Exhibition on the Romani language opened in Parliament on the occasion of the Day of the Ethnic Groups
Vienna (PK) – The opening of the exhibition “The Austrian Romani” marked the end of the Day of the Ethnic Groups celebrated today in Parliament, which offered a comprehensive program. The exhibition focuses on the history and diversity of the language of the Roma, who were recognized as an autochthonous ethnic group in Austria 30 years ago. It was a long road to recognition, emphasized Federal Council President Claudia Arpa in her welcoming remarks, and also recalled the “terrible events” during the National Socialist era. It is now all the more important to work to preserve culture and language in the spirit of diversity.
Austrian Romani is the language of the largest and most diverse minority in Europe, emphasized National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka. Demonstrating and preserving this heritage is the task of a democratic society. The exhibition offers many people an opportunity to immerse themselves for the first time in the diverse culture and language of the Roma, which has been present on Austrian territory since the 15th century, explained Sobotka in his opening words. He wanted more recognition and acceptance for this and saw the need for politicians to create framework conditions. According to a unanimous resolution of the National Fund Act, a memorial should be erected for all those Roma and Sinti who fell victims of National Socialism, he continued. Contact has already been made with the city of Vienna to find a suitable memorial site.
Exhibition: Appreciation of an Endangered Language
With the recognition of the ethnic group on December 16, 1993, the Republic of Austria committed itself to protecting and maintaining Romani as an integral part of Austria’s ethnocultural diversity. The exhibition, designed on behalf of Parliament, describes its roots in India and Europe, highlights its special linguistic richness and presents literary work in Romani. A film was also shown in which Roma and Romnja had their say and described their perspective on their language.
The exhibition was created on the basis of the digital research archive (https://romani-project.org), which contains a lot of additional information, explained the curator Astrid Kury. The Romani language includes a total of six varieties and contains loanwords from different languages of origin. Despite numerous activities by representatives of the ethnic group, ranging from student organizations to theater groups, the pressure to assimilate is still very high. We must resist with all our might in order to preserve this “ancient and venerable culture” and to give it a place. The chairman of the ethnic group advisory board for the Roma, Emmerich Gärtner-Horvath, pointed out that the codification of the language and the didactic implementation only began in 1993, but a lot has happened since then. However, there are currently only three teachers and two mediators working in Romani lessons, said teacher Rabie Perić. More support is needed here.
The exhibition can be visited in the Parliament Auditorium until December 20, 2023. The event was moderated by Katja Gasser and musically accompanied by Ivana Ferencova and a choir. (End) sue
A NOTICE: Photos from this event as well as one Review of past events you find in Parliament web portal.
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