World Roma Language Day is celebrated today, November 5, declared in 2015 by UNESCO and called for the preservation of the Roma mother tongue, tradition and values of the Roma community around the world.
“The Romani language must be preserved, because this is an ancient language, with all the linguistic features of the modern language that is in danger of extinction… Therefore, with the decision to declare World Roma Language Day, UNESCO emphasizes the need for preservation and further development in the mentioned language. The language of a nation is a major factor in cultural and national identity. The number of Roma in Europe is between 10 and 12 million. “Romani is spoken in more than 60 percent of the countries in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.”
Romani (romani chib) and its many rich variations were declared the official language of the Roma at the First World Roma Congress held in London in 1971. To this day, it remains one of the most valuable identifiers and means of communication, socialization and cultural integration for the 10-12 million Roma living in Europe.
Of the 25 member states of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, 17 have officially recognized Roma as a minority language traditionally present in their territory.
Today, Prime Minister Zaev congratulated the World Roma Language Day through a video address, paying attention to two key moments. One is the recognition of the importance of the Roma language and the support of the Roma in their social inclusion and participation in the development of our community. The other being that in 2019 and the beginning of 2020, 1,000 copies of the Macedonian-Romani dictionary and 800 copies of the Grammar of the modern Romani language were published by the author Latif Demir.
“Celebrating the tolerance and respect and encouragement of cultural diversity, for us in the Republic of Northern Macedonia is a recognition and respect for diversity in our country throughout history today, and in the future,” said Zaev.
Zaev added that education plays a key role in these processes to provide opportunities to learn about the history and culture of diversity in one’s own and other societies.
“In that direction is the publication of the Grammar of the modern Romani language which aims to contribute to the standardization of the literary Romani language. The members of the Roma community from the Republic of Northern Macedonia played a crucial role in the officialization of the Roma language in the map of the languages of the peoples of the world with the initiative and the work of Professor Yusuf Shaip. He devoted his whole life to the standardization of the Romani language and its inclusion in education. In the spirit of preserving the Romani language, with the financial support of the Government of the Republic of Northern Macedonia, in 2019 and the beginning of 2020, 1,000 copies of the Macedonian-Romani dictionary and 800 copies of the Grammar of the modern Romani language were published by the author Latif Demir. The Macedonian-Roma dictionary contains more than 10,000 words,” Zaev added.
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