Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Roma: Dancing to Their Own Tune
If there's one topic that stirs considerable debate and even anger among
Romanians, it's the status of the Roma—or Gypsy—population, believed to
be a widely disenfranchised 1.8 to 2 million, but counted at the polls as a
mere 535,140 people at the last census. Many are overtly intolerant toward
the Roma community, largely because of their associations with crime,
vagrancy, and social disharmony. Many Roma live in ghetto-style environ-
ments at the fringes of villages and towns, earning a living through infor-
mal trade and begging. They are also held accountable for most of the
petty crime in Romania. Hatred on both sides has sparked occasional vio-
lence. Nevertheless, the Gypsies are widely known for their savvy as well as
their musical talent; although generally uneducated and unemployed, they
carve out an existence and maintain strong cultural traditions; a few stand-
out Gypsy musicians and bands have become international successes, for
example. It's unfortunate that your strongest associations with this minor-
ity will most likely be through bright-eyed children asking for money or
food on trains or selling kitsch at tourist hot spots.
are not afraid to engage honestly with strangers about the challenges Romania faces,
from unmet soccer aspirations to the trials of E.U. accession. In fact you'll hear a great
deal on Romania's problems—its politics, its police, and in more or less the same
breath, its rampant corruption—than about its burgeoning promise. Life under
Ceau @ escu may be a harder topic to broach, though, and use your own discretion
when discussing matters such as religion and views on homosexuality. Almost 87% of
the population belongs to the Romanian Orthodox Church, so exercise a basic respect
for Christian values. Faith is very much a way of life rather than a once-a-week affair;
many Romanians live a deeply religious life and you'll see Orthodox believers of all
ages crossing themselves—passionately or casually—as they pass churches and other
sacred places.
LANGUAGE
In all cities and towns you should have little trouble communicating in English,
although Italian will occasionally serve you better. In villages, you may have difficulty
communicating with older people, but young people who have attended school in the
post-Communist dispensation usually understand English. Don't shy away from con-
versations that hinge on a vocabulary of just a few words.
Although there is a fairly sizeable Hungarian minority that continues to use its own
language in schools and civil administration, a small Gypsy community that speaks
Roma, and a few dwindling communities descended from the Saxons who settled in
Transylvania centuries ago that speak German, Romanian is the official language.
Romanian is a Romance language, evolved from the Latin spoken in ancient times
by the people in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Structurally complex, it
will sound familiar to if you speak or understand Italian, Spanish, French or Por-
tuguese. The language uses a Latin alphabet, with a few modified characters; these are
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