Drifting around the Balkan corner of Youtube, from my Slovak clips to Roma to Serbian folk music I notice the deep and hearfelt patriotism expressed by many commenters. But then I came upon this (in response to some lovely Serbian accordion music):
Serbia is just too precious to me! SERBIA FOREVER! CCCC! Serbia is an outstanding country&the Serbs are phenomenal people out of the ordinary! Your music is eternal&rules! May others understand Your history, get it straight&support You a lot more than today! May Your country be fast-tracked to prosperity&Your glorious past acknowledged all over the world! You deserve it so much! Živela Srbija!!! VOLIM TE SRBIJO! Wish I could be heading there immediately! POZDRAV! from a Norwegian.
Day: March 11, 2010
Random thoughts on Slovakia
Last summer I spent a couple of days in Slovakia. The only people I talked to about the country were the Dutch couple that ran the campsite I stayed in. they had decised to move there and settle down and send their children to school there. We talked about the Roma and about how there is serious prejudice against them. They mentioned a hotel where the owner employed a Roma girl and everyone refused to work with her. I heard on the BBC World Service the other morning that the Slovaks had build a great fence (I can’t remember where) in order to keep the Roma out. On youtube just now I was revisiting the short clips I made there and clicked onto someone’s film, from their car, of Roma people selling fruit by the roadside. Some cheery Slovak commented:
Miretz919 (7 months ago) Show Hide
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Why you filmed gypsies?:( Slovakia is nice country too and gypsies are shame of our country and shame of all Europe.
But they mostly dont want live as a cultural peoples, all their houses are broke cause they are problematic..
Berry Selling Gypsies