It was the start of this year when I first came across the term “Roma” from a British photographer, Ciara Leeming who had documented Roma’s in Turkey. I was very intrigued and decided to research the current situation of Roma’s who are now primarily living in Europe.
The Roma’s who were also called Gypsies have their roots in the valleys of Gujarat and Rajasthan, India. Like most Hindu’s in India, the Roma’s also have an Aryan descent. The Roma’s used to speak Romani language which was derived from Sanskrit. Most of the Roma’s now living in Europe for generations only speak the local language and can barely speak Romani.
So when I got a chance to photograph Roma’s in Zenica, Bosnia I took it. Thanks to TWAC and Dijana Muminovic without whom this wouldn’t have been possible. My interest in documenting Roma’s in Bosnia is part of a greater interest of photographing the social and cultural landscape of our generation.
In a span of 5 days, I got to spend time with the Sualic and Ramic, two Roma families whose lives were intertwined. Osman Sualic with his 4 kids(Dino, Dina, Endriana and Elma) live in a two room house in a dilapidated neighborhood opposite the Mittal Steel Zenica. There is constant smoke coming out of Mittal Steel that has affected the lives of the Roma’s living in the neighborhood. Osman does some handy work everyday but does not have a job. In fact he suffers from chronic back problem and cannot work long hours. Dina, 20 the eldest daughter pretty much takes care of the house with the help of Samira Ramic a neighbor who is more like a family to the Sualic’s. Samira has two kids Elmin and Elvwdina who spend most of the time at the Sualic’s home.
I documented the everyday life of the Sualic’s and thus came across the ups and downs in their life. This essay is a visual story of a part of their life and also to show the life of a Roma family. Please note, my story by no means is trying to generalize this to all Roma’s living in Zenica, Bosnia. But the living conditions of most Roma’s in Zenica bare a similar fate.
Dina Sualic lights up the fire in the stove to start cooking. Chopped tree branches are used as firewood.
Dina Sualic and Dino Sualic sit quietly as rice is being cooked for lunch.
Dina volunteers as a Hair Stylist at the Romano Centro, an NGO helping Roma families in Zenica.
The Sualic family have to walk across the tracks for getting into the city. They make several such trips a day.
Samira Ramic cooks dinner in the bedroom as Dina Sualic stands for help.
Dinner Time
The Sualic family shares cherries after dinner.
Osman Sualic has managed to get a temporary electric connection for a TV and a lightbulb. The Sualic's get electricity only a few hours in the night.
Dina gets ready to head out.
Dino, Endriana and Dina walk pass a row of Roma family homes on their way back from buying groceries.
Elmin Ramic and Elma Sualic study in the bedroom of the Sualic home.
Osman Sualic (father) is unemployed and has acute back problem but makes some living doing handy work.
Dina does the dishes and Endriana sweeps the carpet. Woman end up doing all the house chores in a typical Roma family.
Elma Sualic and Elmin Ramic play outside the home of Sualic family which overlooks Mittal Steel Zenica.
Dino, Endrina and Dina are worried about Samira Ramic after she overdosed on anti-anxitey pills after having a fight with Osman Sualic. Osman and Samira have a complicated relationship.
Only a couple of family photos hang in the otherwise plain walls of the Sualic family home.
It is a very male dominated Roma world with women held to the traditional role of cooking, taking care of the kids and being home bound. There is also high teen pregnancy among Roma’s and Roma women who get married to non Roma’s often are abandoned after having a baby and are left to fend for themselves. These Roma’s are living on the fringe of the society barely making a living.
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