Grattan Puxon: “We are far from a traditional congress, we have no resolutions, no elections”

Up a lane in Orpington, South London, an event took place in 1971 that is celebrated around the globe; the first World Romani Congress. The founding fathers on that occasion gave answers to fundamental questions every nation must face. Adherence to a shared culture and values, yet there is great diversity; a single language though many don’t speak it; a political unity which has never existed but is gaining reality through the worldwideweb. The political significance of 8 April, designated Roma Nation Day to mark the date of the opening session, grows exponentially from year to year.

After a dozen congresses, greater and lesser, the Jubilee celebrated in 2021 became part of revival of founding principles. The online Jubilee Congress, hosted from Berlin, was followed in quick succession by the Berlin WRC. Both outstanding as showcase events, facilitating speeches and debate. Neither, however, attempted to replicate the traditional congress. No resolutions; no elections. And no permanent secretariat or other post-congress structure had been planned or emerged. A mistrust of centralism pervaded the movement. And still does. The International Romani Union, created by the 2nd Congress in 1978 and headed first by Dr Jan Cibula, has split into three. Rivals compete from Skopje, Sibiu (Romania) and Riga.

Something fresh is needed. A form of collective leadership; a coalition of equal partners. Long gone the dominance of the baro shero (headman), the king and the self-appointed president. A generations, facing the direst challenges, demand a new style; no mandate without power of recall. In short a democratic base. The proposed Democratic Transition, for which a team has been compiling an electoral roll head of the next Congress, may be the answer.

The wide acknowledgment of the 50-Year Jubilee and the events surrounding it brought consensus on two strategic points. While widely acknowledged Roma Nation Day had become debased. The EU has given recognition, also the US State Department, along with numerous states and municipalities. But what do they call it? International Roma Day. What nation would accept such an epithet? Intercontinental, global, a world Diaspora; discribe the Roma Nation by any of these. But not international.

That’s a contraction. More than a contradiction. It spacks of being a means of denying recognition of the Romani people as a collective, a single nation. That denial is very much alive and must be countered. Secondly the category into which millions of Roma are placed has to be rejected. Cast away like an old shoe. I refer to that commonly found in official publications; the reference to Roma as a minority. The EU while estimating Roma now number 12 million on this continent alone, describes them as the biggest ethnic minority in the Union. Denmark? Norway? Sweden? Are they also ethnic minorities?