The 9th edition of the Roma week with the motto “My identity, the April of truth” started with the planting of tree samplings in the city park of Gjakova to raise awareness on the intersection between environmental protection as well as the contribution of non-majority communities and the collective effort to build a sustainable and peaceful future for all of us.
The principle of positive peace emphasises the absence of structural violence and not just personal violence, meaning it looks beyond the individual level but takes in consideration people, nature, culture and societal factors. Working towards positive peace means working towards social justice for all.
People from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities promote peace and inclusion, they work towards more just, tolerant and equal societies with their activism and efforts. This project within the Roma Week is a symbol of these efforts.
Through an open street action at the Mother Teresa Square in Gjakova, the activists distributed information material and went into discussion with citizens of the municipality with the aim to spread knowledge on the traditions and culture of the Roma community in order to contribute to the reduction of prejudices and discrimination against the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, which was visited by a large number of citizens, which came to learn more about the purpose of the activity.
On 8 April 1971, the first Romani conference was held in London, where the delegates gave their contributions to form the first International Organization that was called IRU (International Roma Union) and to establish 8 April as the International day of Roma community.
When it comes to the origin of the Roma community, there are several hypotheses and only the inherited linguistic facts prove their Indian origin. During the Romani conference, delegates decided on the Roma Flag as well as the hymn called Gelem-Gelem (I went, I went).
The flag is half green, symbolising the earth and half blue, symbolising the sky. The red wheel depicts the movement and their Indian origin. Roma culture is very colourful because of its Indian origins and they see musical and dancing knowledge as a gift to live for the moment.
Information on activities can be found via the Facebook page of Roma in Action or their Instagram
