Hungary Roma community needs “new self-image”, says Human Resources Minister

Budapest, July 20 (MTI) – The Roma community needs a “new self-image”, one that incorporates both the Roma and Hungarian identity, Human Resources Minister Zoltan Balog told a conference in Budapest on Monday.

Balog said the Roma community should keep its identity while integrating into Hungarian society, adding that breaking free of a victim mentality was a step in the right direction.

He said the “cultural self-expression” of Hungary’s Roma community was stronger than that of any Roma community in Europe.

The cultural self-expression of Hungarian Roma is “not some ghetto issue,” Balog said, adding that opportunities for the community to express itself were being pursued by both Roma and non-Roma intellectuals.

The minister said it was important that the Roma community pursued dialogue with the rest of society to find partners willing to cooperate. Balog said the dialogue on the social inclusion of the Roma needed to touch upon what is common with the mainstream society as well as aspects that are unique to each side.

Balog said it is worth working together to establish what would be taught in schools about the history and culture of the Hungarian Roma community over the coming years.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters