Romani people in Albania () are believed to constitute a large minority in Albania, though in the country's official census in 2011, only 8301 were counted in what was reported to be a deliberate undercounting by Albanian authorities.
Terminology
Ethnic Albanians have historically used various different names to refer to Romani people, most of them today being considered offensive, including: ("stranger", the word coming from a Kalbelia tribe root), occasionally used to distinguish the traditionally nomadic and less assimilated Roma Albanian (related to the supposed origin in Egypt), (also related to a supposed origin in Egypt), (bear tamer, previously an occupation also taken by Roma in Romania and Turkey) predominantly used in Southern dialects, (referring to Gurbeti emigration and used around Korça), (of Greek origin and typically used in Gjirokaster), (of Turkish origin and meaning "tent-dweller").
Among the Romani, ethnic Albanians, in addition to being gadjo, may be referred to as "whites".De Soto, Hermine G., Sabine Beddies and Ilir Gedeshi (2005). Roma and Egyptians in Albania: From Social Exclusion to Social Inclusion. Page 16 : "A Roma woman explained: "the Roma woman's style of dress is completely different from the 'white hands' style'", a term which Roma use to describe 'white' Albanians. "White hand" may also be used by them to refer to Albanians as well as non-Roma minorities such as Greeks, Aromanians and Slavs.Koinova, Maria (2000). "Roma of Albania". CEDIME-SE. Page 13Kurtiade, Marcel. "A Social and Historical Profile of the Roma in Albania, Part III". Page 30-31
History Origin
The Romani people originate from Northern India,Current Biology. presumably from the northwestern Indian states Rajasthan and Punjab.
The linguistic evidence has indisputably shown that roots of Romani language lie in India: the language has grammatical characteristics of Indian languages and shares with them a big part of the basic lexicon, for example, body parts and daily routines.
More exactly, Romani shares the basic lexicon with Hindi and Punjabi. It shares many phonetic features with Marwari, while its grammar is closest to Bengali.
Genetic findings in 2012 suggest the Romani originated in northwestern India and migrated as a group. According to a genetic study in 2012, the ancestors of present scheduled tribes and scheduled caste populations of northern India, traditionally referred to collectively as the Ḍoma, are the likely ancestral populations of the modern European Roma.
In February 2016, during the International Roma Conference, the Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj stated that the people of the Roma community were children of India. The conference ended with a recommendation to the Government of India to recognize the Roma community spread across 30 countries as a part of the Indian diaspora.
Migration to Albania The Romani probably first settled in Albania around the late 14th century or early 15th century. The oldest attestation of Romani people in Albania is from 1635, and they may have been present since the 12th and 13th centuries.
Ottoman Era The Ottoman era saw the conversion of most Roma populations in Albania as well as the surrounding territories to Islam. Ottoman rule set up a millet system by which the right of Christians to practice their religion was legally protected, but they were given second class citizenship with higher taxes, inability to bear witness against Muslims, inability to bear arms or have horses, restrictions on church building, forbidden from proselytizing, and various other restrictions, factors which ultimately induced conversions to Islam. Additionally, responding to seasonal rebellions, there were episodes where regional governors in Albanian territories coerced conversions, despite such compulsion being traditionally prohibited by Islamic and Ottoman law. For these reasons, the majority of Roma in Albania and most neighboring regions converted to Islam,Koinova, Maria (2000). "Minorities of Southeast Europe: Romani of Albania". CEDIME-SE. Page 4: "In the Ottoman time, many Roma had converted to Islam for safety reasons, as many ethnic Albanians did or were forced to do so." as did much of the surrounding Albanian and Slavic populations with the exception of certain regions.
Under certain Ottoman rulers, Muslim Roma were considered to not be proper Muslims because of certain ritual differences, and they were taxed and discriminated against in similar ways to Christians. Under Mehmed IV, a tax was placed on dead Roma that would continue to be paid until enough had been gathered from living Roma to replace their supposed dues, while other rulers made attempts to "reeducate" Roma.Fraser, Angus (1992). The Gypsies. Pages 174-175 There were also cases where the presence of Roma was forbidden in mosques or cemeteries.Kolsti, John. "Albanian Gypsies: the Silent Survivors", in The Gypsies of Eastern Europe. Page 51
In the late Ottoman Empire, Aromanians, Albanians and Roma shared an "oppressed" position of being socioeconomically disadvantaged minority populations inhabiting a crumbling state.Kolsti. "Silent Survivors". Pages 51-52 In this way, the Ottoman era has been considered one of relative "equality" for the Roma and gadjo populations in Albania, with the two populations typically living peacefully in harmony, with Roma camps typically being located on the outskirts of Albanian cities.Kovacs, Petra. "The Invisible Minority: Roma in Albania". Page 18
Early independence era In the late 19th and early 20th century, many Roma, mostly Muslims, fled areas that were newly independent from the Ottomans, where as Muslims they were identified as "Ottoman collaborators". Roma came to Albania especially from Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. Roma also fled to Albania from Romania where they had recently been enslaved, to settle in Albania and other territories still under Ottoman control.Kolsti, John. "Albanian Gypsies: the Silent Survivors". Page 51-52
Even after Albania itself achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire, the Roma had a better situation than in Yugoslavia,Kolsti, "Silent Survivors", page 52 but they were still treated with contempt, with large socioeconomic gaps between Roma and Albanians, segregated neighborhoods, and "practically no intermarriages between Roma and non-Roma"Kolsti, John. "Silent Survivors". Pages 53-54
During World War II Unlike in many Eastern European countries, and similarly to Jews in Albania, Roma were not harshly persecuted and/or sent to death camps in Albania during the Second World War. For most of the duration of the war, Albania was under the control of an Italian puppet regime. Roma did participate in the war, with many fighting in the Albanian military, and Roma in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo were typically supportive of the Italians and the Albanian authorities.Kolsti. "Silent Survivors". Pages 53-54 However, although left mostly untouched by both the Italians and by Albanian nationalists, the Roma were persecuted during the brief German occupation of Albania in 1943, although the shortness of the German presence limited the damage they were able to wreak upon the Roma population.Kovacs, Petra. "Invisible Minority". Page 19
Under Communism Enver Hoxha imposed a harsh Stalinist regime upon Albania, attempting to homogenize the population by repressing religious and cultural differences. Although as a minority the Roma were supposedly accorded benefits and protections, in reality this was not always the case, and in 1960, Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu tried to ban Roma from entering Albanian towns.Kurtiade, Marcel. 1995 "Between Conviviality and Antagonism: The Ambiguous Position of Romanies in Albania". Page 10
After Communism Despite inequalities and suppression during the communist era, the collapse of communism brought more misfortune to Roma, as they were the first to be heavily unemployed and rapidly fell to the bottom of society; as a result many Roma today are nostalgic for the days of communism.
In the late 1990s, Roma began temporarily migrating to Greece where they found more employment opportunities, beginning a recurrent pattern of seasonal Roma migration to Greece from Albania.De Soto, Beddies and Gedeshi (2005). Roma and Egyptians in Albania: From Social Exclusion to Social Inclusion. Page 14.
Demographics According to Robert Elsie, the Romani number between 60,000 and 100,000 people. A 1994 estimation put the number at 95,000 Roma in Albania. The ERRC estimates 120,000 Roma in Albania. The most recent 2011 census counted 8301 Romani in Albania but it has been accused of drastically undercounting the number of Romani in the country, drawing criticism from the Council of Europe."Third Opinion on Albania, adopted on 23 November 2011. Published Strasbourg 4 June 2012. Available here: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/minorities/3_fcnmdocs/PDF_3rd_OP_Albania_en.pdf
Roma people live all over the country, but some of the biggest communities can be found around the capital, Tirana, the villages of Fier, as well as the cities of Berat and Gjirokaster, and around the town of Korça.
Socioeconomics The poverty rate among Roma in Albania is particularly high (78%) when compared to the Albanian poverty rate (22%).
Contrary to the expectations of many foreigners, investigations have found that discrimination against Roma in Albania is typically subtle rather than overt, and Roma typically do not face any open discrimination.Courthiades, Marcel. 2000. No Record On Case: Roma in Albania, Report. European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). In some cases, relations between Roma on one hand and the Albanian majority and other "gadjo" groups on the other are often quite cordial in the rural, traditional and "non-profit life" and both the majority of the Albanian intelligentsia and the working class are said to typically have positive views of Roma, who rarely if ever are cast as an "ethnic enemy". On the other hand, "gadjos" may be reluctant to accept Roma as equals in the urban and "profit-making life".Courthiades, Marcel. 1990s. "A Social and Historical Profile of the Roma in Albania, Part III." Conference Papers: page 34 However, Roma may suffer from the refusal to recognize the distinctness of their identity and traditions Courthiades. 2000. No Record On Case: Roma in Albania, Report. European Roma Rights Center (ERRC)Kovacs, Petra. 1996. "The Invisible Minority: Roma in Albania" while Roma complain that although Albanians do not openly express derision, they may view Roma as poor, dirty, stupid, noisy and involved in theft, and as a result they are widely but tacitly discriminated against in the job market.
During the communist period, Roma of Gjirokastra, Korça, Tirana and Berati worked in handcraft enterprises. However, eventually demand for their products declined, and the enterprises were mostly shut down as Albania transitioned away from communism.De Soto, Beddies and Gedeshi (2005). Roma and Egyptians in Albania: From Social Exclusion to Social Inclusion. Page 17
In 2007, it was written by a Roma organization that about 90% of Roma are unemployed, 40% of Roma have bad living conditions, 20% don't have the resources necessary to buy medicine, 40% of Roma families ask their kids to work rather than complete education to fulfill primary familial needs, and that the literacy rate of Roma has fallen since the end of communism, and is now 47.6%, with more women illiterate than men, with all these problems being attributed to a "bustle for racism".Mile, Ramazan and Lleshi, Alma. 2007. "The situation of the Roma minority in Albania". Albanian Roma Union "Amaro-Drom".
Language On the other hand, currently there is no schooling for Roma in their native language.Koinova, Maria. "Minorities of Southeast Europe: Roma of Albania". Center for Documentation and Information of Minorities in Europe – Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE). Page 2
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