belong to Non-Gypsy Universal Nation. The main difference between Gypsy peoples and non-Gypsy peoples is that Gypsy peoples survived with Gypsy Ways of Subsistence for thousands of years. Gypsy peoples prepared some crafts (basket-making, sieve-making, musicianship, blacksmithing ext ) and served some services (dentistry, healing, folk medicine, animal training ext )to non-Gypsy peoples in exchange of food before spreading of industrialization. Common name of this activities maden to survive is Gypsy Ways of Subsistence.
Situation In The Balkans / A Time To Wake Up! 29/09/2011
Racist terror run rampant all around Balkans in the past couple of weeks. Paramilitary terror groups are being organized in The Czech republic on the pretext of stopping crime activities similar to Hungary. Firstly in the Czech Republic, and then now in the Bulgaria, mass actions targeting Gypsies are being done. Racists use a traffic accident as a pretence to start racist demonstrations in Bulgaria. People under control of racist ideals shout slogans offering Gypsies to be maden soap in these demonstrations. Our peoples are target of racism now in Balkans.
Çingeneyiz TV: Why and How
Cingeneyiz.org web site is built for two main reasons : Reflecting Gypsy culture with its richness and to give an opportunity to Gypsies to share their problems with the community in its best way. Cingeneyiz TV will give a stronger chance to reach these goals which was adopted at the starting point of cingeneyiz.org. Visuals will be used in ÇİNGENEYİZ TV will help a large segment of the society to get a better idea about Gypsy culture and will also give a chance to gypsies to express themselves.
Collapse Of A Slander 30/01/2011
There is a legend told in Arabian countries, Balkans, Anatolia and Central Asia for hundreds of years. The legend targets Cigans (Gypsy-Çingene). Our people suffered beause of the legend in which Cigans is introduced as a cursed low race. Our people haven't been able to find a regular job, to marry with their beloved one; our people are discriminated, scorned because of the legend. Unfortunately, even educated people also believe in the legend.
Understanding Balkans and Gypsies 23/01/2011
The article named "The Root of Hate" written by Michael J. Jordan is inspritional on several counts. The author researches the sources of racist terror targeting Gypsies in Hungaria. He speaks to historical dimensions of the issue in detail. He also introduce the influence of social problems arising from quick liberalisation of former eastern bloc countries to rising of racist terror. Hungarians, who found themselves in fight for bread after the collapse of eastern bloc, started to look for a scape goat. Unfortunately, Gypsies became target in this process with provacation of racist Jobbik Party.
About Roma Associations 16/01/2011
Numerously Roma associations have been established in last 10 years in Turkey. There are more than 100 Roma associations today. New Roma associations are being established in cities and districts every passing day. Increasing in number and being more visible in media of Roma associations attract attention of various sections of the community. Thus, politicians, academicians, NGOs have focused on Roma associations.
We don't aim to give advice to anyone in this article. Because either administrators of the associations and all kind of individuals or foundings communicating with associations due to various reasons are single-minded. All of them have already focused on being successful about their aims.
Be Sober My Friend 09/01/2011
Various Gypsy groups have faced deathful threats throughout history. We saw the gas chambers of Hitler, We witnessed horrible cruelties. In one sense, history of Gypsy is the history of suffering. However, today, we, as Gypsy peoples, are facing a worse threat than the others we face throughout history. Ones who lost their moral values are trying to disfavor us stigmatizing as a group of drug-dealers.
Hey! My Friend. Keep an eye out for the dangerous game! Be Sober! Listen to me, listen and understand what i mean.
***
Drugs are moving into various countries via an underground economy. This economy is a bonanza for some people which is as big as usual people like us could never imagine. However, real owners of this bonanza are invisible. They distrubute drugs to drug users over poor people. The poorest people of all countries are generally being used as a cat's paw to deal drugs. It's easy to convince hungry people to participate this game promising bread.
Unfortunately, some of our youngs are being a part of this game. Even worse all of Gypsy groups are being blamed to be drug dealers because of a minority who are convinced by crime organizations. Excellent young Gypsies are being stigmatized as drug dealers in any society. There are also some entellectuals who are believed to be friend of Gypsies. However they improperly accept drug use as a part of our culture and solidify prejudices that way.
***
How are our youngs being convinced to deal drugs? Our poor people are ready to accept all kind of help. Crime organizations approach our people as they are helpful people. They generally offer our young to use plantal drugs. Plantal drugs started to be inadequate in time and they offer our young chemical drugs that time. When a young turn to a drug addicted completely, they start to force him / her to sell drugs. Then he / she is getting drugs he / she need as he / she sells to others... Contrary to popular belief, it's not difficult to be transitioned from plantal drugs, which are announced not to addict by some so-called entellectuals, to chemical drugs. People who use chemical drugs can overdose easily and they could lose their lifes.
People could not understand our poverty without an eye. Some of our people are starving in some neighbourhoods. They are happy if they could find a piece of bread to eat. It's almost of impossible for our people to find a regular job. Prejudices targeting our people make harder subsistence for us. Job we could do have low income and they are hard jobs. You can't make much money with shoe shining, scrap and paper collecting or agricultural working.
Under these circumstances crime barons knock on our people's doors and make them dependent with both some herbal and chemical drugs which makes them forget their pain for a short time and hope to win an easy money. Sometimes our neighbourhoods are conquered with violence and ruffianism by barons and used as station. And when these are reflected to the TVs, our people live in neighbourhoods become scapegoats but everybody ignores to think about big barons' responsibility. While kind barons sipping scotchs in classy parties some young people who are used as tool are facing inhuman treatments. That is not fair ! Turn a blind eye for quilty ones but turning victims into a target wouldn't be one's with conscience behaviour.
***
I am a gypsy. I was born in one of the biggest city of the country. The neighbourhood that my family used to live was a Gypsy neighbourhood next to one of the richest regions in the city. My neigbourhood's people paid a big bill because of living next to drug barons' rich clients. Barons turned our neighbourhood to a center for drug selling first for herbal and then chemical drugs. No exaggeration but two generations young peoples lost their lives because of using these drugs. Today this can be the reason people from other neighbourhoods talk about our people as extinct species...
Listen everyone who stigmatize Gypsies as drug users and drug dealers. Our people were the victims of poverty and barons' endless ambition. Despite everything, most of our society didn't fall into that trip. It is still the most of the Gypsy society who prefered to make a living the hard way instead of being barons' slave. And everybody should know our people who fell into barons' trips will wake up one day and build a new life.
***
My brother ! Life was never fair to you. Yes, you are a victim. I know what you are going through at home, at street, at school, everywhere you go. And i know what they did to you. And what things you had to say yes because of being desperate, and feeling yourself like a leaf in the wind. My brother! You got tipsy whenever you felt all your pain again. Forgetting, bow to the pressures, and pressing your conscience's voice were easier to do. But it is changed. It is time to take your inside beauty, which is seen only by me maybe, out. You are not any of they say. Take this junky shirt off, relax! Come to yourself. Remember who you are... You are a honorable Gypsy. Pick up the handcraft flag which is heritage from your ancestors. When the blood goes to your numbly hands again you will see that you can build a big world with those hands. Look at your hands, look and be proud ! The sun is raising in your hands.
My brother ! Stand up ! Be Sober !
***
Have a nice week.
Why Gypsies Aren't Assimilated? (6) 19/12/2010
Question 4: "Were Gypsy people obstructed to settle in central parts of city and urban areas in various historical periods? Did Gypsy groups who can't settle in central areas have to move to desolate, unpreferable areas? Were gypsies send far away from the city after these areas becoming improved and city center getting bigger?"
Hundreds of groundless legend have been fabricated about our ancestors. One of these groundless legends is about our ancestors to be big on nomadism. According to the people who accepts this legend true, our ancestors refused to settle on account of the fact they like nomadism too much. These words are not true in any way, shape, or form. Gypsies adapted nomadism by necessity in various historical periods. Nomadism was never our ancestors' own choice.
Why Gypsies Aren't Assimilated? (5) 19/12/2010
Question 3: "Gypsy peoples faced a very big crise after industrialization and lost their traditional jobs. They had to work in jobs which wouldn't be preferred by other people, with little income and without any social security. In the time when these jobs started to become more popular non-gypsies started to show a strong interest on this jobs and brought a competition to the field. Did this competition which was lived under peace conditions come to a point of discrimination for Gypsies by using violence ? Did gypsies go back to jobs with very little incomes?"
Why Gypsies Aren't Assimilated? (4) 12/12/2010
Question 2: "What so ever happened at the beginning, did tribes, which belong to Gypsy Universal Nation, ever try to do agriculture or animal breeding as livelihood in the later history. Was this try obstructed by Gadjo peoples somehow ?"
Why Gypsies Aren't Assimilated? (3) 05/12/2010
We evaluated how the peripatetic way of subsistence, which is the common trait of ethnicities Gypsy Universal Nation composed from, existed last week. We exemplify that natural human beings were unable to subsist with hunting and gathering anymore on the account of the fact that invaders seized their natural resources in the places paradisical where they lived in. There was only one possibility to survive under these circumstances: To provide some services and to product some crafts for settled agriculturalist and nomadic herders in exchange of food. In the end, our ancestors adapted Gypsy Way of Subsistence involuntary. On the contrary, they were forced to be peripatetics by hard circumstances. This forcing is the main reason of pains, poverty and deprivals we face from past to present.
Why Gypsies Aren't Assimilated? (2) 21/11/2010
Question 1: For thousands of years, main way of subsistence of the peoples composing Gypsy Universal Nation was commercial nomadism. They got different food products from settled agriculturists and nomadic herders in exchange of selling crafts and providing services. Why did gypsies choose this subsistence way which force them to beg for a piece of bread? Why didn't they produce their own food by agriculture or animal breeding? Was this a choice or a necessity?
Why Gypsies Aren't Assimilated 21/11/2010
Assimilation is a term with a negative meaning. It means a society to be not oneself anymore losing cultural features and lifestyle completely. Entegration is a term especially used for minorities' and immigrants' adaptation process in Europe. It means a minority to adapt mainstream of society without being assimilated.
It's open that we, Gypsies neither are assimilated or entegrated to society in Europe. In any case, we believe that nobody have to think our people to assimilate. On the other hand, we haven't yet entegrated to the societies we live together in a healthy way too. We always hear words about difficulty of entegration of Gypsies from authorities. It's always being discussed why Gypsies are not assimilated in media, bulletins of NGOs and reports published by academicians.
Is It Free To Insult Gypsies In Dictionaries 14/11/2010
An issue getting big reaction from Gypsy community is brougt to agenda with a news published on our web page. There is some words insulting Gypsies like randy, greedy as mean of the word Gypsy in a dictionary published by a private publisher. There are also some idioms, which is common among society and reflecting prejudices against Gypsies, in the dictionary. In addition that, one of the idioms is published in the dictionary even it's not common among society.
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