Sulukule Roma Culture Development and Solidarity Association.
Letters of support for the association and opposition to the demolition of the Sulukule mahalas in Istanbul may be addressed here:
sulukuleliler (AT) gmail (DOT) com
Initialy posted at the International Debate Education Association ( idw.idebate.org/roma/countryarticles.php )
Roma in Istanbul: Sulukule Press Release
Roma_in_Turkey@yahoogroups.com, 27.06.2006
We, the 3,500 Romani people of these mahalles of Neslisah and Hatice Sultan in the municipality of Fatih, Istanbul wish to tell you about the circumstances affecting our historic community as a result of the municipality's project to "renew the city". This project will result in the demolition of this historic neighborhood, and destroy the Romani community that lives here.
In October 20005 the local authority considered measures to redevelop the area, but from a range of choices they adopted the decision to demolish the existing housing, where large numbers of Romani people have lived for centuries since their first arrival in this area in the eleventh century. This decision was adopted without consultation with the community, nor any of the community representatives nor indeed the cooperation of the all parties represented on the local municipality. The decision is one that neither reflects the result of any feasibility study carried out by the municipal authorities and made public, nor seems based upon careful research about the possible options and implications of any measures to redevelop the area. Since this decision was taken, there have been a number of meetings between members of the community and the municipality, but without any resolution to the concerns raised by the Romani people for their future. The planned programme of demolition remains in place and work is expected to begin in September, when bulldozers will move in to the area.
The community of the Sulukule mahalles (Neslisah and Hatice Sultan), are the descendants of Romani people that arrived a thousand years ago in the then Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Their presence is recorded in sources that tell us that they lived in black tents, practicing fortune-telling, bear leading and music and dance for the residents of the city. Whilst the bear-leading and fortune-telling are a thing of the past these days, the music and dance remain part of the Romani culture that is still a vibrant and essential expression of Romani identity here. When the city fell to the Ottoman conquerors in 1453, it was the Sulukule Gate that first was breached, and many of the canons and other artillery were forged by the contingents of Romani metal-workers and smiths of the Ottoman army. This area, and its association with Romani communities through history is the reason why the community is asking for the decision to demolish the area to be rescinded, and a programme of regeneration and urban renewal be considered instead. This area represents the oldest Romani community in the world, with the most consistent occupation by Romani people in a tradition that stretches back through time to the earliest days of Romani history.
It is also the history of Romani people that is in this particular instance, concrete and palpable. So often the history of the Romani people has remained unrecorded or unrecognized except for the odd reference in non-Romani sources to their presence in cities and towns, to their occupations and trades in the streets and countryside, and to their persecution in punitive laws and ordinances that in some places and times meant appalling punishment or even death was meted out for the crime of merely being a "Gypsy". The Romani history of Sulukule remains to be further researched and written, but it is there in the actual buildings, streets and stones of the area, and in the faces of the people who live there. Their stories, and the stories of their families that go back generations are the history of the area in their physical forms, in the human presence of the "Egyptians" of the past, and the Romanies of the present.
The community have been offered the opportunity to receive small compensation for their loss of home and shelter, but the cost of buying new property, even for those that own their current abode is prohibitive in the the new apartment blocks that the developers will erect. The question of title deeds and legal claims to these properties also raises problems, as many of the families that live in the area have none, and is very similar to these problems that have arisen in Serbia, Bosnia and elsewhere in south eastern and central Europe when Romani communities have been threatened with removal. The community have organized a new foundation to represent them and speak with a certain voice, and it is their desire to see this lack of title and deeds addressed, and to see the renewal of their community, not its destruction.
With careful consultation and planning the possibilities exist to see the improvement of the area and its growth as a heritage centre for both Romani and non-Romani audiences alike, offering traditional Romani music and dance, and new opportunities for employment and training. The establishment of an equestrian centre, for example, that could provide stabling for the animals currently in the area, work for stable hands and trainers, transport for the tourists in the city that could experience riding in a phaeton through the old historic centers of Istanbul, and pony trekking into the Belgrade forest could all go towards regenerating an area in need of such opportunities, and the training of young Romani people in such would allow them to develop skills and experiences that have been part of the Romani way of life for centuries. The future development of horse-drawn transport, not merely for the tourist trade but also as an environmentally friendly approach to the movement of people in the city (in horse-drawn trams for example), could bring opportunities for developing self-sufficiency and economic viability in ways that were sustainable. Such ideas could be the beginnings of a discussion about the community and its future that would provide a more harmonious resolution to the current situation.
Support for such regeneration and urban renewal must come from the municipality and their efforts to secure funds for such initiatives from the EU. Such initiatives could also develop model working practices and approaches that placed Istanbul at the forefront of community partnership programmes, providing an example that could be followed throughout Turkey and Europe. Establishing a continuing dialogue with the people of Sulukule, developing consultative practices that demonstrate consensual processes in the management of planning, renewal and regeneration could demonstrate to all the benefits of such a programme and such an approach.
The social and health problems that are part of the daily struggle for Romani families in this community are in need of urgent measures to alleviate them - poverty is a reality for the majority of the residents and since the closure of the music and entertainment establishments in the area in the last ten years, the impact upon the community has immeasurably increased these problems. Less than one in ten of the adult population has any kind of work on a regular basis, and none have secure employment that would provide security for their families. Employment is a problem because of the wide-spread stigmatization of the community and its inhabitants. The lack of sufficient documentation means that most of the residents are not able to secure the so-called "green card" that would entitle them to basic state support and health-care. Schooling is also an issue that needs addressing; the levels of basic education are minimal and further education almost entirely absent. Those very few Romani people that can gain an education and find themselves in employment often choose to remove themselves from the community and not to disclose their heritage as Romani people at all. They become divorced from their past and are lost to the community as positive role models and examples. Addressing this educational disadvantage in the Sulukule community could begin to tackle some of these problems and provide the opportunity for individuals develop as productive and engaged citizens of the city and the country.
No other Romani community in the world has the cultural inheritance that stems from the long, continuous past that is part of Sulukule, this area is the very heart of the emergence of Romani people in the "Egyptians" that arrived from the east in the eleventh-century. It is an important heritage for all Romani people throughout the world, and as such we are asking for your support in helping us maintain and improve that heritage, in renewing and regenerating the area. The "long march west" for the Romani people begins with their arrival here and the coming together of different elements that formed the very first "Egyptians". To achieve the recognition of this importance and to secure the future of the Sulukule community and help preserve its past, we ask you to send us messages of support as individuals and organizations of Romani people, and people concerned with improving their condition and circumstances. We ask that all of those who work with Romani communities, helping and supporting them in the continuing process of achieving equality and reaching our potential, recognize our need for support and encouragement in presenting our case against the removal and destruction of our homes and lives, and help us improve both.
We invite you to attend a press conference about the situation where we can speak in person and bring you into our community to see for yourselves the problems and the potential that exists. The event is scheduled for 12.00 on the 28.06.06, in the vicinity of the Edirne Kap on the land walls of Istanbul. If you are unable to be there, please send your messages of support to us so that we may share these with others.
Thank you.
Hacer Foggo
hacerfoggo@gmail.com
Letters of support for the association and opposition to the demolition of the Sulukule mahalas in Istanbul may be addressed here:
sulukuleliler (AT) gmail (DOT) com
Initialy posted at the International Debate Education Association ( idw.idebate.org/roma/countryarticles.php )
Roma in Istanbul: Sulukule Press Release
Roma_in_Turkey@yahoogroups.com, 27.06.2006
We, the 3,500 Romani people of these mahalles of Neslisah and Hatice Sultan in the municipality of Fatih, Istanbul wish to tell you about the circumstances affecting our historic community as a result of the municipality's project to "renew the city". This project will result in the demolition of this historic neighborhood, and destroy the Romani community that lives here.
In October 20005 the local authority considered measures to redevelop the area, but from a range of choices they adopted the decision to demolish the existing housing, where large numbers of Romani people have lived for centuries since their first arrival in this area in the eleventh century. This decision was adopted without consultation with the community, nor any of the community representatives nor indeed the cooperation of the all parties represented on the local municipality. The decision is one that neither reflects the result of any feasibility study carried out by the municipal authorities and made public, nor seems based upon careful research about the possible options and implications of any measures to redevelop the area. Since this decision was taken, there have been a number of meetings between members of the community and the municipality, but without any resolution to the concerns raised by the Romani people for their future. The planned programme of demolition remains in place and work is expected to begin in September, when bulldozers will move in to the area.
The community of the Sulukule mahalles (Neslisah and Hatice Sultan), are the descendants of Romani people that arrived a thousand years ago in the then Byzantine capital, Constantinople. Their presence is recorded in sources that tell us that they lived in black tents, practicing fortune-telling, bear leading and music and dance for the residents of the city. Whilst the bear-leading and fortune-telling are a thing of the past these days, the music and dance remain part of the Romani culture that is still a vibrant and essential expression of Romani identity here. When the city fell to the Ottoman conquerors in 1453, it was the Sulukule Gate that first was breached, and many of the canons and other artillery were forged by the contingents of Romani metal-workers and smiths of the Ottoman army. This area, and its association with Romani communities through history is the reason why the community is asking for the decision to demolish the area to be rescinded, and a programme of regeneration and urban renewal be considered instead. This area represents the oldest Romani community in the world, with the most consistent occupation by Romani people in a tradition that stretches back through time to the earliest days of Romani history.
It is also the history of Romani people that is in this particular instance, concrete and palpable. So often the history of the Romani people has remained unrecorded or unrecognized except for the odd reference in non-Romani sources to their presence in cities and towns, to their occupations and trades in the streets and countryside, and to their persecution in punitive laws and ordinances that in some places and times meant appalling punishment or even death was meted out for the crime of merely being a "Gypsy". The Romani history of Sulukule remains to be further researched and written, but it is there in the actual buildings, streets and stones of the area, and in the faces of the people who live there. Their stories, and the stories of their families that go back generations are the history of the area in their physical forms, in the human presence of the "Egyptians" of the past, and the Romanies of the present.
The community have been offered the opportunity to receive small compensation for their loss of home and shelter, but the cost of buying new property, even for those that own their current abode is prohibitive in the the new apartment blocks that the developers will erect. The question of title deeds and legal claims to these properties also raises problems, as many of the families that live in the area have none, and is very similar to these problems that have arisen in Serbia, Bosnia and elsewhere in south eastern and central Europe when Romani communities have been threatened with removal. The community have organized a new foundation to represent them and speak with a certain voice, and it is their desire to see this lack of title and deeds addressed, and to see the renewal of their community, not its destruction.
With careful consultation and planning the possibilities exist to see the improvement of the area and its growth as a heritage centre for both Romani and non-Romani audiences alike, offering traditional Romani music and dance, and new opportunities for employment and training. The establishment of an equestrian centre, for example, that could provide stabling for the animals currently in the area, work for stable hands and trainers, transport for the tourists in the city that could experience riding in a phaeton through the old historic centers of Istanbul, and pony trekking into the Belgrade forest could all go towards regenerating an area in need of such opportunities, and the training of young Romani people in such would allow them to develop skills and experiences that have been part of the Romani way of life for centuries. The future development of horse-drawn transport, not merely for the tourist trade but also as an environmentally friendly approach to the movement of people in the city (in horse-drawn trams for example), could bring opportunities for developing self-sufficiency and economic viability in ways that were sustainable. Such ideas could be the beginnings of a discussion about the community and its future that would provide a more harmonious resolution to the current situation.
Support for such regeneration and urban renewal must come from the municipality and their efforts to secure funds for such initiatives from the EU. Such initiatives could also develop model working practices and approaches that placed Istanbul at the forefront of community partnership programmes, providing an example that could be followed throughout Turkey and Europe. Establishing a continuing dialogue with the people of Sulukule, developing consultative practices that demonstrate consensual processes in the management of planning, renewal and regeneration could demonstrate to all the benefits of such a programme and such an approach.
The social and health problems that are part of the daily struggle for Romani families in this community are in need of urgent measures to alleviate them - poverty is a reality for the majority of the residents and since the closure of the music and entertainment establishments in the area in the last ten years, the impact upon the community has immeasurably increased these problems. Less than one in ten of the adult population has any kind of work on a regular basis, and none have secure employment that would provide security for their families. Employment is a problem because of the wide-spread stigmatization of the community and its inhabitants. The lack of sufficient documentation means that most of the residents are not able to secure the so-called "green card" that would entitle them to basic state support and health-care. Schooling is also an issue that needs addressing; the levels of basic education are minimal and further education almost entirely absent. Those very few Romani people that can gain an education and find themselves in employment often choose to remove themselves from the community and not to disclose their heritage as Romani people at all. They become divorced from their past and are lost to the community as positive role models and examples. Addressing this educational disadvantage in the Sulukule community could begin to tackle some of these problems and provide the opportunity for individuals develop as productive and engaged citizens of the city and the country.
No other Romani community in the world has the cultural inheritance that stems from the long, continuous past that is part of Sulukule, this area is the very heart of the emergence of Romani people in the "Egyptians" that arrived from the east in the eleventh-century. It is an important heritage for all Romani people throughout the world, and as such we are asking for your support in helping us maintain and improve that heritage, in renewing and regenerating the area. The "long march west" for the Romani people begins with their arrival here and the coming together of different elements that formed the very first "Egyptians". To achieve the recognition of this importance and to secure the future of the Sulukule community and help preserve its past, we ask you to send us messages of support as individuals and organizations of Romani people, and people concerned with improving their condition and circumstances. We ask that all of those who work with Romani communities, helping and supporting them in the continuing process of achieving equality and reaching our potential, recognize our need for support and encouragement in presenting our case against the removal and destruction of our homes and lives, and help us improve both.
We invite you to attend a press conference about the situation where we can speak in person and bring you into our community to see for yourselves the problems and the potential that exists. The event is scheduled for 12.00 on the 28.06.06, in the vicinity of the Edirne Kap on the land walls of Istanbul. If you are unable to be there, please send your messages of support to us so that we may share these with others.
Thank you.
Hacer Foggo
hacerfoggo@gmail.com
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