Romani language symposium focuses on educational aspect

The symposium Romani Language - Basis for Understanding the Roma History and Culture heard that the Romani language was linked to the Roma collective memory as well as their understanding of the world and themselves.

Numerous experts agree that their language contains the material and spiritual culture to which the Roma once belonged, as well as other cultural elements representative of nations with whom they came into contact.

The history of the Roma people is largely unrecorded, so the study of their language is the basis for the exploration and eventual reconstruction of their cultural development through time.

The symposium serves as an important opportunity to establish guidelines on how to integrate the Romani language into the educational system and how to use it in media, literature and elsewhere, said Jožek Horvat Muc, a Romani studies expert and the head of the Slovenian Roma Association.

"We want to find out how our language is used abroad and agree whether any exchanges are needed. We should be aware that a lot of the greatest Romani scholars who studied the Romani language the most are deceased, elderly, ill, or no longer wish to be doing this," he said.

Emmerich Horvath, a Romani language expert and journalist from Austria's Burgenland, presented the relevant practice in Austria. World Day of Romani Language is not celebrated separately there, but as part of the European Day of Languages in September.

In Austria, the Roma organised themselves 30 years ago, and today they have their own radio station and a TV show. In schools, children can learn Romani once a week under extracurricular activities if at least five children sign up.

The Roma also have opportunities to present their culture and history, which, Horvath says, reduces prejudice. Adults can also learn the language under dedicated courses, and there is Rombus, a bus that visits Roma settlements.

Ksenija Pestner from the 4th Murska Sobota primary school talked about the necessity of introducing the Romani language in educational processes. She believes it is right to preserve the Romani language and promote Romani literature and dictionaries.

The school's staff are keen to learn the Romani language and are already introducing greetings in Slovenian and Romani, she added.

The Roma community will prepare a programme to help introduce their language into educational institutions in Slovenia, Horvat Muc said.

The symposium was organised by the Institute for Roma Studies, Education and Culture, the Slovenian Roma Association and the Romani Union association from Murska Sobota.

It was held ahead of World Day of Romani Language that has been observed annually on 5 November since 2009 in honour of the first Roma-Croatian and Croatian-Roma dictionaries that were unveiled on 5 November 2008. In 2012, Slovenia saw the release of the first Slovenian-Roma dictionary.