Ambassador Eisen's Message on International Roma Day

April 8, 2011

Performers on occasion of the Roma festival Khamoro, 2008.

Since 1990, April 8 has been the International Day of the Roma (also Int’l Roma Day, IRD). At this occasion, U.S. Ambassador Norman Eisen delivered a message to Czech Roma people. Ambassador was also interviewed by the Romani program “Sar ada dikhav me” (How I See It) broadcast on Radio R (students’ radio of Masaryk University Brno).  He spoke mainly about blending the minority and its traditions and culture into a majority society.

Watch the Ambassador's message

International Roma Day is on April 8th. For the Roma people the day is an opportunity to celebrate their culture, their common origins, their language and "romipen" — their Romani identity.  For the rest of us, the holiday is an ideal occasion to learn more about the Roma and be reminded of some of the challenges facing the Romani people.

Despite important progress in the last two decades, too many Roma still live on the margins of society and face high levels of poverty, unemployment, and discrimination in education. Sadly, there are also still too many cases of violence and hate speech targeting Roma.

Americans know from long experience that living together isn’t always easy, especially for people from different backgrounds. We’re constantly striving to do it better. Along the way, we’ve come to realize it’s not only possible – it’s very much worth the effort.  A tolerant and respectful multi-cultural society immeasurably enriches all its members.

A good start to any relationship is to learn more about each other.  I recommend our “Colorful but Colorblind” multimedia project – which you can find on the embassy’s website -- or one of the many cultural fairs going on throughout the country. 

We all have something special to contribute to society. Let's celebrate those differences which make life in the Czech Republic so enjoyable.  I hope you’ll all join me in offering best wishes to the members of the Roma community on this joyous occasion. Thank you.

Worldwide Attention Calendar of International Roma Day:

• Pope John Paul II exhorted his followers to treat Romanies with compassion and respect.
• In 2003, the Dalai Lama lit a candle to commemorate the day.
• In 2004, Adam Ereli of the US State Department addressed the continuing human rights abuses faced by Romanies and asked European governments to encourage tolerance.
• In 2006, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General, stated her concerns for growing Antiziganism and encouraged Europe’s Romani populations to act to improve their poor living conditions, the result of longstanding and widespread discrimination.

Souce: Wikipedia.org