A message from Bitola reached us in March 2009. In this town discrimination of the Roma often occurs, be it hidden or sometimes overtly. This discourages the use of Romani language. In an attempt to initiate Roma-education in Bitola, the local Roma-NGO "Bairska Svetlina" asked for 400 copies of “Numaj o lil si amaro amal”, part 1, to be used for the education of the 400 Roma-pupils, visiting the local primary school. Consultations with the school about this request had already taken place.
From the viewpoint of Bizoagor we thought it important to fulfil this request. However, at the last moment it became clear that the school could not obtain permission from the Macedonian Ministry of Education to accept the books, because the 400 Roma-pupils formed less than the legally required 20% of the total school population and therefore the school could not obtain permission to give special Roma-education. Consequently, on April 8 the books were given directly to the children by “Bairska Svetlina”. By this action attention is drawn to the hidden discrimination in Bitola and elsewhere and the project Bizoagor has entered the public eye. Sevgul Abdula could elucidate the course of events in two TV-presentations.
