Romanians and Roma continue to be confused in many countries in the West. The confusion also starts from the resemblance of the words, but also from the fact that many of the Roma who have gone abroad have Romanian identity documents and are Romanian citizens.
Illustrative image. Photo: video capture
“The peoples of the world”, a successful vlog on YouTube behind which is a German vlogger, tried to solve the enigma if the Romanians are Roma or descendants of the old Roma.
The video enjoyed success and gathered over 610,000 views and almost 10,000 appreciations. On the other hand, almost 2,500 of those who watched the video commented, and among these comments were many made by Romanians and Roma.
At the beginning of the clip, the German reminds of the Romanian-Hungarian rivalry and recalls that many rock bands that went on stage in Bucharest have greeted the audience with the formula “Good evening, Budapest!”. Just as many foreigners confuse the Romanians with the Roma, others confuse the two capitals – Budapest and Bucharest.
București vs Budapest – a confusion that does not end
“” Good evening, Budapest! ” Lenny Kravitz, Metallica, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden: they all played in Bucharest and they thought they are about 800 kilometers further northwest, in Budapest. 2012 took place in Bucharest. says the German.
He also reminds of Mihai Eminescu’s nationalism, the Romanian national poet.
“Vanity is a necessity. It is the residue of a nationalism, and the lyrics of the poet Mihai Eminescu sounded a little xenophob:” Bulgari with thick neck, Greek with thin nose. All these muses are claimed by the novel, all the Greek-Bulgarian is Trajan’s granddaughter! “are the lyrics given as an example in the clip.
The Romanian language is a reason for pride for Romanians, says the German, who advises their nationals not to ask the Romanians if their language is glory.
“Overall, the Romanian ancestors are the great pride of the Romanians, and the language remains a sensitive point. Never ask if the Romanian language is a Slavic idiom. The Slavic influence is great, but they will still remain a” Latin island in the Slavic Sea. “ he says.
Who are the Roma
Then the German refers to the subject itself: are the Romanians Roma or are the followers of the Romans? It’s the question he gives an answer to.
“If you spend some time abroad as a Romanian, you will quickly learn that many do not know if Romanians and Roma are different peoples. Because the resemblance in which the two words sound and also the fact that many Roma emigrates from Romania, does – and it is not surprising – to bring a lot of confusion in the Western countries ”, adds the German.
He also reminds the fact that a few years ago, the National Journal caused a whole debate coming with a controversial proposal.
“Some time ago, the Bucharest newspaper” The National Journal “published the proposal to use only the term” Gypsy “in the public language and to give up the term” Roma “. As expected, this suggestion triggered a controversy. Rrom sounds like similar, which can cause huge damage to the reputation of Romanians in the world. Officially recognized, the term Roma was imposed on the pressure of European organisms and promised to abolish the discriminatory Gypsy term.he says.
Roma or Gypsies?
The German also reminds that many Roma still prefer to be told Gypsies and are even proud of this word. He recalls the case of Herta Müller, who was convinced of this when he intercave with the Roma.
“Instead, many Roma proudly use the term “Gypsy”. Hurta Müller, a Nobel laureate, writes: “I came to Romania with the word rum, I drove, I used it in the conversations from the beginning and I was encountered with misunderstanding everywhere.” The word is hypocritical, I was told, “We are Gypsies and the word is good, if we are treated well.” Perhaps this statement is the simplest answer to such a complex question ”says the German.
His conclusion is a clear one and is meant to replace any doubt among those who still confuse the Romanians with the Roma.
“In any case, Romanians and Roma are different peoples. Roma are a population group with origin on the Indian subcontinent. Their language belongs to new Indian languages within the Indo-Arian linguistic group”, Concluded the German.
