Fokus ROMI.HR

Romi su u Brazil, kao i na mnoga druga kolonijalna područja, prvi put imigrirali zbog pritiska kraljevske vlasti u metropoli. Sve od tada Romi se bore za bolji život i za život bez diskriminacije na 'novom' kontinentu.

Romi koji su iz Portugala prognani u Brazil su stigli u drugoj polovici 16. stoljeća. Vjerojatno je da su prvi Romi koji su bili prognani iz Portugala u Brazil stigli između 1560-ih i 1570-ih. Postoje zapisi o Romima kojima je suđeno i koji su na kraju bili osuđeni provesti neko vrijeme u zatvoru u Portugalu, a koji su radije htjeli biti prognani nego zatvoreni. Mnogo je Roma deportirano u Ameriku, na današnji teritorij Brazila, a vrlo mali broj u tadašnje portugalske afričke kolonije.

Budući da Portugal nije uspio integrirati Rome u portugalsko društvo, a postojala je potreba za naseljavanjem novih kolonijalnih područja, činilo se da je slanje Roma na ova prekomorska područja bilo savršeno rješenje. Očekivalo se da će Romi pomoći u naseljavanju područja kojima je uglavnom dominiralo starosjedilačko stanovništvo. Iako su se Romi smatrali opasnim, a ponekad čak i buntovničkim stanovnicima, ipak im je davana prednost te su smatrani civiliziranijima u odnosu na starosjedilačko stanovništvo.

Prvi zakon o progonstvu Roma donesen je 28. kolovoza 1592. godine. Prema njemu, muškarci su se trebali, napuštajući svoj nomadski način života, integrirati u portugalsko društvo, ili bi u protivnom mogli biti osuđeni na smrtnu kaznu, a njihove žene trajno prognane u Brazil.

Kasnije, dekretom od 18. siječnja 1677. godine naređen je progon Roma u saveznu državu Bahia, ili u kapetanije Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco i Rio de Janeiro, između ostalih. Naređena je i deportacija između kolonija za Rome koji su u više navrata i pod raznim okolnostima počinili neke zločine. Bilo je i pokušaja razdvajanja muškaraca i žena s ciljem nestanka Roma kao naroda. Postupanje prema Romima u Kraljevini Portugalu bilo je dakle prilično slično kao i u Kraljevini Španjolskoj.

Povijesni dokumenti pokazuju da je u Salvadoru, u saveznoj državi Bahia, koja je bila prva kolonijalna prijestolnica Brazila, došlo do izuzetnog porasta stanovništva i ekonomskog rasta romske zajednice. Ovaj grad je postao najvažniji za Rome u Brazilu.

Iz Bahije su uglavnom migrirali prema području Minas Gerais, no tamošnje gradske vlasti nisu bile sretne zbog toga. Čak su Rome mnogo puta pokušale spriječiti da se tamo nasele, zato što su ih smatrali neposlušnima i neobrazovanima. Još jedan primjer diskriminacije Roma na novim kolonijalnim područjima bio je slučaj u Sao Pablu 1776. godine, kad su vlasti zahtijevale njihovo protjerivanje u roku od 24 sata, pod kaznom uhićenja, iz razloga što ih se smatralo ljudima sklonima kockanju i drugim lošim stvarima.

Činilo se kao da Romi ne mogu pobjeći od predrasuda i diskriminacije koje su doživljavali u Europi.

Posljednja velika migracija Roma u Brazil, kao i u ostatak Latinske Amerike, dogodila se tijekom i nakon Prvog svjetskog rata. Velik broj romskih obitelji se doselilo u Brazil, uglavnom iz istočnoeuropskih zemalja. Najčešće su se bavili trgovinom magarcima, konjima, ručnim radovima od bakra te nastupali u cirkusu. Živjeli su u šatorima, nomadskim načinom života.

Prema podacima Popisa stanovništva 2010. godine, u Brazilu živi približno 800 000 Roma. Romski kampovi u zemlji su tada prvi put bili službeno označeni. Prema istom Popisu stanovništva, u brazilskim je gradovima zabilježeno 291 romsko naselje, koja su uglavnom bila smještena uz obalu južnih, jugoistočnih i sjeveroistočnih regija, pri čemu se ističe savezna država Bahia, s najvećim brojem naselja. Živjeli su u platnenim šatorima, koje bi obično postavljali na praznim parcelama.

Danas u Brazilu postoje dvije velike romske zajednice: Calo i Rom. Calo (Kalo) su porijeklom iz Portugala i, u odnosu na one koji se nazivaju Romi, duže su u Brazilu. Govore dijalektom Caló i tradicionalno su nomadi. Uglavnom se bave trgovinom konjima, automobilima, lanacima i predmetima izrađenim od imitacije zlata.

Oni koji se nazivaju Rom, s druge strane, uglavnom dolaze iz istočne Europe te govore romskim jezikom. U Brazilu su podijeljeni u sljedeće podskupine: Kalderash, koji za sebe kažu da su 'čisti', neki su još uvijek nomadi, bave se trgovinom automobila, a žene čitanjem iz dlana i karata; zatim Macwaia ili Matchuai (Mačaija), podskupina koja dolazi s područja Srbije, koji u velikim gradovima žive sjedilačkim načinom života, nemaju tipičnu romsku odjeću i uglavnom se bave proricanjem sudbine; Horahane, manja podskupina podrijetlom s turskog ili arapskog područja, bavi se aktivnostima sličnima skupini Matchuai, uglavnom žive u Rio de Janeiru, a samo su neki još uvijek nomadi; Lovaria je romska podskupina sačinjena od manjeg broja ljudi koji se bave trgovinom i uzgojem konja, a žive sjedilačkim načinom života; i naposlijetku, Rudari, kojih također ima u malom broju, bave se proizvodima od zlata i drveta, i žive sjedilačkim načinom života u Rio de Janeiru.

Romi u Brazilu nisu pošteđeni marginalizacije i siromaštva, kao ni u većini svijeta. U društvu s dubokim socijalnim jazom i istaknutim klasnim razlikama, oni su dio najsiromašnijih. Integracija Roma u društvo trebala bi se postići na način da im se pruže sredstva i obrazovanje kako bi se mogli uključiti u tržišta rada i postići bolje uvjete života.

Roma people in Brazil are the biggest Roma population of Latin America, with around one million. However, being such a big group does not mean they had an easy way of integrating into nowadays Brasilian Society.

Brazil, as many other colonial territories, got their first Roma immigration from the imperial powers. Roma people since then have struggled to live a better life, discrimination-free in the “new” continent. 

Roma arrived in Brazil in the second half of the 16th century, expelled from Portugal as exiles. It is likely that the first exiled Roma from Portugal arrived to Brazil between 1560s and 1570s. There are records of Roma who have been trialed and sentenced to spend some time in jail in the Kingdom of Portugal who opted to be exiled rather than spent time in a Portuguese jail. So many Roma were deported to America, to the current territory of Brazil, being just a few the ones sent to the African colonies.

Portugal did not succeed in the integration of the Roma people into Portuguese society, and there was a need to populate the new colonial territories, so sending the Roma people to these overseas territories seemed like the perfect solution. It was expected that they would help to populate the territories which were mostly dominated by natives. Although the Roma were considered as dangerous and sometimes even rebellious elements, they were still preferred and considered more civilized than local natives.

 The first law of exile was passed the 28 of August of 1592. Men were supposed to integrate Portuguese society, abandoning their nomadic lifestyle, or otherwise they could be sentenced to the death penalty and their wives be perpetually exiled to Brazil.

A decree of January 18, 1677 imposed the exile of Roma people to Bahia or to the captaincies of Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro, among others. Deportation between colonies was also imposed on Roma people who committed felonies on several occasions and under various pretexts. There were also attempts to separate men and women, with the aim of the extinction of Roma as a people. The treatment of the Roma people was quite similar to the Kingdom of Spain.

Historic documents show that there were a great population and economic growth of the Roma community in Bahia, Salvador, which was the first colonial capital of Brazil. This city became the most important for Roma people in Brazil.

From Bahia, Roma people were mostly migrating towards Minas Gerais, but the authorities of the city were not happy about that. They even tried many times for them not to settle there as they considered disobedient and uneducated people. Another example of discrimination towards Roma people in the new colonial territories was the case of Sao Pablo in 1776, when the authorities asked made arrangements for their expulsion, within 24 hours, under penalty of being arrested, since they were considered to be people fond of games and other disturbances.

It seemed like Roma people could not escape the prejudices and discrimination that they felt in Europe.

The last big Roma migration to Brazil was during and after the First World War, like in the rest of Latin America. There were a large number of Roma families who immigrated to Brazil, mainly from Eastern European countries. They mostly worked in the fields of the trade of donkeys, horses, copper handicrafts and circus activities. They lived in tents and practiced nomadism.

According to data from the 2010 Census, there are approximately 800,000 Roma in the country. Roma camps in the country were officially mapped for the first time. According to the Census, there were settlements in 291 Brazilian cities, concentrated mainly on the coast of the South, Southeast and Northeast regions, with the state of Bahia standing out, with the largest number of groups. They live in canvas tents, which are usually set up on vacant lots.

There are two big Roma clans in brazil today: the Calo and the Rom. The Calo come from Portugal and they have been the longest in Brazil. They speak the Caló dialect, and they are traditionally nomadic. They mostly work with the trade of horses, cars, chains and artifacts imitating gold.

The Rom come mainly from Eastern Europe and speak Romani. In Brazil, the Roma are divided in the following subgroups: Kalderash who say they are “pure”, some still nomads, working in the car trade and women in palm reading and cartomancy. Macwaia or Matchuai, come from Serbia, and have a sedentary lifestyle in large cities, they do not have the typical Roma clothes and they work mostly in fortune-telling. Horahane, a smaller group from Turkish or Arab areas, have activities similar to the Matchuaias. They live mainly in Rio de Janeiro and only a few are still nomads. Lovaria is a group of a few people that work in the trade and breeding of horses and is sedentary. Finally, the Rudari, who are also in small numbers, they are dedicated to gold and wood crafts, the are sedentary and live in Rio de Janeiro.

Roma people in Brazil are not excepted from the marginalization and poverty which they suffer in most of the world. In a society with a big social gap, and great class differences, they are on the poorest side. Roma People should be integrated into society by giving them the tools and the education to insert themselves into the job markets and be able to achieve better opportunities.