Tours of Budapest's Roma community promote cultural understanding

(5 Jul 2015) LEAD IN:
The Roma community in Hungary's capital is working to promote the richness of its culture and promote understanding of its traditions.
Roma volunteers are giving guided tours of their neighbourhood in Budapest, to help end marginalisation and discrimination.
STORY-LINE:
A gritty Budapest neighbourhood that has been compared to parts of New York City is hoping to attract visitors with a tour about its history and unique ethnic mix.
Known as Jozsefvaros (Joseph Town), Budapest's central 8th District is not typically featured in guidebooks.
The far side of the neighbourhood has been called the Bronx or Harlem of Budapest. Its ethnic mix is dominated by Roma but also features Turks, Chinese, Arabs, Africans and others in an ever-richer blend.
Roma volunteers from the Uccu Foundation (Roma Informal Education Foundation) provide weekly tours for foreigners and Hungarians, especially students who may not know this part of the city.
They're aiming to break down prejudices and stereotypes - something many Roma communities face across Europe.
Roma tour guide Andrea Ignacz, a student at the Central European University, says she, "Just wanted to show the people how Roma people are living here, the everyday life. Just a short look."
Ignacz speaks to foreign students about how some Hungarians avoid the area because "they are really afraid to come here".
The 90-minute tour includes a visit to a Roma violinist, who plays a piece mixing elements of Gypsy and Hungarian folk music, on his locally made violin.
The walking tour also goes via Matyas Square, which was a hub for street prostitution a decade ago.
At a memorial to Jewish residents killed in the Holocaust, Ignacz discuss the Roma genocide during World War II and the fact that in April 2015, the European Parliament voted to name 2nd August as the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.
During the walk, participants get the chance to hear many stories of the Roma community and the differences within it.
"The best thing about this tour is that it's given by Roma to non-Roma," says Kaity O'Reilly, a student from Virginia in the USA.
"I think it's very important for a group to own their identity and spread their stories as their stories."
The neighbourhood hopes to benefit from Budapest's recent growth in tourism.
Hungary's capital city is now regularly featured in lists of the top 10 places to visit in post-communist Central Europe.
Jozsefvaros's glory is much faded. The palaces found in the area are not fully renovated and the art galleries are just a couple of rooms.
But the area's development has improved noticeably over the last decade, helped by the opening of a new subway line that runs through the district.

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