Traveller's Tales
Bert Gedin | 09.05.2005 21:29 | Culture | Education | Migration | Birmingham
A unique occasion, several hundred people, 'travellers' & others, meeting at Digbeth's Irish Club, in Birmingham. To, as a Coalition, discuss, criticise & organise, re. matters relevant to gypsys, Romanys & a variety of travellers. Participants were mainly British, with a modest sprinkling of foreign delegates. Plus social workers, local authorities, university lecturers & some few curious or sympathetic 'Joe Public's.
Was I being somewhat intrusive? Although identifying with minorities, was I really a 'traveller'? Well, I do, regularly, catch the nr. 11 bus to my flat in B'ham's outskirts!
After morning tea/coffee/?cocoa, we enjoyed rousing tunes by Mic & Rosie - real 'Darling's (their name!), both travellers from Yorks. Including a song about 'Some Foreign Land'. Maybe - but not entirely - because of our venue, the Irish connection seemed particularly strong. Historically, the Irish have had to "Move on!", i.e. travel for work, e.g. on roads, railways & building sites, even to meet some foreign foe on the battlefield. "Moving on" has been a necessity, eventually becoming a tradition.
British Gypsies/travellers have not always been united - some competition, even discord, has been unhelpful to their common cause. Something the Coalition hopes to overcome. "Gypsys"/Romanys are, probably, a small minority, in the U.K. Then diverse groups of "travellers", some shedding pin-striped suits, & City Banking jobs, to travel in the countryside & be at one with nature. As one new traveller put it, "Travelling is in my heart, if not in my blood". Is he a tresspasser, on the domain of original travellers? - Then there are prejudices, from the press ('negative media stereotyping') & from "normal" people. Such as the Publican, who bars travellers, saying: "We don't want your sort in here!" - Arguably, this planet belongs to us all, whether travellers, couch potatoes or anything else.
Not being smart enough to lecture you with university or legalistic gobledegook, I won't attempt to offer solutions. Haven't even begun to study diverse pamphlets I picked up: "Travellers by Appointment Only". "The Health Status of Gypsies & Travellers in England", A Traveller's Recipe book, by Sussex women (Mushroom Dumplings or Gremlin Apples - yummy!). And so on.
Modern living tends not to favour gypsy-style individualism & non-conformity. Quite an uphill struggle to advocate such an "alien" way of life. Is the Coalition a helpful instrument in negotiating this minority's points of view? As well as listening to reasonable needs & interests of the more conventional world? - In learning from each other, we may all enrich our own lives. So, what are we waiting for?
After morning tea/coffee/?cocoa, we enjoyed rousing tunes by Mic & Rosie - real 'Darling's (their name!), both travellers from Yorks. Including a song about 'Some Foreign Land'. Maybe - but not entirely - because of our venue, the Irish connection seemed particularly strong. Historically, the Irish have had to "Move on!", i.e. travel for work, e.g. on roads, railways & building sites, even to meet some foreign foe on the battlefield. "Moving on" has been a necessity, eventually becoming a tradition.
British Gypsies/travellers have not always been united - some competition, even discord, has been unhelpful to their common cause. Something the Coalition hopes to overcome. "Gypsys"/Romanys are, probably, a small minority, in the U.K. Then diverse groups of "travellers", some shedding pin-striped suits, & City Banking jobs, to travel in the countryside & be at one with nature. As one new traveller put it, "Travelling is in my heart, if not in my blood". Is he a tresspasser, on the domain of original travellers? - Then there are prejudices, from the press ('negative media stereotyping') & from "normal" people. Such as the Publican, who bars travellers, saying: "We don't want your sort in here!" - Arguably, this planet belongs to us all, whether travellers, couch potatoes or anything else.
Not being smart enough to lecture you with university or legalistic gobledegook, I won't attempt to offer solutions. Haven't even begun to study diverse pamphlets I picked up: "Travellers by Appointment Only". "The Health Status of Gypsies & Travellers in England", A Traveller's Recipe book, by Sussex women (Mushroom Dumplings or Gremlin Apples - yummy!). And so on.
Modern living tends not to favour gypsy-style individualism & non-conformity. Quite an uphill struggle to advocate such an "alien" way of life. Is the Coalition a helpful instrument in negotiating this minority's points of view? As well as listening to reasonable needs & interests of the more conventional world? - In learning from each other, we may all enrich our own lives. So, what are we waiting for?
Bert Gedin
e-mail:
gedinbert@hotmail.com
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