On 20 February 2015, the National Centre for Roma Culture – Romano Kher, in partnership with the National Agency for Roma organized the event “159 Years After the Abolition of Roma Slavery in Romanian Principalities”.
The event started with opening remarks from Mr. Mihai Neacsu -Director of the National Centre for Roma Culture, Daniel Vasile – President of the National Agency for Roma, Mr. Daniel Ionita – Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Dana Varga – Councilor of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Madalin Voicu, member of the Romanian Parliament, Mr. Maia Morgenstern – Director of Jewish State Theatre from Romania, Amet Aledin – Undersecretary of State in the Department for Interethnic Relations, Mr.Zoltan Nagy – Vice President of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Mr. Vasile Ionescu – Media Diversity Institute, Mr. Cristi Mihalache – Director, Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Program and representatives of civil society.
In their speeches, the speakers highlighted the importance of both the event and the need for joint action to achieve the objectives assumed in the Government Strategy for the inclusion of Romanian citizens of Roma minority for the period 2015-2020.
The event presented in première, the docudrama “Roma Slavery. The long road to freedom”, an initiative of the National Centre of Roma Culture with the involvement of leading personalities such as Acad. Prof. Constantin Bălăceanu Stolnici, Prof. Adrian Cioroianu, Prof. Viorel Achim, Prof. Cristian Parvulescu, Conf.Univ.Dr. Vasile Burtea, the writer and Roma activist Mr. Vasile Ionescu and with the participation of a professional team of Roma and non Roma actors.
The documentary film reconstructs moments and scenes that characterized the long period of slavery in Romania such as the slaves market, the physical abuse they were subjected to (beaten with whips, “putting the slaves in yoke and dragged through the streets”), but also the important moment when Romanian intellectuality radically influenced the abolition of slavery.
The event continued with a debate on the book “The Roma. Slavery and Freedom”, written by Petre Petcut, PhD in history. The author aimed at restoring historical accuracy on the period of slavery and the emancipation of Roma, which he considers “the most important social event in the modern history of Romania”.
The author Peter Petcut stressed the need for research and documentation on Roma history, namely the period of slavery, its abolition and the Roma Holocaust as historical landmarks for the Roma community and the Romanian society as a whole. Creation of a digital archive of documents on Roma history, especially of those at the local level, would enable a wider public, experts, and students to access information about Roma history and to use them in their paper works and for further research.
The prizes awarded under the essay contest launched by CNCR on Roma slavery was another highlight of the event that intended to promote Roma history among high-school students. The high-school teenagers showed interest for the theme, so that we received 68 essays written by students across the country. The winners of the contest were: Neamţu Madalina from George Calinescu High School, Bucharest, Ana Maria Moldovan from the High School, Turda and Vidraşcu Alexandra from the National Pedagogical College “Stefan cel Mare”.
The participants could visit an exhibition of archival photographs and facsimiles dated back in history that depict the Roma slavery period – exhibition conducted by CNCR in partnership with the National Archives of Romania. The exhibition brought to public attention currently unpublished documents relating to the period of slavery of Roma, and a little known act, a “Release Ticket from Slavery”. The ticket is dated 1848 and mentions the name of Matei Oprea, a slave in possession of owner Ghica, and the names of the members of the Committee of Liberation at the time: Ioasaf Snagoveanu, Caesar Bolliac, Petrache Poenaru. At present, the document is part of the Heritage of the National Museum of Romanian History.
