FIRST COLLECTION OF ROMANY POETRY PRESENTED IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, April 2 (Hina) - The book by Kasum Cana "O Roma/ljudi" (O Roma/People, unofficial translation), a collection of poems and photos from the life of the Romany in Croatia, was presented within the Days of the Romany Culture in Zagreb on Tuesday evening. #L# This is the first collection of Romany poetry, with Croatian translations. The book was published by Zagreb's AGM agency. Writer Miljenko Jergovic, the author of the foreword, said Cana's book was a serious, valuable and important work, and not a souvenir confirming the existence of a minority. Commenting on the status of the Romany in Croatia, Jergovic said the relationship towards the Romany in Croatia left much to be desired, as was the case in other European countries. In that context, he recalled that the Romany had recently launched an initiative to withdraw the term Gypsy from public use. The writer, however, does not support the initiative because he believes that the terms Gypsy and Gypsy culture bear witness in the most comprehensive way to the uniqueness of that people. Attending the presentation was also President Stjepan Mesic's envoy Zdenko Jelenovic and Jadranka Kuljev, an official of the Culture Ministry. (hina) rml