True North Perspective: Spirit Quest: Disturbed ground

Spirit Quest

We need to develop a sense of pride in our differences

By The Reverend Doctor Hanns F. Skoutajan

Hanns Skoutajan is author of Uprooted and Transplanted, and The Road to Peace, both available at Canada Books on Line. A documentary film: Hitler's German Foes is based on his first book. He is currently Ecumenical Associate at The Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelist, Ottawa.

In my childhood memory I have a picture of a cluster of wagons some covered with canvas others were like small houses. Beautiful horses grazed nearby. They would be hitched to those wagons and the little colony move on. In the evening I could hear the sounds of violins playing haunting or lively tunes. These were the gypsies or Roma that we hear a good deal about these days.

In March of this year two immigration officers were sent to the Czech Republic to investigate the claims for refugee status by Roma wishing to immigrate to Canada. 1100 have already come to Canada.

Roma have a long history of discrimination and persecution. They were among those who Hitler consigned to his death camps along with Jews and homosexuals. Nazi ideology looked upon them as sub-human.

The Roma are a wandering people who can be traced back to India. From there they moved westward into Europe. They have a strong sense of independence and a consciousness of their ethnicity. Their separateness has created myths and suspicions.

I was born in the city of Usti nad labem, now the fifth largest city in the Czech Republic. As a child I remembered them and at times envied their children for not going to school. The men of swarthy complexion all seemed to be tinkers and the local housewives got ready their pots and pans that needed mending when the gypsies moved into town.

I credit my mother for not instilling fear of the gypsies in me. The opposite was the case with some of my playmates. I had heard tales of kidnapping of children and even sorcery. Instead mother told me about their love of music and their skills particularly as violin and guitar makers and players. On an evening one could hear the sounds of beautiful music emanating from their encampment.

But Usti has a bad reputation vis a vis the Roma. The city became famous a few years ago when citizens erected a concrete wall around their compound. It resembled the infamous Berlin Wall and was meant to protect their non Roma neighbours from them. On order of President Vaclav Havel the wall was removed.

In 1945 when the Czech government expelled 3.5 million ethnic Germans, the Sudetens, from their country they brought in some Roma to fill the void. It soon became evident that it was not a good fit. The Roma were uncomfortable with urban style living. Those homes which had been previously occupied by Germans soon visibly deteriorated. Rumours had it that the Roma used bathtubs to store coal rather than bathing in them. Their communal style of living was also somewhat noisy. They are a very sociable people who liked to spend evenings together on their streets.

I have come to know the archivist of the city who is a staunch advocate of the Roma but also believes that the negative reaction of the Czechs was exaggerated by the press. That seems often the case as news is manufactured or enhanced.

Recently we have read about the experiences of Roma who had immigrated to Ireland. Their treatment mostly by small groups of xenophobic youths has persuaded some to return to Romania which was no heaven for them earlier. But most Irish have also stood up for them, taken them into their homes and created safe houses for the gypsies.

Canada has a much better reputation among the Roma. They would prefer to come here thus our government investigation of their refugee claims. It is a known fact in the Czech Republic that they are subject to violence and that the police is less than diligent in protecting them or to persecute the perpetrators. The cards are definitely stacked against them.

How will they fare in our country? Canada is a multi ethic society. We prefer to call ourselves a mosaic rather than a melting pot although I have heard many who prefer the American model. I do wonder how much of a melting pot the US is. Perhaps the ethnic common denominator is nothing more than "consumer."

People generally are suspicious of those who resist integration, who prefer to keep to themselves and avoid integration into the mainstream.

Integration is a slow process especially for those who have experienced discrimination. They can hardly be blamed for having a suspicious streak.

Ethnic groups coming to this country have tended to settle in particular areas, to be among their kindred and where stores cater to their special needs and tastes. I hesitate to use the term "ghetto." Large cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have significant sized areas where Italian, Ghanaian or Chinese are more than dominant. English or French seem like a foreign language in those streets.

Skinheads and other hate mongers are constantly on the lookout for subjects to terrorize. They have their own problems with dominant society although they often speak about purifying the population. The case of the child who was covered with racial slogans by her parents has recently come to light in the Winnipeg area. When my church in Toronto allowed a Jamaican congregation to hold their services there our building was spay painted with skull and cross bones and slogans such as "no nigger meetings." I was thrilled when young people not only from our congregation showed up next morning with scrub brushes and buckets of soap and water to try to remove the offending paint.

We must not allow ourselves to be intimidated by small but violent groups in our society. We ought to allow the Roma across our borders. However our government is cautious about allowing too many more to immigrate. Harper has even warned that visas may have to be imposed on people coming to Canada from the Czech Republic. That had been the case a few years ago after the first surge of Roma to Canada.

It is not enough to allow them to come here, once here we need to welcome them but gently, not overwhelm them nor ignore the newcomers. We need to realize that they aren’t perfect and will like the rest of us do wrong from time to time. Above all individual faults must not be generalized.

Integration does not happen overnight or even in one generation. Above all we need to develop a sense of pride in our differences.

I believe that there is a spirit in this country that is generous and fosters good relations among people of diverse backgrounds. It is a spirit that allows us to rise above suspicions and fear.

Follow that spirit!

3 July 2009 — Return to cover.
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