Being in a UWC school teaches me about the understanding between nations, cultures and people. How much are we really able to understand and accept people that are different?
I have spent a week in Montenegro, working with other volunteers on a project organized by the EU, which aims to improve the integration of the Roma people in society.
One week is definitely not enough to achievesuch a complex objective; however, I can try to explain what we have done and what kind of effects it brought that made me believe that this was a valuable initial of such a project.
We helped Roma children of the age of 10 to 13 to organize a show in the Gymnasium (a prestigeous High school, symbol of the education and elite in the country) in the capital of Montenegro. For Roma, the entrance to this school was prohibited, a taboo. They could be only seen in front of the gate, asking for charity.
Even if I considered myself as a quite open and tolerant person towards different cultures, this encounter challenged my limits. In fact, when we made an audition for the kids to see what they would like to perform, I felt an inside, almost unconscious repulsion towards the music they sang and towards the way they danced. In my culture, this is considered a less valuable cultural heritage.
This feeling rather surprised me. Lying to myself that I adored these Roma songs and dances would be useless. However, I was able (and I believe that is necessary) to respect them. And then, just after a few hours spent with those kids, I got a different feeling. For once, they became my friends. They were talented children that I enjoyed listening to. Just like that, my view on the Roma culture changed rapidly but significantly, sincerely, just by a simple, personal experience.
Moreover, I have also noticed a change in the attitudes of other participants of the project. There were some volunteers from the Gymnasium that would usually just pass by a six years old child that was begging in front of the school. Yet, after three days of the project, they had the idea of inviting him for a hot-chocolate with us in a café. I am aware that this occasion will not change the child’s life in a drastic way; he will not become a doctor or an advocate because of this. In fact, he will probably continue begging in front of the school. However, the students did recognize the shame that, in front of an educational institution, a place of facilities and knowledge, there is a child, without a prospective future, ignored and left over. Maybe I am a dreamer, but I believe that bit by bit, if each of the students from Gymnasium would give some minor attention to the child and teach him something, the child’s life would be different.
So, I was once again reminded of my cultural identity as well as of the limitations caused by it. Aesthetic tastes are indeed a cultural product, as it was my judgment about liking or not the Roma songs. However, respecting differences and trying to understand them, should become a part of our lifestyle.
Dijana Milenov, Serbia
