Last year the Municipality of Prizren approved the decision for the official use of the Romani language in this municipality, considering that it was a language that had been spoken for centuries and continued to be spoken, although the percentage of the population as the main criterion to declare it as an official language or in official use was not fulfilled.
Even today, when the World Day of the Romani Language is celebrated, thanks to the UNESCO initiative of 2015, in Prizren the decision of the Municipal Assembly dated October 30, 2022 is not respected, as no translator of the Romani language has been engaged and consequently neither the benefits of that decision cannot benefit from the Roma community.
Ymer Berisha, public communication officer in the Municipality of Prizren, stated to KosovaPress that the decision to declare the Romani language as an official language in use was made with the sole purpose of enabling this community to integrate as quickly as possible into institutions and social life in general.
Berisha says that the Municipality of Prizren is in the process of implementing the decision of the Municipal Assembly with the request to add a budget code that allows this institution to employ a translator in the Romani language, which has been an obstacle in the implementation of this decision.
Only after receiving the green light from the Ministry of Finance, then the Municipality of Prizren is expected to open the competition for a Romani language translator.
“We have only issued the first request, we have formalized it in the direction of the mayor [Shaqir Totaj] and the human resources office in the Municipality that during the year 2024 the budget of the Municipality of Prizren provide a position, or a budget item, for an interpreter to the Roma community, or the Romani language, we are planning that if the Ministry of Finance recognizes our right to open a position in the administration of the Municipality of Prizren as an opportunity to receive a salary, we will be ready to open the competition to hire one more from the Roma community for translation in this field”, said Berisha.
The director of the “Durmish Aslano” organization, Fatmir Menekshe, who has been directly involved in all the procedures up to the municipal decision for the use of the Romani language in Prizren, wishes that there will be the will to fully implement it in practice.
“The municipality, just as it has shown political will and great support for the Roma community by writing history last year, I believe that they have the will and will very quickly implement the decision they made as an executive,” said Menekshke.
However, Menekshe says that the requirements are clear to continue with the further proceedings of the decision of the Municipal Assembly and to complete and amend the statute of the Municipality of Prizren, which recognizes the status of the language in official use, as soon as possible.
“The first request is to continue with the further proceedings of the decision taken last year, where the Romani language was recognized as a language in official use, as soon as possible to complete or change the regulation of the use of languages; on the other hand, when the statute will be changed, it will also be necessary in the statute to mention, to describe the language in official use that has been recognized by the relevant decision, as well as to be recognized as the Roma community living in the municipality of Prizren,at the entrances and exits of the municipality of Prizren… first, let’s start with the translation also in the Roma language, and normally a translator in the Roma language should be hired, and every meeting held for citizens should be translated for citizens of the Roma community, there should also be representation of the Roma language in a country where the Bosnian, Turkish, Albanian and English languages are present, and this will strengthen the Municipality of Prizren itself, and will be the stamp and title of multiculturalism for which the Municipality of Prizren is known”. Menekshe added.
However, the communication officer in the Municipality of Prizren, Ymer Berisha, anticipates challenges even after the opening of the competition for Roma language translators.
“Then there is the other aspect that we may face difficulties even after the opening of the competition, since I don’t know how many people from the Roma community we will have, or cadre, who will come to be employed in the municipality and take the documents and translate into the Roma language, but we as a municipality are ready to do the best for the community for the sole reason that they are citizens of the municipality of Prizren”, said Berisha.
The Roma community in the Municipality of Prizren had lobbied since the declaration of Kosovo’s independence for their language to be the official language in the Municipality of Prizren. This community is very active in Prizren as there is a great commitment of civil society, media and cultural life.
The project “Media education against disinformation for non-majority communities in Kosovo” is supported by the United States Embassy in Prishtina.
