Roma Solidarity
Introduction
More than 100 years of Roma activism – Are we still struggling with the same questions? / Yli 100 vuotta romaniaktivismia – Ponnistelemmeko yhä samojen kysymysten parissa?
April 9th 2024
Central Library Oodi, Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
Agenda
| April 9th 2024 14:00-16:00 |
| 14.00 – 14.15 Opening remarks: Welcome and what is the Roma history month about? Roma have always also been actors and builders of society. Leif Hagert 14.15 – 14.20 Presentation of the panelists: The panelists will introduce themselves and their own angle of entry into this panel and history month 14:20-15:30 Panel themes and questions 14:30-14:40 How and why has the white narrative of Finnish history been constructed? Miika Tervonen 14:40-14:50 What has been the position of the Roma in Finnish history? Especially from the Romani perspective and how does the absence of Romani identities from the public debate affect? Marko Stenroos 14.50-15.00 Anti-racist perspective: how does minority stress affect, how does marginalisation and a complete lack of representation affect? What could be done about this? Mona Eid 15.00-15.10 Intergenerational trauma from the state’s actions and society’s attitudes towards the Roma: What is the impact and how could this be dismantled? (Marko and Mona) 15.10-15.20 There has always been active participation. How the Roma have participated in building society in Finland and the story of three Roma activists brought to the fore by the history month. Risto Blomstedt 15:20-15:40 discussion Questions from the audience 15:45-15:45 15.45 Thank you and Closing remarks |
| Moderator: Leif Hagert, Romani activist and a communication officer in RKI, the Peace Education Institute |
| Panelists: Marko Stenroos (Phd, specialist in immigration and cultural diversity team in Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), Mona Eid, (Project manager, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) Miika Tervonen (university researcher, University of Helsinki) and Risto Blomster (archivist, SKS and the World Music Center). |
Overview
The panel discussion was a part of the Roma History month, an educative and advocacy campaign, that aims to rise the voice of the Roma in Finland and make their history visible also for a wider public in Finland.
The history of the Finnish Roma is not taught in elementary school in history classes, when discussing the history of Finland. The 500-year history of the Roma in Finland is colourful. It includes racism and forms of discrimination directed at the Roma. Despite of this, there’s coexistence of the Roma and the majority population with its contradictions and harmonies, facing the same challenges, working together and building Finland together.
The lack of historical factual information has enabled various negative and racist stereotypes associated with the Roma to reach a position where they are not questioned, but considered facts. Many negative stereotypes associated with the Roma have a historical background.
The Roma’s own activism more than a hundred years old. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, it has highlighted the grievances that are still talked about today, such as employment, education or the housing situation.
Why has it come to this, what does a marginalised position or a lack of understanding of history do to us as representatives of minorities as well as the majority? Are we able to understand the continuum of exclusionary structures in our society when we look at the history and present of the Roma?
Conclusions
The discussion started from the need to bring more factual knowledge about the Roma for wider public in Finland and especially in to the school curricula in Finland. The first question treated the homogenous and white narrative of the history of Finland and why and how is has been built that way. This raised a question, what happens to a person or a group of people, if they don’t have any representation in a public sphere (for example in decision making bodies or school books) or they are now aware of their own history. The discussion drew lines between the exclusion of the Roma in Finland, antiracist framework and what can we do about this now and in the future in Finland. There were 16 persons in the audience, out of whom many from the Roma community. The discussion was lively and the audience participated actively and offered also their own points of view from their specialist positions.
As the panelists were leading experts of the topic in Finland, we recorded the whole event for a possible future use.
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