GYPSY AND WORLD MUSIC GIG OF DIGNITY AND RESISTANCE A SUCCESS

national | miscellaneous | news report

Tuesday November 19, 2002 21:59

by Chelo Alfonso - Galway Rromani support group

THE EVENT OF GYPSY AND WORLD MUSIC CANCELLED BY TAYLOR'S BAR ON RACIST GROUNDS WENT AHEAD IN RICHARDSON'S PUB LAST NIGHT WITH PARTICIPATION OF MANY MUSICIANS AND ACTIVISTS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS IN GALWAY.

AT EIGHT O' CLOCK LAST NIGHT WE WENT TO THE DOOR OF TAYLOR'S BAR TO INFORM PEOPLE THAT THE EVENT HAD BEEN RELOCATED TO RICHARDSONS. SOME PEOPLE ASKED THE MANAGEMENT WHY IT HAD BEEN CANCELLED.WE ARE WILLING TO HEAR THE RESPONSES THEY GOT AND TO HAVE A MEETING IN SHORT TO TRY TO REACH CONSENSUS AS TO WHAT ACTIONS MUST FOLLOW ON GROUNDS OF TAYLOR'S RESPONSE. IT IS CLEAR TO US THAT A PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT A MISTAKE HAS BEEN MADE AND A WILLINGNESS TO HOST SIMILAR EVENTS (WITHOUT CENSORING THE MENTION OF GYPSIES TRAVELLERS OR ACTIVISTS)WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE. OTHERWISE THE ISSUE WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE EQUALITY AUTHORITY.ACTUALLY WE KNOW THAT THE MANAGEMENT IS REGRETTING ALREADY THEIR OVERREACTION TO THE WORD 'TRAVELLERS AND GYPSIES' IN OUR ADVERTISEMENT AS THEY OFFERED FIFTY EUROS TOWARDS THE FUNDRAISING TO HELP ANITA DOLINSKA .HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH THIS MONEY IS EXTREMELY NEEDED FOR ANITA'S AND HER SON'S HEALTH AND WELL BEING IT IS NOT ENOUGH WITHOUT AT LEAST ADMITTING RESPONSIBILITY TO SUCH DISGRACEFUL RACIST ACTS. WE CANNOT FORGET EITHER THAT ANITA AND HER BABY ARE ACTUALLY SUFFERING BECAUSE SUCH ATTITUDES EXIST IN THE WORLD.
LATER ON HOWEVER, THE EVENT WENT ON IN RICHARDSON'S AND IT WAS A REAL SUCCESS. A PROOF THAT RROMANI GYPSY AND TRAVELLER ACTIVISTS HAVE THE MATURITY TO HOLD THIS EVENTS IN MANY PLACES, THUS ENRICHING THE CULTURE BY ENLARGING THE PICTURE. THE MUSIC WAS BUZZING FOR THE WHOLE NIGHT. THE NIGHT WAS CLOSED WITH “DJELEM DJELEM”, THE GYPSY ROMANI ANTHEM, A REMINDER OF THE MILLIONS OF GYPSIES KILLED IN BOTH CONCENTRATION CAMPS, AND BY CARAVAN BURNINGS AND SUCH HATEFUL ACTS THROUGHOUT EUROPE. DIGNITY, RESITANCE AND MUSIC FROM THE HEART CHALLENGED THE STEREOTYPING WITH WHICH OUR PEOPLE HAS HAD TO LIVE WITH FOR CENTURIES.
SO, MISTER SEAMUS, PLEASE RETHINK YOUR POSITION...WE WERE EXPECTING MUCH MORE OF YOU. ACTUALLY TAYLOR'S BAR HAS HOSTED EVENTS FOR MANY ACTIVIST AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS. WE KNOW THAT YESTERDAY THE GALWAY ALLIANCE AGAINST THE WAR MOVED THEIR MEETING IN TAYLOR'S IN SOLIDARITY WITH GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS.WE FULLY HONOR AND THANK THEIR DECISION. WE EXPECT MUCH MORE OF THESE CANCELLATIONS TO HAPPEN IN SHORT IF WE DO NOT SEE CHANGES IN YOUR POSITION.
HYPOCRISY STINKS SIR. ONE CANNOT GIVE AN IMAGE OF LOVING HUMAN RIGHT ORGANISATIONS AND RUN AWAY FROM THE REALITY THAT THESE ORGANISATIONS REALLY EXIST BECAUSE US, THE GRASSROOTS THE GYPSIES THE TRAVELLERS THE WOMEN, IN SYNTHESIS, THE PEOPLE HAVE OUR RIGHTS VIOLATED ON A DAILY BASIS. BAXTALO!!
HONOR AND HEALTH TO YOU WHO WERE THERE TO FEEL AND SHARE AND CELEBRATE OUR SURVIVAL AND RESISTANCE AND TO SUPPORT OUR SISTER ANITA DOLINSKA DEPORTED BY RACIST POLICIES.
CHELO ALFONSO