REPORT ON COVERAGE OF THE ROMA IN THE GREEK PRESS

(The comments in italics are made by the Greek Helsinki Monitor)

8/2/98:Epohi [P. Lambrou]

ROMA: the children of an inferior God.

A study on the motives which make pupils give up school was published recently. The data on the Roma do not give much hope for a better future. Any kind of discrimination on the educational level which affects the Roma is detrimental for the prosperous future of the community. According to surveys which took place in Kato Ahaia, 93% of the men and 100% of the women have not finished primary school. In Ano Liossia - only 22.5% of the men and 6% of the women. As for the children there, the figures are the following: 24% of the boys and 17% of the girls have finished primary school. For the wider area of Agia Varvara, 92% of the men and 24% of the women have attended primary school, while as regards the secondary level of education, only 4% of the men have gone through it. The same study shows that a great number of teachers and students share racist opinions, supporting the exclusion of the Roma from the educational system.

A very positive report, openly condemning practices of discrimination towards the Roma. Through the statistical data, a global idea of the educational problems of the Roma, as well as the attitude of the Greeks in this respect, are shown.

8/2/98 Epohi

We came out of nowhere

An abstract from Mr. Doutsas’ book “Roma and Racial Discrimination” dedicated to the Roma history, language, culture and their Indian origins.

A positive report, trying to explain the structure of the Roma community throughout the centuries against the background of their history.

9/2/98: Ethnos

“Whispers” of engagement.

In the camp of Liossia, the Roma celebrated the engagement of a young couple, together with the director of a famous Greek TV serial, Mr. Manoussakis. The latter gladly accepted to be the best man, offered as a gift a collection of expensive wines and danced with the bride to the famous soundtrack of the serial.

A very positive report with many photos. It gives an alternative image of the Roma, transmitting a happy atmosphere of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between Roma and non-Roma.

11/2/98 Ta Nea [Lena Divani]

“Greeks and Roma”

The serial “Whispers of the heart” has broken all TV rating records. It is said that around one million people have followed the film about the crucial dilemma of a beautiful Roma: to marry a Roma or an outsider? In this way the Roma came into our lives literally from the window (of the screen). We speak about 300,000 people who have been living on Greek territory since the 14^th century and who are completely ignored by the official Greek state (It refused to give them Greek citizenship for more than 120 years. They got it only in 1955) and by the History and Sociology books. To us, the Roma represent colorful skirts, clarinets, caricatures and not normal people with flesh and blood and needs. Still, they live together with us, everywhere and nowhere. The Roma community lives for the present and not for the future. They have a revolutionary concept about time and place, without the burden of private property. The Roma have always been the most ignored of all minorities only because they lack people with access to the system and a voice which can be heard. That explains to a certain extent why the police are so cool when they intrude upon the Roma’s homes in search of suspects, without any warrant and any second thought. Still, things seem to have changed a little, or they are at least changing at the moment. A new Roma generation throughout Europe is successfully active nowadays. It aims at providing information to the international community regarding the culture, language and the big problems of the Roma brothers.

A very positive report, offering an alternative image of the Roma, without any negative labels and stereotypes. At the same time it condemns the indifference of the official Greek authorities towards the Roma community.

12/2/98 Ta Nea

Passion sells

The TV serial “Whispers of the Heart” seems to have broken all rating records (32%). Even the Roma who take part in the serial left Mr. Manoussakis, the director, speechless one Monday evening when they gave up the shooting of the serial in order to watch the episode of that day. According to Mr. Manoussakis, the Roma were at first hesitant and suspicious of all the people with cameras who were coming into and going out of the camp all the time. But when after the first episodes they realized that the serial did not expose them, they became friendly and waited for the TV crew with open doors and arms. Maria Papaharalambous claims that the reason for this success lies in “chemistry,” while Mr. Manoussakis believes “that it has to do with the ‘Greekness’ of the serial, with the Greek passions, the plainness of the people, the new world which is presented, the music and the protagonists. ‘Whispers of the Heart’ does not imitate anything foreign. Moreover, it is shot in the open air, not indoors.”

A positive report, using Mr. Manoussakis’ opinion which implicitly favors the Roma and their culture.

13/2/98 Ta Nea

(Drug) dealing between Roma and underage people.

Three underage people and one college student were arrested for hashish use. Because of the Roma, the area of Zefyri seems to be functioning as a perfect drug dealing place, directed primarily at underage pupils.

A very negative report, condemning a whole area, a whole camp and a whole community simply because one Roma sold hashish to underage people. The title used in the report is not related exclusively to this particular case. Other incidents with hashish dealers are also covered in this report without having anything to do with the Roma.

22/2/98 Vima

“Whispers of the heart” of some real-life Roma

The everyday life, the beliefs and opinions of the Roma are presented on the occasion of the famous serial and its rating records. The series presents to the Roma not their real lives but something which would have been their lives and which they, themselves, would have liked to be their lives. Mr. Dimitriou gets really angry every time he watches the serial. “They don’t present what really happens. (…) They do not show that there are approximately 100,000 children who haven’t been baptized, just because they lack official papers.” He is furious with the serial, as well as with all the Roma who participated in it. “They sold our race. In order to get 2-3 million drachmas, they opened their homes for the shooting of this ‘thing’ which presents us as violent people who take to their knives and get killed. Write it as I say it. We have a century-long civilization. They want us to be inferior.” In the third primary school of Zefyri classes are full only Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is when the children have their Physical Education classes. At first it was a ‘mixed’ school. Now all children are Roma. Mr. Politis is the director of the school. He has chosen this place on purpose. He bet his colleagues that he will achieve the impossible: bringing all the Roma kids to school and having them get their graduation diploma.

A very positive report, which emphasizes the real everyday problems which the Roma people are faced with from the moment they are born. These are poverty, lack of official papers, racism, political exploitation, police brutality, etc.

23/2/98 Ethnos

“Whispers” of exaggeration?

Is it possible for the continuous promotion of a serial to affect it negatively? This is the question which three artists have been asked. One of them, Mr. Psaras, both an actor and director, claims that in this case [the case of the serial in question] there is always a danger of labeling people as heroes. As for the Roma, in this serial we have the problem of partial coverage of the matter. In this way it is possible for the viewers to go just to the surface of the problems and not to the traditional elements and the substance of the Roma folklore. Possibly the audience will be much more concerned with the marriage of the young Roma woman than with the important issue of the social marginalization of the Roma. On the other hand, it is positive that the everyday life and problems of a minority, which is not accepted by the majority of our population, enter our lives.

The report is generally neutral and is only indirectly involved with the Roma community. It emphasizes more the serial, the methods of its promotion, than everyday reality.

23/2/98 Eleftherotypia

Mrs. Niki Tournavitis, a reader of the newspaper, expresses her grief at the death of a 12-year-old Roma boy who was burned in his shelter while sleeping a month ago. She also mentions the texts of the Constitution which say that the primary obligation of the state to respect and protect human rights, especially the rights of the children.

A very positive report, condemning the indifference shown by the Greek authorities towards the Roma.

26/2/98 Ta Nea

“Dressed for success”

On the occasion of the nation-wide carnival and in relation to the Greek hysteria at the TV serial “Whispers of the Heart,” a market report is dedicated to the giving of advice for a successful “Gypsy” masquerade. Ana Maria Papaharalambous, the young protagonist of the serial, claims that Greeks have to bear in mind that not all Roma have dark skin and that this is simply a stereotype. In order to disguise oneself successfully, one should get into the role to feel like Roma, to think like Roma, to speak like Roma and to move like them.

A very positive report, using Roma folklore as an alternative style, as a possible trend and getting the Roma aesthetics out of the margin.

26/2/98 Ta Nea [Christos Ieremides - Vassilis Loubrinis]

The reason for success

The report looks into the special elements which make “Whispers of the Heart” “successfully” different and lead it to the serials’ top. One of these elements is the atmosphere of the Roma camp, the folklore, the colors. This is related to the fact that the serial presents a brand new world which nobody ever got into the trouble of dealing with. Sociologist Mrs. Artinopoulos claims that the reason must be the attractive way in which the serial presents Roma everyday life. The Roma know how to deal with their feelings, passion, freedom and love. In two words, according to Mrs. Artinopoulos, we see our secret expectations on the TV screen.

A positive report, stressing on how important was the presentation of Roma life style, of their culture and mentality for the success of a film made for non-Roma TV viewers.

26/2/98 Eleftheros Typos

Socilogist Mr. Fakiolas expresses his personal opinion on the enormous success of the TV serial “Whispers of the Heart.” He believes there must be a collective repulsion syndrome which is liberated when watching the serial. The guilt that we share as a community when we start paying attention to a social group which has been kept in the social margin and we form an idea of this group’s customs and culture, which are rather different from ours. He claims that the serial was not made for the Roma or for pure antiracist reasons. “We, the non-Roma, are represented by the protagonist. We want to get the young and beautiful Roma woman. This means that we keep only the beautiful women from the minorities. This in a way symbolizes the elements which we want to keep, while throwing away all the unnecessary stuff. The reasoning and the motives behind that are not humanitarian. Another reason can be the curiosity for the unknown. For Mr. Fakiolas, the appropriate happy end [appropriate according to the standards of mutual respect of difference] would be the decision of the non-Roma protagonist to join the camp and to adopt his lover’s way of living. Still, he admits that this version would possibly disappoint the majority of the viewers.

A very positive position, emphasizing the collective responsibility to a favorite community which wants to be imposed upon the others.

26/2/97 Eleftheros Typos

The script writers of the serial “Whispers of the Heart” stress the contribution of the Roma to the success of the serial: the people who opened their homes (not easily), “emitting” their culture and their way of living. Those people are so much attached to their land even when they live in beautiful houses with electronic devises. As for their “conservative” attitude, they claim that by all standards, even in our society we expect a 13 or 14-year-old girl to be pure and untouched. The opposite would be abnormal. Young Roma women do not go to school, do not chase careers, so they get married and start their families when they are rather young.