I am a Romanian Roma born in the 70´s on the Black Sea Coast, in Constanta. This is the town I most love; during the summer it is the capital of the country. I am the eldest child of three. My parents gave me the things which I am proud of now but they also gave me an unstable emotional environment, filled with moments of violence. |
| | Both of my parents are of Roma origin but belong to different Roma groups. Roma are divided into distinct groups, this is a heritage left to us from the Indian caste system. My mother comes from a talented musician family, famous in the region, but unfortunately affected by a love for wine. My father was for his condition and generation a big success and an example to be followed. He comes from a family with kelderash roots, all the family live mainly from agricultural services. |
| | But this is not what I wanted to say, I wanted to tell you about me and my identity, how I discovered it and how I dealt with it. I was four years old when, for the first time, while I was playing with other Romanian children, one of them called me “Tsiganga” (the name used for the gypsies). When I went back home to my mom she told me that we are Roma and that this was something to be proud of, not ashamed of. |
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