Prizren, December 21, 2024
On the occasion of the 5 November commemoration of International Romani Language Day, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the observance of this day in Prizren, an event organized by the Office of the Prime Minister, where the Deputy Prime Minister for Minority Affairs and Human Rights, Emilja Rexhepi, was also present.
Addressing the attendees, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized the importance of preserving the language, a process that requires commitment from individuals, society and institutions. He expressed the Government’s readiness to contribute in this regard through the Law on the Use of Languages and institutional mechanisms for language rights.
The Government of Kosovo, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, has for three consecutive years been involved in organizing and hosting three regional summits against racial discrimination, which have produced concrete and useful recommendations for policymaking.
“One of the recommendations from last year’s Summit was that services should be community-based. We developed this over the past year with a 25% increase in grants for Learning Centers from the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, as well as an allocation of a quarter-million EUR for the educational work of these Centers,” stated Prime Minister Kurti.
Additionally, at the start of its mandate, the Government formed an Interinstitutional Team to promote and encourage employment among the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, which has resulted in the creation of new jobs across various ministries. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense, through its “Open Days” initiative, has encouraged youth from non-majority communities to engage with security institutions.
During this event, the Prime Minister also mentioned that, for the first time, the Strategy for Roma and Ashkali has been translated into the Romani language, while the Strategy and Action Plan for Youth are currently being translated into Roma and Turkish.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Kurti underlined that, beyond official documents, a language must remain alive through daily use. For this reason, the Government, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports, supported all communities with 110,000 EUR last year, while this year, the Romani community alone has been supported with a total of 120,000 EUR.
Prime Minister Kurti’s full speech:
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister for Minority Affairs and Human Rights, Ms. Emilja Rexhepi,
Honorable Member of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Erxhan Galushi,
Honorable Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Mr. Sylejman Elshani,
Distinguished attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,
A year ago, we gathered together with Deputy Prime Minister Rexhepi and Member of Parliament Galushi, as we do tonight, to mark World Roma Language Day. A language spoken by more than 3.5 million people worldwide.
Today, we are once again united to celebrate and to hear about the history of the Roma language, which is not only very long but also marked by a path filled with challenges to its survival.
The preservation of a language is an important process that requires commitment from individuals, society, and institutions to assist in this endeavor. The Government of Kosovo is always ready to contribute in this regard through the Law on the Use of Languages and institutional mechanisms for language rights.
Over the past three years, together with non-governmental organizations, we have been part of the organization and hosting of three regional summits against racial discrimination. Each year, we have come up with concrete and useful recommendations for policymaking.
One of the recommendations from last year’s Summit was that services should be community-based. We have developed this over the past year with a 25% increase in grants for Learning Centers from the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, as well as an allocation of a quarter-million EUR for the educational work of these Centers.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo has been committed to educating young generations, enhancing the professional and qualitative growth of non-majority communities, and improving the economic status and financial income of families in these communities.
Thus, from the very beginning of its mandate, our Government formed an Interinstitutional Team to promote and encourage the employment of the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, resulting in the creation of new jobs across various ministries. Especially within the Ministry of Defense, through the “Open Days” initiative, young people from non-majority communities have been encouraged to closely acquaint themselves with the opportunities for employment and professional career development within the Kosovo Army, the Kosovo Security Force, and other security agencies in our country. To highlight these and many other opportunities offered by the Government, every two weeks the Office of the Prime Minister distributes a bulletin summarizing information, which is made available in Albanian, Serbian, Turkish and Roma languages.
I am pleased to see instances where the Roma language is utilized at the central level. For the first time, the Strategy for Roma and Ashkali has been translated into the Roma language, and now the Strategy and Action Plan for Youth are also being translated into Roma and Turkish, as part of our initiative for broader consultations.
Despite the importance of keeping a language alive through official documents, it must also remain vibrant in everyday use and be promoted effectively within society and publicly. Therefore, last year, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports, our Government supported all communities with a total of 110,000 EUR, while this year, the Roma community alone was supported with an amount of 120,000 EUR.
Thus, it is a pleasure for me to be here tonight at this evening dedicated to the Roma language, where I have also chosen the poem of my dear friend, the late former Member of Parliament of the Republic, Kujtim Paçaku. The poem is titled “The Language,” and I will now translate Denis’s words into Albanian.
Language
A tongue that knows
Poverty,
Joy,
And woes.
A tongue that has faced death head-on,
Its song enduring, never gone.
For centuries it roamed the world’s roads,
From its source, never losing its hold.
So many times slain,
Felled, trampled, and writhing in pain,
Burned, sealed, broken, and drowned,
Banished, lost, twisted, and bound,
Scorned, forbidden, cast to the ground…
Yet my Roma tongue
Still lives, still sung!
Thank you!
Last modified: December 27, 2024