Roma give final touches to Europe’s Cultural Capital for 2013
From the Old Port, le Vieux Port, to a web of narrow streets – the districts of Noailles and Belsunce – with its markets full of beautiful fresh fruits, vegetables and spices from all over the world; this is the pulsating intercultural heart of France.
With its street markets full of colours and fragrances of both sides of the Mediterranean course, Marseille is crowned with European Capital of Culture for 2013.
“I have never seen such a mix of different people with diverse backgrounds, all living side-by-side, creating a wonderful synergy so unique to Marseille,” says Mohammed Abdullah from Morocco, who initially came here as a student.
In such a cosmopolitan environment, exclusion still exists.
During the last summer, an administrative order specifically sought expulsion of the Roma (i.e. the gypsy) population from the French territory. The legend has that that the community had left the north of Indian subcontinent around the 14th century passing through Turkey, Eastern Europe, even moving to Egypt and then adapting Maghreb.
Most of the Roma people in France have been French citizens for two or three centuries, and just a few of them migrated mostly from Romania and Bulgaria to reach in France only recently. There are about 2,000 ‘migrant Roma’ in Marseille and 13,000 in entire France.
“Gypsies are often subject to prejudice or indifference, when in fact they have so much to offer. Fanfare Vagabontu is a good example of it, showing, through music, their roots, their culture and their extraordinary joy of life,” Roberto Carlos, a hair dresser by profession from Italy.
The Roma are certainly one of the most discriminated ethnic minorities in Europe, racism against whom is ‘legitimate’ and often backed by political and governmental authorities.
Here in Marseille, Aurelien, a Frenchman, and the Fanfare Vagabontu, a Gypsy band of eight musicians, two from the Roma community in Marseille and six from Moldavia, are spreading knowledge about the Gypsy culture in the south of France and in Europe.
While Marseille has been and still is strongly marked by migration, remaining a gateway Mediterranean port into Europe, the sole explanation for stigmatisation of Roma people can be nothing but ignorance.
Official estimates suggest that Marseille’s proportion of residents with migration background is much more than 20% of the population, so it can truly be considered a cosmopolitan melting pot.
This French is trying to embrace the Gypsy culture by helping these people to spread awareness about their culture and beliefs.
“Just the fact that people participate in events and dance, and so participate in open debates are leading to a deep integration,” Aurelien says, the French manager of the Gypsy band Fanfare Vagabontu. He believes that through music, dance and art, the locals see the local Gypsy community in a different manner.
The band began playing in Marseille during June 2005.
“Seeing Fanfare Vagabontu play was not only a very memorable and enjoyable concert experience, but I felt that it also helped so much to introduce the Roma culture to the audience,” observes Jeremie Gilbert, a citizen of Marseille.
Ever since Aurelien met the Fanfare Vagabontu in 2007, he became a fan. Months later, he became their manager.
“After I learnt basic Romanian, I could see what was part of the show was towards the ‘adjos’, non-gypsies, and what was part of the true life,” he explains.
The French manager believes that no one can and should separate art and music from everything related to these people, especially in this very harsh context for Roma people in France and Europe.
Aurelien is not a lone Frenchman who struggles to improve the image of unduly marginalised artistic and docile people.
Most liberal French are optimistic that discrimination and hate crime don’t belong to the city where first came Greeks and Italians, followed by Armenians, Spanish, Turks and North Africans, and most recently Comorian, Chinese, and Vietnamese people.
“The beautiful Mediterranean coast is the perfect backdrop for the city of Marseille, where people have gathered for one reason or other, creating a wonderful intercultural environment, where no-one would feel as if they don't belong,” says Ulla Anttila, from Estonia. She travels back and forth to her homeland but lives in this Mediterranean heaven.
In 2006, it was reported that 70,000 city residents were considered to be of Maghreb origin, the most significant migrant community, corresponding to almost 9%.
Such influx of migrants did come with cultures and religions. Today 600,000 inhabitants are Catholics, 150,000 to 200,000 Muslims, 80,000 Armenian Apostolics, 80,000 Jews (making Marseille the third largest urban Jewish community in Europe). That is not all about the city’s religious diversity as 20,000 Protestants, 10,000 Orthodox and 3,000 Buddhists do leave a significant mark on the cityscape and culture here.
“Since the 18th century Gypsies are sometimes marginalized, sometimes chased and rejected. It would be unacceptable to let people enjoy and dance without letting them know what is really happening to these men and women.” he explains, in a passionate voice and animated body language.
“They have poetry and arts flowing in their veins,” says Aurelien. He thinks these are the only people “I know among whom artistic and virtuous skills are so widespread.”
To accept a culture, it is necessary to understand it, and be aware of one simple thing: everyone in the world has feelings, desires, reasons for sadness or anger, fears, reasons to cry, laugh or celebrate.
The real test of multi-culturism and tolerance in Marseille emerges with recent ban of burqa or niqab in France. Undoubtedly, the city administration has a mammouth task ahead of 2013 to celebrated the coveted title.
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