INTERNATIONAL ROMANI UNION

The International Romani Union has launched a new web site.
www.internationalromaniunion.org.

I encourage people to visit.  They are one of the oldest existing activist Romani groups.  Lolo Diklo has been a member for many years, since it was called the World Romani Union.

THE HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ROMANI UNION

The first Congress of Roma took place near London between 8. - April 12, 1971. There, the participants decided to found the International Roma Union (IRU) which was originally called "World Union of Roma". Delegates at the congress have set the priority task to spread self-consciousness of the Roma and to fight for human rights. Congress has operated within the four committees. These were social and legal, educational, cultural, and honor the victims of Nazism in the Second World War. Delegates from fourteen countries attended this first Congress. The Congress adopted Roma anthem and flag as symbols of international Roma. Anthem is a song based on the text's old Roma "Djelem, Djelem" ("Go, go") and a well known song among Romanian Roma. Jarko Jovanovich, a french musician, together with Slovak Doctor Ján Cibulka made the final version of the Anthem. The flag was originally composed of two colors, blue and green. The red wheel in the middle was added on Veerenda Rishi's proposal which was adopted at the Congress in London. Since 1993 IRU organization has consultative status to the United Nations. IRU is not the only international organization for Roma, but it is certainly the oldest and most widespread.