Seen the Hindu report. How did the press in Hungary cover this?. On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 8:07 PM, Luisa Steur <[email protected]> wrote:
> > *Ambedkar in Hungary * > http://www.hindu.com/mag/2009/11/22/stories/2009112250120300.htm > > PARDEEP ATTRI > > The Romas, a discriminated minority in Hungary, turn to Ambedkar and > Buddhism in their quest for dignity and equality. > > ------------------------------ > * > > Romas constitute one of the biggest minority blocks in Europe and have a > history of being constantly… discriminated against, persecuted and > stigmatised by white Europeans. > * > ------------------------------ > > Photo: Jai Bhim Network > > *A fight against injustice: Romas protesting at Heroes Square in Budapest. > * > > Lost rights are never regained by appeals to the conscience of the > usurpers, but by relentless struggle. > > Dr. B.R. Ambedkar > > O n April 14, 2008, when Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's birthday was being > commemorated across India, I got an email from an unknown person — Derdák > Tibor from Hungary — appreciating my article, “Schools, Toilets or Temples?” > which he had read on an e-group. My article had lamented that “at every > street corner we have built temples, but not toilets or schools.” Tibor said > he was a sociologist, and a former member of the Hungarian Parliament now > working for the Roma community (derogatorily referred to as gypsies across > Europe). Over endless emails, I gradually learnt about the lives of and the > problems faced by the Roma community in Hungary, while I explained to him > the conditions of Dalits in India. > * > > Striking similarities > * > > What intrigued me was Derdák Tibor said that he and another Roma leader, > Orsós János, had been inspired by the philosophy of social transformation of > Dr. Ambedkar and his work among the Dalits, and that they were now trying to > deploy Ambedkarite ideas in their struggle for equal rights for the Roma > community. How and why Ambedkar? Tibor had chanced upon a book on Babasaheb > in Paris and a new world opened up. He immediately could see the > similarities between the discrimination faced by Dalits in India and Romas > in Europe. > > Romas/‘Gypsies' are normally considered to be “members of nomadic people of > Europe with dark skin” with a worldwide population of about 12 million, > originally from North India. With their eight million population in Europe, > they constitute one of the biggest minority blocks in Europe and have a > history of being constantly opposed, refused, discriminated against, > persecuted and stigmatised by white Europeans. They constitute about seven > per cent of Hungary's population. > > After discovering Ambedkar, Tibor and János visited Maharashtra in 2005 and > 2007. They felt a deep connection with the Dalits of India and with Dr. > Ambedkar's emancipatory agenda. After returning to Hungary, in 2007, they > founded the Jai Bhim Network, embraced Buddhism and opened three high > schools named after Dr. Ambedkar in Sajókaza, Ózd and Hegymeg for Roma > children. One of the activities of the Network is to invite young Dalit > activists to Hungary and provide them with opportunities to interact with > the Roma community. Recently, I was part of one such three-member delegation > and lived with the Roma community in the village Sajókaza for almost a > month. > * > > Life in Sajókaza > * > > Sajókaza is a beautiful village about 30 km northeast of Miskolc, with a > population of 3,300 people, half of them Romas. The majority of the Romas > live on the outskirts of the village in ghettos. In their neighbourhood, > there is no tap water, no street lighting and no sewage disposal. A few > meters away, in the adjoining non-Roma streets, all these basic amenities > are provided. There was a time when all the Romas of the village were > employed in the nearby mines but now almost all of them are unemployed and > live on a monthly dole from the government. During our stay, it became > evident that the Romas suffer as much everyday discrimination as Dalits. > There are three churches in Sajókaza, but not even a single Roma visits > them. It immediately reminded me of the Hindu temples in India where our > entry, though guaranteed in law, is prohibited in practice. > > The foremost hurdle in the education of Romas in Hungary is the segregation > of Roma children, who are forced to sit in separate classes. They attend > different schools/classes in dilapidated buildings without basic amenities, > whereas Hungarian children attend regular, fully equipped schools. Tibor > says there were separate cups and plates for Roma students till 10 years > ago. Roma children grow up constantly dehumanised, humiliated, persecuted > and rejected. They are declared ‘mentally challenged' and are sent to > special schools; so much that about 90 per cent of special school students > in Hungary are said to be from this community. Segregation is not limited to > schools. In 2003, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) conducted field > research in Hungary and documented 44 cases of so-called “Gypsy rooms” > —segregated maternity wards. > > Stereotypes are potent tools of hatred. And the Romas suffer from the worst > kind of stereotyping by the whites. The ‘Gypsies', for the average white > European, are necessarily cheaters, beggars, thieves, pickpockets, nomads, > people who live in dirty conditions and don't like to work. It is believed > by non-Romas that the Romas cut their forefingers so that they could easily > pick pockets; and that ‘ Roma' children wear long clothes to hide the > chickens they steal from white farmers' homes. These prejudices are thriving > today. > > Websites that promote tourism in Europe offer gratuitous advice on > ‘Gypsies'. One site, under the heading ‘Personal security in Rome', says: > “Gypsy children could surround you, and shamelessly start robbing your > belongings, taking advantage of your surprise. They would then pass the > belongings to older gypsy women…” The image of ‘Romas' being thieves is so > entrenched that they are the first to be rounded up by the police if there > is a crime in the neighborhood. > > One of the most horrific stories I heard white Hungarians cook up was about > pregnant ‘Gypsy' women. In September, Oszkar Molnar, the Mayor of Edeleny in > Northeast Hungary, accused Roma women in his town of intentionally harming > their unborn babies in order to secure extra child benefits. The Equal > Opportunity Authority issued sanctions against Oszkar Molnar, a > representative of main opposition party Fidesz, but he has vowed to launch a > legal appeal against the Authority. > > On October 11, 2009, about 1,500 Romas gathered at Heroes Square in > Budapest to protest Mayor Molnar's views, and to demonstrate against > segregation in schools and discrimination in everyday life. One slogan > caught my attention: “A child's head is not a pot that has to be filled, but > a torch that needs to be ignited.” Says János, president of Jai Bhim > Network, “After our turn to Ambedkarite Buddhism, people ask, ‘How can you > teach Buddhism to gypsies?' What we are doing seems odd since Buddhism in > Europe is largely the leisure hobby of the middle classes. But it is easy to > answer them: they don't offer effective secondary education for Gypsies, and > we do! Whatever people say, we just carry on with our work.” > > Email: [email protected] > > > > > > -- > - Pardeep > > http://drambedkarbooks.wordpress.com > > http://voteforbsp.blogspot.com/ > > http://www.dalitindia.blogspot.com/ > > http://indianbuddhism.blogspot.com/ > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordbuddha/ > > http://www.youtube.com/user/dalitjade > > Know Buddha, Know Life > No Buddha, No Life..! > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
