| Recommendation
1521 (2001) - Csango minority culture in Romania
Further to its report on the endangered
Uralic minority cultures in Russia and the adoption of Resolution
1171 (1998) the Assembly is concerned about the situation
of the Csango minority culture, which has existed in Romania
for centuries.
The Csangos (Ceangai in Romanian) are a
non-homogeneous group of Roman Catholic people. This ethnic
group is a relic from the Middle Ages that has survived in
Moldavia, in the eastern part of the Romanian Carpathians.
Csangos speak an early form of Hungarian and are associated
with ancient traditions, and a great diversity of folk art
and culture, which is of exceptional value for Europe.
For centuries, the self-identity of the
Csangos was based on the Roman Catholic religion and their
own language spoken in the family and the village community.
This, as well as their archaic lifestyle and world view, may
explain their very strong ties to the Roman Catholic religion
and the survival of their dialect.
Those who still speak Csango or consider
it their mother tongue have been declining as a proportion
of the population. Although not everybody agrees on this number
it is thought that between 60 000 and 70 000 people speak
the Csango language.
Today in Moldavia, the language of the school
and the church is Romanian. There is local teaching in Ukrainian
and the study of Polish, Roma and Russian as mother tongues.
Despite the provisions of the Romanian law on education and
the repeated requests from parents there is no teaching of
Csango language in the Csango villages. As a consequence,
very few Csangos know how to write their mother tongue.
The Csangos make no political demands, but
merely want to be recognised as a distinct culture. They ask
for assistance in safeguarding it and, first and foremost
they demand that their children be taught the Csango language
and that their church services be held in their mother tongue.
The Assembly recalls the texts which it
has adopted on related matters, notably Recommendation 928
(1981) on the educational and cultural problems of minority
languages and dialects in Europe, Recommendation 1203 (1993)
on Gypsies in Europe, Recommendation 1283 (1996) on history
and the learning of history in Europe, Recommendation 1291
(1996) on Yiddish culture and Recommendation 1333 (1997) on
the Aromanian culture and language.
Diversity of cultures and languages should
be seen as a precious resource that enriches our European
heritage and also reinforces the identity of each nation and
individual. Assistance on the European level, and in particular
from the Council of Europe, is justified to save any particular
culture and is needed in the case of the Csangos.
The Assembly therefore recommends that the
Committee of Ministers encourage Romania to ratify and implement
the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages and
to support the Csangos, particularly in the following cases:
- the possibility to be educated in the
mother tongue should be ensured in accordance with the Romanian
Constitution and the legislation on education. In the meantime
classrooms should be made available in local schools and
teachers working in the villages teaching the Csango language
should be paid;
- Csango parents should be informed of
the Romanian legislation on education and instructions should
be issued on how to apply for its provisions concerning
languages;
- there should be an option for Roman Catholic
services in the Csango language in the churches in Csango
villages and the possibility for the Csangos to sing hymns
in their own mother tongue;
- all Csango associations should be officially
recognised and supported. Particular attention should be
paid to the correct registration of the Csango minority
at the next official census;
- access to modern mass media facilities
should be promoted. Financial support should be given to
Csango associations in accordance with the availability
of funds, in order to help them to express actively their
own identity (in particular through the issuing of a monthly
publication and the functioning of a local radio station);
- specific programmes should be set up
for the promotion of Csango culture in the context of raising
awareness of and respect for minorities. International discussions
and seminars of experts should be organised to study the
Csangos;
- an information campaign should be launched
in Romania concerning the Csango culture and the advantages
of co-operation between the majority and minorities;
- the unique linguistic and ethnographical
features of the Csangos should be appropriately recorded;
- the economic revival of the area should
be encouraged, for example, through the establishment of
small and medium-sized enterprises in Csango villages.
______________
Text adopted by the Standing Committee,
acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 23 May 2001 (see Doc.
9078, report of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education,
rapporteur: Mrs Isohookana-Asunmaa).
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