Katarina Taikon-Langhammer rođena je u Orebru, Švedska, 1932. godine. Bila je najmlađa od četvero braće i sestara nomadske romske obitelji Kalderaša. Nakon majčine smrti od tuberkuloze, kada je imala samo 9 mjeseci, otac se ponovno oženio. Dvije godine provela je odvojena od obitelji dok je živjela s očevim prijateljima, cijela se obitelj okupila 1945. godine. Taikonovu vezu s maćehom karakterizirali su sukobi i zlostavljanje, nešto što je njezin otac sustavno ignorirao. U 14. godini bila je prisiljena udati se, a nedugo zatim odlučila je pobjeći od supruga i preseliti se u Stockholm na posao.

Ida Ohlsson al Fakir prepričava priču o tome kako su Taikon i mnogi drugi Romi nastupali u Singoalli, filmu Christiana Jaquea. Film ‘’predstavlja rasističku i stereotipnu verziju Roma kao lopova i neciviliziranih ljudi’’, što je kasnije natjeralo mnoge Rome da zažale zbog svog sudjelovanja. Ovakvo prikazivanje Roma u medijima u to vrijeme nije bilo iznenađujuće. U svom članku o položaju Roma u Švedskoj, Jan Selling objašnjava kako su između 20-ih i 50-ih godina nacionalizam i ‘znanstvene' teorije rasne biologije podupirali švedsku politiku prema Romima. Snažni osjećaji anticiganizma bili su prisutni i u društvu i u institucijama, a Romima su bila uskraćivana svoja osnovna prava građanskih prava.

Selling također otkriva kako je 1947. romski aktivist Rupert Bersico zahtijevao istragu o položaju Roma u Švedskoj, koju je vlada ignorirala sve dok je švedska Komunistička partija to pitanje nije otvorila u parlamentu 1953. godine. Godinu dana kasnije, vlada je stvorila istražno povjerenstvo koje je razmatralo situaciju Roma u zemlji, obećavajući da će dodijeliti državljanstva, i poboljšati obrazovanje i stambena koja su Romima bila uskraćena.

Unatoč tim obećanjima, neučinkovitost politika i ugrađeni asimilacijski stavovi vlade značili su da su materijalni dobici za Rome ograničeni, a diskriminatorno ponašanje prema zajednici ostalo je konstantno. Svjesna ove situacije i spremna usmjeriti pažnju na temu nejednakosti Roma, Katarina Taikon postala je istaknuta aktivistica za prava Roma tokom 60-ih, neprestano zahtijevajući, između ostalog, da se švedska socijalna država proširi i na romsko stanovništvo.

Početkom 60-ih, stan Taikona i Bjorna Langhammara (njenog supruga) postali su mjesto susreta kulturnih elita i aktivista koji podržavaju borbu Roma. Godine 1963. napisala je Zigenersku, knjigu koja ne samo da kritizira državne vlasti zbog odbijanja da osiguraju jednakost za Rome, već i rasvjetljava pitanja jednakosti spola unutar tradicionalno patrijarhalnih romskih zajednica. Godine 1964. pozvana je da osobno upozna Martina Luthera Kinga, koji je u to vrijeme bio u Skandinaviji i primio Nobelovu nagradu za mir.

Tokom ovih godina Taikon je aktivno sudjelovala u raspravama i predavanjima, organizirala radionice i objavljivala materijale kako bi proširila svijest o Romima u Švedskoj. Njezina sestra Rosa, koja je naslijedila očev zanat kao srebrnar, često je bila podrška i suradnica u aktivizmu u tom razdoblju. Godine 1965. Taikon je vodila demonstracije za prava Roma povodom 1. maja, zahtijevajući hitno potrebna poboljšanja u obrazovanju Roma, posebno obrazovanje odraslih. Potkraj 60-ih, Taikonov se aktivizam također usredotočio na borbu protiv protjerivanja romskih izbjeglica iz Švedske, vodeći uspješnu kampanju koja je spriječila deložaciju poljskih i talijanskih Roma.

Iseljavanje španjolskih, francuskih i talijanskih Roma sljedeće godine unatoč svim njezinim naporima 1969. godine, iako im je dopušten povratak u Švedsku 1971. godine, udaljilo je Katarinu od ove vrste aktivizma i odlučila se umjesto toga usredotočiti na dječju književnost. Objavila je ‘’Katitzi’’, priču o romskoj djevojci. Ukupno je objavljeno 13 svezaka između 1969. i 1980. godine. Citirana je kada je izjavila da ''ako želimo promijeniti svijet, započet ćemo s djecom''. Ove knjige su postale popularne u Švedskoj tokom 70-ih i 80-ih godina i dale su jedinstven doprinos u obrazovanju mlađih generacija o osnovnim vrijednostima tolerancije, inkluzije i ljudskog dostojanstva.

Nakon što je 1982. godine doživjela srčani udar, Taikon je upala u komu od koje se nikada nije oporavila. Preminula je 1995. godine. Sjećanje na nju daje živ primjer posvećenosti poboljšanju života Roma i ljudskih prava općenito.

 

 

 

 

The life of Katarina Taikon was one of constant struggle for equality, the inclusion of Roma in society, and respect for human rights. Her commitment to the advancement of Roma in Sweden, mostly through activism and education, was exemplary at a time when Roma was being denied basic rights.

Katarina Taikon-Langhammer was born in Orebro, Sweden, in 1932. She was the youngest of four siblings of a nomad Roma Kalderash family. Following her mother’s death of tuberculosis when she was only 9 months old, her father re-married. After spending two years separated from her family while living with her father’s friends, the whole family reunited in 1945. Taikon’s relationship with her stepmother was one characterized by conflict and abuse, something her father actively ignored. At age 14 she was forced to marry, and it was not long before she decided to run away from her husband and move to Stockholm for work.

Ida Ohlsson al Fakir retells the story of how Taikon and many other Roma performed in Singoalla, a film by Christian Jaque. The film ‘’presents a racist and stereotyped version of Roma as thieves and uncivilized people’’, which made many Roma later regret their participation. This portrayal of Roma in media was hardly surprising at the time. In his article on the position of Roma in Sweden, Jan Selling explains how between the 20s and 50s, ‘’nationalism and scientific theories of racial biology underpinned Swedish policy towards the Roma’’. Strong feelings of antiziganism were present both in society and institutions, and Roma was denied their basic rights as citizens.

Selling also reveals how in 1947 Romani activist Rupert Bersico had demanded an investigation about the position of Roma in Sweden, ignored by the government until the Swedish Communist Party brought it to Parliament in 1953. A year later, the government created an investigative commission that reviewed the situation of Roma in the country, promising to grant citizenship, education, and housing rights until they were denied to Roma.

Despite these promises, the inefficiency of the policies and the embedded assimilationist attitudes of the government meant that material gains were limited for Roma and discriminatory behaviors against the community remained constant. Aware of this situation and willing to turn the tables on inequality against Roma, Katarina Taikon became a prominent activist for Roma rights throughout the 60s, constantly demanding, among other things, that the Swedish welfare state was also extended to cover the Roma population.

In the early 60s, Taikon and Bjorn Langhammar's (her husband) apartment became a meeting point for cultural elites and activists supporting the Roma struggle. In 1963, she wrote Zigenerska, a book that did not only criticize state authorities for refusing to ensure equality for Roma but also shed light on gender issues within the traditionally patriarchal Roma communities. In 1964, she was invited to personally meet Martin Luther King, who was in Scandinavia to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the time.

Throughout these years, Taikon actively gave talks and lectures, organized workshops, and published material in order to spread awareness about Roma in Sweden. Her sister Rosa, who had inherited their father’s trade as a silversmith, was often a supporter and collaborator in activism activities during this period. In 1965, Taikon headed a Roma-dedicated 1st May demonstration, demanding urgently needed improvements in education for Roma, adult education in particular. Towards the end of the 60s, Taikon’s activism also focused on fighting the expulsion of Roma refugees from Sweden, leading a successful campaign that avoided the eviction of Polish and Italian Roma.

The eviction of Spanish, French and Italian Roma the following year despite all her efforts in 1969 – although they were allowed to come back to Sweden in 1971 - distanced Katarina from this kind of activism and she decided to focus instead on children’s literature. She published ‘’Katitzi’’, a story about a Roma girl. 13 volumes were published in total between 1969 and 1980. She was quoted as saying that ‘’if we want to change the world, we shall start with the children’’. The books became popular in Sweden during the 70s and 80s and made a unique contribution in educating the younger generations on basic values of tolerance, inclusion, and human dignity.

After suffering a heart attack in 1982, Taikon entered a coma from which she never recovered, eventually passing away in 1995. Her memory remains a vivid example of commitment to the improvement of Roma's lives and human rights more generally.