Campaigns

DESCRIBED ROMA NEIGHBOURHOODS

İzmir Tire Sen Mahala District

We received yet another story for our tell us about your district campaign. Our friend Salih Fizar who introduced us Şen Mahalle in Tire/Izmir gave us information about his district. Here's the story of a very old Roman neighbourhood: Şen Mahalle.

Şen Mahalle hosts different groups of gypsies. Amongst them are kazancı, abdal, kalaycı, mangosor and danacı gypsies. Gypsies are the only social group living in the neighbourhood.

The neighbourhood's wedding conventions show much similarity with traditional wedding conventions. The 'must have' quarrels & squabbles at the wedding add a different taste.

People of this neighbourhood today work as fishermen, shoe-polishers, whitewashers, stevedores, butchers etc. to make a living. Amongst the newer generations, there are also some people who work with salaries in different branches of industry.

The ancestors of the people living in Şen Mahalle had also traditionally done basketry or tin plating but unfortunately the majority of them has either already died or gotten very old.

The relations of these people with others in the area is quite well. Even in poverty they hang on to life and hope & expect further generations to have a much better life experience.

Samsun Central District

İbrahim Aslan, our reader contributing to our tell us about your district campaign, introduces us a Gypsy district in Samsun city centre. An extraordinary district with its high income and high level of education!

In this Gypsy district in Samsun city centre, not only Gypsies but also many other citizens of different ethnic and social origins live together. Besides Romas, Lom Gypsies also known as “Poşa”s also live in this district.

The first founders of the district were Romas coming from Salonika and Drama during the 1924 Turkish-Greek population exchange. Later on, Lom Gypsies and people of other origins have also settled here.

At the Samsun Central District, traditional weddings are almost totally forgotten. Today, weddings take place at hotels or wedding halls whereas traditional weddings took place outdoors (veya “outdoors” yerine “in the open air”).

During the districts foundation years, the resident community made money by making music, shoe-polishing, shoe-making, peddling etc. Today, these jobs are on the way out. There are many teachers, police officers, military personnel, government officers, bank employees and people working at many other jobs among the newer generation.

Gypsies living in the district get interconnected to people of other ethnic origins by marriage. The increasing education and income level make the district more extroverted every other day.

With its specific characteristics, Samsun Central Gypsy District draws an extraordinary district profile.

Izmit Roma District

We're introducing our district which was founded during the Turkish-Greek population exchange in the lights of information from another reader of ours. An extraordinary Roma district of whose majority is working in the industrial zone.

The foundation years of the district can still be remembered by the local elders. According to what the resident community says, the district was founded by Ataturk, who asked for the exchangees from Salonika to be settled here.

Wedding traditions are still perpetuated in Izmit Roma District. Henna nights (pre-wedding ceremony where women gather), engagements and wedding feasts are held alongside Incesaz (traditional Gypsy musicians/music/instruments). When going to get the bride, drums and darbuka (a small percussion instrument) are played and a jollification takes place.

Because the first residents of the district had already adopted a sedentary life, they didn't have traditional jobs. Since the area is heavily industrialized, much of the population is employed in industries.

İzmir Karşıyaka Örnekköy

Our audience Hasan Şeker from İzmir participated to the campaign "Introduce your neighbourhood" and shared his knowledges about İzmir Karşıyaka Örnekköy neighbourhood in where various Gypsy groups live together. First settlement in the neighbourhood in where Abdals and Kalayci Roma live started with arriving of the migrant who came from Crete.

Migrant and citizens from various Anatolian cities live together with Gypsy groups in the neighbourhood. Traditional occupations of local Gypsy groups are tinsmithing, bear training and musicianship. Today, residents with Gypsy origin in the neighbourhood subsist on surrey driving, musicianship, chimney cleaning, house cleaning, garbage and scrap collecting. Few of them have small business of their own and are employed in private and public companies.

İzmir Murtake District

One of our website viewers from Izmir reports their district “Murtake”. This is a story of a Romani district that many songs are written about, a district that has preserved its spirit through its historical and daily life.

Most of the residents living in Murtake district located in Konak (Izmir) are Romani gypsies. It was initially established by the immigrants from Kilkis (Greece). After the 1st world war, the Romani’s were placed in the already existing Greek houses in the region.

The weddings at the district have the characteristics of traditional Romani weddings. The wedding feast generally lasts until the morning.

There are several different occupations carried out among the locals. The education level has a tendency to increase. Although there had been occupations such as tin making and brush making, today such crafts have almost vanished.

DESCRIBED ROMA ASSOCIATIONS

Bursa Roma Culture Recognition Association

Roma Culture Recognition Association has joined to our 'Introduce your Organization' campaign and informed us about their activities. Roma Culture Recognition Association has about 70 volunteers and also has joint works with different institutions including Bursa Governorship.

Administration of the association explains their objectives as elimination of the social problems of Romas, public cohesion, education, healthy living and equal treatment of Roma in all areas. The association was established three years ago and has done various activities since then. The association opened a literacy course with Bursa governship and Yıldırım District's contributions and about 2000 people have joined to this course so far. Also the association mediated 85 people to get an ID card and 200 people for civil marriage. About 50 kids had chance to go pre-school and association aims to up this number to 1000 and to be able to provide bus service to all of them.

Roma Culture Recognition Association also organized a mass circumcision feast for 318 kids and a famous singer Kibariye sang her songs in the organization. Another activity of the association was sending 25 romas to Umrah. 8 roma musicians have been employeed in schools to give music education. The association also has joint works with different institutions such Bursa Governship, Is-Kur, the Provincial Health Directorate and the Provincial Directorate of National Education