Travellers’ Times Article

Travellers’ Times in the UK has printed a good story on The Original Gypsy Fair and its misuse and theft of Roma/Gypsy identity.

Stop Stealing our cultural identity say

New Zealand Romani campaigners.

In the Travellers’ Times article, Mike Doherty, the Editor writes:

The campaigners believe that the use of ‘Gypsy’ in ’The Original Gypsy Fair’, a commercial event which is part of the New Zealand van and truck culture circuit – run by businessman Jim Banks – trivialises and appropriates their culture, heritage and identity, and is a form of “romantic racism”.

While Bob Lovell Kamulo has this to say to the New Zealand Government.

We would kindly request the New Zealand government uphold its commitment to defending cultural and race relations, human rights and ethnic diversity with a legal review that removes the language “Gypsy” from all registered business names.”

We thank Travellers’ Times and Mike Doherty for their continued support. We’ll have another update coming soon.

Author: pushapencil

Frances Roberts Reilly is a Romani poet, harpist and filmmaker born into a Welsh Romany/English family and now living in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. View all posts by pushapencil