Roma () are one of the ethnic minorities in Serbia. They numbered 108,193 or 1.44% of the population in Serbia (2002).

They are known as Cigani (, from Greek Tsinganoi)

History

The first reference to the Romani people in Serbia is found in a 1348 document, by which Stefan Uro? IV Du?an of Serbia, Emperor of Serbs and Greeks donated some "Gypsy" slaves to the Monastery of Prizren, in Kosovo.^[1]

The number of Roma according to various census data:

Population

Romani minority in Serbia (census 2002)

According to the 2002 census, there were 108,193 Roma in Serbia or 1.44% of the population. Of those, 79,136 Roma are concentrated in Central Serbia and 29,057 in Vojvodina. Another 40,000 Roma are estimated to live in Kosovo together with the Ashkali. The Council of Europe estimates that 400,000 to 800,000 Roma live in Serbia without Kosovo^[2] and 100,000 to 120,000 in Kosovo^[3] (150,000 before 1999)^[4] (see also Roma in Kosovo)

Vojvodina

First Romanis settled in the territory of present-day Vojvodina during Ottoman rule in the 16th century. In Ottoman times, they mostly lived in the towns and cities, but also in the villages, usually in their separate quarters called "cigan-mala". They usually were forgers, manger makers or musicians. Especially large number of Romanis settled in the area in the 17th and 18th century, when Austrian authorities issued several provisions about Romani (in 1761, 1767, and 1783). During the 1848/1849 revolution, Romanis were on the side of the Serbs. During World War II, Romani people, together with Serbs and Jews, were persecuted by Axis authorities, thus many Romanis participated in anti-fascist struggle against Axis occupation.

Living in the multiethnic region of Vojvodina, Romani people are integrated with other ethnic groups, especially with Serbs, Romanians and Hungarians, thus, depending of the group with which they are integrated, Romanis are usually known as Serbian Roma, Romanian Roma, Hungarian Roma, etc.

Serbian Roma:

Romanian Roma:

• Boyash (Serbian Orthodox)
• Ursari (Serbian Orthodox)

Hungarian Roma:

• Lovari (Serbian Orthodox)

Central Serbia

Roma in Bujanovac

The Roma in Central Serbia are predominantly Serbian Orthodox but a minority of Muslim Roma exists, mainly in the South.

Kosovo

Roma in Kosovo are Serbian Roma (Serbian speaking, Orthodox and Muslim), polylingual Roma (Serbian and Albanian speaking) and Albanian Roma (Albanian speaking, Muslim) who self-identify as Ashkali or Balkan Egyptians (Gjupci). The Serbian Roma were targeted by Kosovo Albanians (Kosovo Liberation Army) with the Serbs during the Kosovo War as being allied with Serbs and Serbian national interests. The Albanian Roma mostly sided with Albanians and fought in the Kosovo Liberation Army but many were targeted after the Kosovo War.

Kosovo Liberation Army (Kosovo Albanians) expelled 90,000 Roma from Kosovo, forcing them to take refuge in central Serbia,^[5] but many of them returned to Kosovo. 100,000 to 120,000 Roma live in present-day Kosovo^[6] (150,000 before 1999)^[7]

Serbian Roma:

• Kovaci (Serbian Orthodox)
• Cergari (Serbian Orthodox)
• Srpski Roma (Serbian Orthodox)

Polylingual:

• Arlije (Muslim)
• Mixed Roma

Albanian Roma:

• Gurbeti (Muslim)
• Egyptians (Muslim
• Ashkali (Muslim)

Croat Roma:

• Lipjan Roma (Catholic)
• Janjevo Roma (Catholic)

There are also Turkish Roma (Horahane)

After the war and encouraged by the international community, the label Roma, Ashkali and Kosovo Egyptians and its abbreviation RAE became more common. Whereas the Ashkali and Kosovo Egyptians maintain their distinct origin, this is sometimes contested by Kosovo Roma who claim that all three groups are actually Roma subgroups.

Culture

The majority of Roma are Christian but the minority are Muslim but still preserve the tradition of Djurdjevdan.

Language

They speak the Romani language, In October 2005 the first text on the grammar of the Romani language in Serbia was published by linguist Rajko Djuric, titled "Gramatika e Rromane ?hibaki - ????????? ??????? ??????".

Besides Serbian, they speak the language of other people they have been influenced by; Romanian, Hungarian, Albanian etc.

Roma political parties in Serbia

• Roma Union of Serbia
• Roma Party

Notable Roma from Serbia

• Trifun Dimi?, romologist.
• Dr. Ra?ko ?uri?, professor, journalist, and politician.
• Sr?an ?ajn, politician.
• Janika Bala?, a famous tamburitza musician.
• D?ej Ramadanovski, folk singer.
• Bo?a Nikoli?, folk singer
• Sinan Saki?, folk singer
• Ljuba Ali?i?, folk singer

References

1. ↑ Djordjevi? , T.R. (1924). Iz Srbije Kneza Milosa. Stanovnistvo?naselja. Beograd: Geca Kon.
2. ↑ http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/romatravellers/Documentation/strategies/statistiques_en.asp
3. ↑ http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/romatravellers/Documentation/strategies/statistiques_en.asp
4. ↑ Estimated by the Society of Threatened Peoples.
5. ↑ http://www.cafod.org.uk/where_we_work/eastern_europe/serbia/the_roma_community_in_serbia
6. ↑ http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/romatravellers/Documentation/strategies/statistiques_en.asp
7. ↑ Estimated by the Society of Threatened Peoples.

Further reading

• Dr. Rajko ?uri?, Istorija Roma, Beograd, 2006.

See also

• Roma in Central and Eastern Europe

External links

• Romany Settlements, Living Conditions and Possibilities of Integration of the Roma in Serbia - Social Research Results

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