Eastern European Roma and South African Blacks - What do they have in common?

No, I am not talking of genes, LOL, for it is not genes that they have in common. However both have the “the government has to do this and that for me” attitude, in exactly the same manner, be this in regards to housing and when there is a leaky roof or such, or in regards to finding employment and helping with setting up business.

Only a few weeks ago I was listening to BBC Radio 4 on the wireless, as they say here, and heard South African Blacks complaining that the ANC government is not sorting out their housing problems: “Look how the water comes into my home through the roof”, said one of the interviewees, and he said that because of those unsolved issues he would not vote for the ANC again.

So, the party and the government get the blame for a leaky roof and such. Here is what they, the South African Blacks and the Eastern European Roma have in common. The Eastern European Roma, especially in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia, have the same attitude. The government or charities should repair their leaky roof, their bad windows, clean up the litter, garbage and trash that they, the Rom, leave strewn around their villages and homes, help them set up business, etc.

What is wrong with those people, whether Rom or South African Blacks? The Rom, I even have the feeling, are even worse in this entire aspect than the Southern African Blacks. Have they no pride in themselves? It would appear not.

A leaky roof of the kinds that are on the homes of the South African Blacks and especially on the shacks and bit upmarket homes of eastern European Rom do not require the municipality to come and fix it. All it requires is a hammer, some roofing felt and some felt nails and, maybe, some hot tar to seal the edges. The refuse which the Rom think has to be collected by the municipality from around their homes and neighborhoods, considering especially that, in the majority, many of those Rom refuse to pay charges for such services to the municipality. Why should the municipality bother if the residents cannot be bothered to keep the area clean. No wonder the Gohja have a bad impression of the Rom, of the Gypsy. The majority of our own do not help in that matter one iota. In places like the UK and most western countries per se the Rom are slightly more “civilized” but then again those Rom in most of those countries are not actually Roma but are of Sinti origin and that may account for some of it. Only in recent years have the Romanichals in Britain started to do the same thing, e.g. leaving mess around where they live or have camped; apparently following the bad example of the Irish Travellers, as regards to the rubbish laying about and also they go and fly tip, but the fact that the Irish behave in such a manner is no excuse in my eyes and those misbehaving in such a way must be dealt with severely and ideally this should be by a Romani court.

© M V Smith, May 2007