{"id":9473,"date":"2023-06-19T14:41:10","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T12:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=9473"},"modified":"2023-06-19T14:52:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T12:52:11","slug":"it-does-not-matter-how-slowly-you-go-as-long-as-you-do-not-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/9473\/it-does-not-matter-how-slowly-you-go-as-long-as-you-do-not-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Roma people are a historically socially marginalized minority in Europe. Roma rights groups have been trying to change this since the 1970s in various ways, through education, representation, storytelling and the visual art medium. Roma artists use the visual art medium to recontextualization of what it means to be Roma, while also dealing with the trauma inflicted upon their people through history. How does this look in a modern society? And how does contemporary Roma artist develop a visual artistic language, when there historically hasn\u2019t been one?<\/p>\n

Text and Illustrations by Mathias Krogs\u00f8e
\n<\/em>Photos and videos by Jester van Schuylenburch
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The cultural landscape is changing faster than ever, thanks to new technologies and increased globalization, all over Europe and the rest of the Western world. Simultaneously, change in how we treat and talk about minority groups are fast evolving. In academics, civil society, and on the governmental level. Minorities are now more vocal than ever, partly due to the new technologies, and the use of social media.<\/p>\n

The Roma community has long been stigmatized, prosecuted, harassed, and even executed because of their heritage and lifestyle. Most prominently during the genocide of Roma people, by the Nazi regime in the 1930s and 40s, during the Holocaust. All of this is deep-rooted in their history and sense of identity. Something contemporary artist today are trying to deal with through their artworks and something non-governmental organizations are trying to vocalize and educate the people of the world about.<\/p>\n

Stigmatization and racism still follow the Roma community to this day. And negative stereotypes like the Roma being dirty, liars and thieves still prompt governments all over Europe to ban Roma camps. An example of this can be seen in the Scandinavian country Denmark. In 2018 the government issued a law prohibiting congregations of more than 50 Roma people in one place on the grounds of a presumed rise in petty crimes in the areas.<\/p>\n

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Sign from 1964 that means no “gypsy” people In Poland<\/p><\/div>\n

More recently, multiple media outlets, including The New York Times and Al Jazeera, have reported on the discrimination Roma people experience when trying to flee war-torn Ukraine. Many reports tell of people being denied access to cross the borders surrounding it, especially in Moldova, only because they are Roma and the stereotypes that follow. Until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country had one of the largest Roma populations in Europe.<\/p>\n

Contemporary Roma artists seek to fight this discrimination and the negative stereotypes with positive representation and recontextualization of what it means to be Roma. In cooperation with Roma culture organizations who are now bigger than ever and are increasingly providing a spotlight on Roma artists, culture and issues, they seek to change how the world looks at Roma and how the Roma look at themselves.<\/p>\n\n

Using positive stereo types & confronting negative stereotypes<\/strong><\/p>\n