The 8^th of April is the International Roma Day, the most international of all national days, and the first and most truly global of all global days to celebrate.

But why then is the true globalisation making so many of us scared?

The Roma, or Romani, people have been harassed and persecuted in a shameful number of countries, including my own: Sweden. As victims of the Holocaust, it took decades before they received their compensation (and many did not ever). Still, much of what’s happened to the Roma during the Holocaust in places such as Transnistria (present day Ukraine/Transnistria/Moldova) is largely unknown, even though Roma scholars, writers and NGOs are now working to shed the light on still unknown dark side of our past.

And persecution has not stopped. Today, Roma persons are expelled from Sweden, their dwellings are burned in Italy, their children are killed by fascists in Hungary.

How come, that in the era of globalisation we forget the most global of all people: the Roma? The Roma traces their origin to India, compare the flags and you will see for yourself. Their life of travelling started travelling long before cafe latte, long before Facebook, even before there was Lonely Planet and jetlag.

With the words of the great Roma poet Luminita Mihai Cioaba:

Here I am it’s me

Fifty five years has passed since then

now its winter and it’s bitter cold and

there are great snows

and my eyes now can see

through you here in

Sibiu-Transylvania-Romania

I feel you – I love you – I worship you

With my whole being

through this charmed verse

come down from the Golden Garden

upon a lotus leaf

and now I feel myself near you in Calcutta

and in my night-dark hair

Tagore did weave aksoka

and my heart is now bowing angiali

and I whisper to you

beyond time

I do love you – I worship you.

(from Sibiu-Transylvania-Romania)

So on the 8^th of April – and every other day of the year – we should hail and embrace the true heroes of globalisation – the Roma people!

Find out more at

http://www.romani.org/rishi/romanthm.html