The Hungarian Roma Parliament
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 11:55:10 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: The Hungarian Roma Parliament
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Ariel Eliyahu <[email protected]>
The Hungarian Roma Parliament
Organizational profile
The Hungarian Roma Parliament
H-1084 Budapest Tavaszmez? ßt 6.
Tel. fax. 00 36 1 210 47 98
E-Mail: [email protected]
The Hungarian Roma Parliament was established in 1990 by Romany civil
organizations. It was formed to represent the member organisations and
promote their interests, to improve the status of the Romanies, to set
up institutions which help them keep their cultural identity, to run
professional programmes and to exert political activity. It provides
Romanies with inspiration, information and practical help for their
civic activities. Its officials present their reports at an annual
congress where the president and the governing body are also elected.
The Amaro Drom � Roma Self-help Foundation was founded by the Roma
Parliament in 1991 to finance professional programmes which help
Romanies gain and protect their human, political and ethnic rights,
and to publish Amaro Drom [Our Way], the largest and most informative
Romany monthly in Hungary.
Our Conflict Prevention and Legal Aid Office provides help ranging
from regular legal advice to representation in court for hundreds of
people every year.
The Romany Civil Centre moved to the present building in Tavaszmez?
utca after its renovation in 1996. It now houses a 200-seat
theatre-cum-conference hall, and a Lounge Gallery where studio
performances and smaller meetings are held. It also boasts the only
permanent exhibition of Romany art in the country, representing three
quarters of contemporary Romany art. The civic training programmes of
the Romany Academy have been going on for three years now amidst great
interest from professionals and the general public, which provide
forums for legislators and Romanies to discuss issues of Romany
self-advocacy. In 1996, the Roma Parliament made its Social Programme
public and in 1997 Jen? Zsig�, president of the Roma Parliament,
officially declared the extension of democratic changes for Romanies.
Our library has been collecting Romany literature and professional
books, and is processing contemporary documents for the sake of later
research. The Parliament supplies schools, institutions, communities
and private inquirirers with publications.
The House of Young Artists was opened in 2000. Its artistic programmes
- literary, musical and theatrical - provide great opportunities for
Romanies to experience their own culture together and make it possible
for the audience of the capital to become acquinted with contemporary
Romany artists and their works.
Its programmes for young people provide them with opportunities to
become a community and create right conditions for that young
generation which, through its collective accomplishment, is able to
change the status of the Romanies and preserve their culture and
identity.
The Roma Parliament is situated in the district with the highest
Romany population in Budapest. Its president is Jen? Zsigo,
sociologist, welfare specialist, director of Romano Kher (F?vÂrosi
CigÂny SzociÂlis Ês M?vel?dÊsØgyi MÕdszertani KÃzpont [Budapest Romany
Welfare and Educational Methodology Centre]), president of the Union
of Budapest Romany Councils and the Minority Council of the 2nd
district, founder and leader of Ando Drom, the Romany folk band of
international renown.
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