Roma is the word we use to define an ancient and dignified nomadic people who emigrated from central India since the 10th century, first to the Byzantine Empire and then to Europe.
They carried out itinerant jobs (acrobats, bear trainers, jugglers), lingurari (wooden tool makers), coppersmiths.
They soon ended up under the yoke of slavery of feudal lords and monasteries to be used in the fields.
In Europe there are between 8 and 10 million Roma divided into 5 large groups: the Roma proper, the Sinti, the Kale, the Manouches and the Romanichals, scattered throughout the various areas of Europe.
In Romania there are more than 500,000 Roma and they represent the second minority ethnic group after the Hungarian group.
Industrialization and modernization have made them increasingly unsuited to modern life.
Even fifteen years ago, one could still meet them with their travelling wagons in the Romanian countryside.
Now many still live a separate life in often dilapidated houses on the outskirts of towns and cities.
Their children, remaining excluded from schooling, perpetuate this state of marginalization.
We believe that only by starting from the play together of Roma children with Romanian children can a stimulus to integration arise and in Anina we are doing our utmost in this direction.
If the Jews had the Bible, as a treasure chest of cultural identity, the Roma have always had music.
A national festival of Romanian Roma takes place every year in Maguri and we were lucky enough to participate and learn about their hospitality and culture, being able to document it in a book of photographs.
