“Now I feel more like a citizen rather than a stateless person”
29 November 2016
By Benjamin Ignac
In this blog, our new communications intern at ERRC, Benjamin Ignac describes the challenges and triumphs that shaped him growing up as a Romani person in Croatia, and how his experiences abroad transformed his sense of identity.
Growing up as a Romani person definitely has an impact on the way you see and experience the world around you. I grew up in a segregated Roma settlement near Orehovica, a small village in northern Croatia. Our family didn’t have basic living conditions such as running water and electricity, not to mention "luxuries" such as a computer, internet, a reliable car, toys, pocket money, family trips... things that the rest of the world takes for granted. The Roma are told that they must be grateful with what they have, as if they are some kind of unwanted guests and the government is doing them a favour by just letting them stay there. I grew up in a world where I was too often being reminded of my ethnicity. The society we live in delegates our status and defines our identity. The media and government reinforce this by presenting us mostly in a negative light, often treating us as a problem or threat. When this kind of rhetoric is being fed into the mind-sets of both Roma and non-Roma people, I am not surprized how easy we fall into the margins of society. Many young Roma grow up afraid to think big because they believe they don’t even stand a chance.
In my elementary school I got what the Roma rarely get – a chance. I wanted to prove myself and everyone else that I can succeed too. This was my opportunity to avoid a life in the shadows. My ambition combined with the help of my supportive teachers, pushed me to go further. I participated in national competitions in geography every year. The fact that I, a Romani person, was for five consecutive years on the list of the best geographers in Croatia, has given me a tremendous sense of empowerment. When you come from a community where people tell you what you can and what you cannot be, these successes are the key moments that help you reinvent who you want to be. In 2007 I enrolled into the Gymnasium Josip Slavenski in Cakovec as the first and only Romani person at that time. Gymnasiums have demanding curriculums but I accepted the challenge because I wanted to show everyone that this is something that can be done. Although I sometimes felt out of place, it was not too difficult to integrate into the new environment. I ended up as a bridge between my Croatian and my Roma circle of friends.
My plan was to attend a university in Zagreb after I graduated from high school but after the third year at the Gymnasium, I got an offer for a full two-year scholarship at the United World College (UWC) in Norway. I decided to take that offer and completed my high school there, which turned out to be one of the best decisions in my life. UWC was one of the most transformative and enlightening experiences and a springboard for a better future. I learned to speak and use English, which is now one of the four languages I speak fluently. I also got a better sense of who I am in this world and what I want from it. After UWC Norway, I decided to continue my education abroad and applied to universities in the US. I was awarded a full four-year scholarship to study at the University of Oklahoma.
In 2012, I started the journey to my undergraduate degree in America. I recently graduated with distinction, and earned a BA in geography with minors in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and German. I had the honour to present my thesis about climate change perception at the annual conference of American Geographers in San Francisco. During my studies I gained work experience through various research jobs that involve geography. I was a research assistant at the Climate Science Centre, interdisciplinary analyst at Centre for the Creation of Economic Wealth and geospatial analyst at the Centre for Spatial Analyst and most recently at NASA conducting research involving remote sensing satellites. I also made some really great international and American friends while I was there. As far as everyday life is concerned, Roma people in America do not receive the same treatment as in Europe, probably because Americans don’t know much about us. The population of America is also more progressive and mixed than in Croatia. Although everyday racism exists, in my experience during the Obama administration, the American government and most of the people were still trying to treat their minorities with respect and protect their basic rights. During my stay in the US, my Roma identity was never a burden to me, and it never controlled my life the way it used to in Croatia. I usually introduced myself as a Romani person from Croatia, not with shame but with pride. While abroad, I surprisingly became more aware and proud of my origins. Back in Croatia I sometimes felt abandoned and alienated by my homeland. Now I feel more like a citizen rather than a stateless person.
I want to continue my education by getting a master degree in geography somewhere in Europe. Before that I will be starting my work for the ERRC in Budapest. I haven’t had the opportunity to officially work for an NGO, let alone in the field of Roma rights so I am very excited to join their team. I will finally be able to help my people by furthering the mission of ERRC in any capacity that is useful to this organization. I would love to find a way to apply my geography skills at this job but I am also looking forward to learning new skills on the way. I would like to get familiarized with the legal systems and processes set in place to protect Roma people in European countries. I also hope that this experience will help me network and guide my further progress in the sector of advocacy for Roma development and integration in Europe. There is much work to be done for the parity of our people in Europe and I am glad to be among those who are advancing this goal.
