A Gypsy Viewpoint
TOPIC
TELLING VOICES
«You claim for human rights, but you don’t recognize them to gypsies!», the gypsy girl argued in class.
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«But you don’t comply with society’s rules and law, you want to live under your own traditions, which are not compatible with modern times!», one of his schoolfellows counter argued.
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«Hey, we are entitled to live differently, as many other groups, religious sects who live like in past centuries or families who choose to live in nature, cut off from consummerism. Why aren’t they discriminated against like the gypsies are?» Catia, the gypsy, insisted.
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«But you live from illegal actions, like robbery and drug trafficking…», Carlos aggressively triggered.
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Ana, the teacher, intervened saying that the debate should be civil and respectful.
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«Just because some gypsies commit crimes, it doesn’t mean all of us do it. It’s like saying that because one member of your family is accused of wrongdoing, everyone in your family is a criminal, or because a white man killed someone, every white people are responsible», Catia angrily responded.
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«Ok, some gypsies may be more adapted to mainstream society, but you must recognize that certain traditions can no longer be accepted like arranged marriage with minor gypsy girls, for instance!», Amy said.
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«That tradition is changing. My sister is 30 and not married, she is an independent woman. She studied, she works and she volunteers as a fire fighter. I know that this is not the common situation for a gypsy woman, but there are others like her.» Catia said
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«But as you say that’s more of an exception than the rule for your community», said José.
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«Because we have been for so long rejected from society and looked as outcasts. We have been discriminated for ages and never given the opportunities you have. The change has been too slow for us and that’s why we’ve been entrapped in our condition. When you are isolated you preserve your identity and traditions more fiercely. You have not given us the chance to mingle and be included», Catia defended.
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«I agree with Catia. There are stupid prejudices against gypsies. That thing of putting toads on the shopwindows to keep away gypsies, is so absurd!», Maria decided to support her friend Catia.
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Maria knew Catia’s family and found that there was not so much diference from her own family. They were honest people, struggling as any other working class family did.
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Catia’s father was quite in favour of an education for his daughters and sons. His generation never felt the need for schooling, since it was looked like a prison for their wandering freedom habits, and nobody would give them a job, so education was useless for them. They had to survive on small commerce, moving around from market to market, towns and villages. The boys started to go to school for need of driving a car to carry the merchandize, which required a primary school certificate.
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Illiteracy among gypsies is still high, but a few have been able to enroll in higher education and there’s always that symbolic example of that president of a municipality.
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Alcina is attending Law Faculty and expects to become the first gypsy woman judge.
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The struggle of the gypsy community goes on…