Today [or, more precisely, a few months ago when I re-started this article] I’ve seen the first real professionally done Romanian TV news segment on Roma. It seems to belong to Carmen Avram, Antena 3 undeva-n Ardeal. But rather than describe the atrocious conditions Roma people live in, I’d much rather tell you a small part of my own experience growing up in Bucharest in the 80s.

Carmen Avram’s mini-documentary suffers no comparison to previous such efforts. I didn’t see or hear any off-hand racist or romexploitive comment or any attempt to foment antiziganist feelings in the audience. Could the Romanian public opinion be coming of age?

Romanians may not be so quick to understand, but a 20 year-old Swiss girl from Basel – Salome Blaser – got it and even moved in with Gypsies next to Cluj city dump, consistent with the Calvinist precepts of goodwill and self-sacrifice.

As for me, I’ve written here at length about the Roma people and their plight, starting with PocRrrom I, continuing with PocRrrom II. I had a long set of echoes from the blogosphere in conjectura l3st, and discussed Romanistan. A longer set of echoes archived below, from Cu Voce Tare.

But really, the story I wanted to tell is the conclusion of the PocRrrom trilogy. I feel oddly at once nostalgic and somewhat ashamed of that, though perhaps back then, right after I felt only avenged and happy. It’s not an easy story to tell and I wish I was at least “inspired” to tell it, but that does seem unlikely to happen.

Could you maybe read the final installment in part IV of the trilogy (sic!)?

Sources / More info: ro-on-uk, actual, a1-salome, hn-salome, fb-salome, cj-salome