Light in the darkness

This article came out in the newspaper ”NEUES DEUTSCHLAND“

The section of Roma population in Europe mostly lives under unreasonable social and economic conditions which in our European social system are hardly imaginable. The reality of Roma life has nothing to do with the dream of a ”never ending journey“ or ”campfire romanticism“, instead it shows a hopeless picture of misery, particularly in East-Europe, which you can only grasp if you see it with your own eyes. Not only the myth of freedom is questioned here but also your own westerly feeling of tolerance.

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A report written by Elisabeth and Werner Jansen

From Monday, October 10th to Monday, October 20th we visited Frank Abbas in Bulgaria. We were there for the first time and had the feeling that the clocks went slower and slower there than in Germany. We were picked up by the tour operator and had to go to our hotel by bus all through Varna for about 18 km. On the way to the hotel we saw many of the old buildings made from prefabricated slabs – remains from the communist times. The single flats had been sold as owner occupied apartments. Each owner laid out the front of his apartment with the balcony individually. For us it looked a bit disorganized and unusual. Nearly all people living in the blocks had their laundry hung up on washing lines on the balcony. Our accommodation on this package tour was just the opposite – it was a hotel with all the luxury including an indoor swimming-pool. But actually we wanted to get to know to Frank’s work.

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The article was published in the Newsletter of the German Embassy in Bulgaria and in the Church newspaper of the German speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church Sofia.

On August the 11^th and 12^th I took part in a talk between the German minister for justice Mrs. Zypries and her Bulgarian colleague Mrs. Tacheva in Varna. I used that opportunity to meet Frank Abbas and his boys from the Roma ghetto the weekend before. We were even able to visit the ghetto and to meet some of his helpers.

In Vladislavovo there is one of the smaller ghettos. You can read more about it on the website www.light-in-the-darkness.de. Frank Abbas, a German merchant, has lived and looked after a group of 8 – 13 year old boys for 3 years now.

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