Roma in Slovakia
The Roma constitute an ethnic group in Slovakia. According to the last census from 2001, there were 89,920 persons counted as Roma, or 1.7% of the population.[1] The Roma are the second-largest ethnic minority in Slovakia after Hungarians and they live mostly in the eastern parts of the country.
Other sources claim up to 10% of inhabitants of Slovakia[2] (520,000 people[3]) may be Roma.
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History [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2011) |
The first record of sightings of small groups of Roma within the area of present-day Slovakia are from 1322 AD, when the region was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Major waves of Roma nomads were recorded from 1417 onwards. In 1423 they received a decree from the Hungarian king Sigismund of Luxemburg at Szepes Castle, granting them Europe-wide right of passage and the right to settle. They proved to be useful metal workers for the royal armies fighting the Turks.
Through the ensuing centuries, whilst in western and central Europe Roma were treated violently and often expelled, the Hungarian Kingdom and Habsburg Monarchy in general provided a tolerant and stable safe-haven for the Roma community. In the 18th century, Joseph II of the house of Habsburg attempted to 'civilize' the Roma, for example by prohibiting their dress and customs and educating them. However these efforts generally failed. On the other hand, increasing repression of the Roma in the Czech, Polish and Austrian lands caused them to become concentrated in the more tolerant regions of Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Russia.
20th century [edit]
After the repressive Roma policies of the first Czechoslovak Republic[citation needed] (1918-1939), the communist government of 1945-1989 attempted to integrate the Roma into the majority population through obligatory education and employment, and the formation of Roma organizations. The nomadic way of life was banned in 1958. Parts of the Roma population were also transferred from Slovakia into the country's Czech regions.
Though these policies were partly successful, after the 1989 Velvet Revolution, the Roma have once again found themselves on the margins of the society. On the one hand, there is a generous social system, but the system fails to effectively integrate them into the mainstream society.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://sodb.infostat.sk/sodb/english/2001/format.htm
- ^ Sweeney, Fionnuala (2004-04-16). "Slovakia seeks help on Roma issue". CNN. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2000-1/vago.htm
External links [edit]
- The largest archive of gypsy music on the Internet - 100,000 gypsy songs
- CNN: Slovakia seeks help on Roma issue
- Ultimate Exile: A Gypsy Poet Expelled by Her People The New York Times, January 8, 2007
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