- Romani and Traveller communities are most frequently known by names that others have given them, but what are the names used by these communities themselves?
- Romani Cultural & Arts Co. (RCAC) has developed an alphabet of ethnonyms, the names Romani and Traveller communities use about themselves…
- From ‘A is for Ashkali’ to ‘Z is for Zabbaleen’, the alphabet has been developed to give Romani, Traveller and other children and young people an understanding of the wider Romani and Traveller world and the people who are part of it.
- The alphabet reaches across continents and cultures to include Romani communities from Latin America to Turkey and Travellers from Scotland, to France and Egypt.
- Thirteen letters have so far been produced and another thirteen will be finished by this summer…
The project to develop the Romani & Traveller alphabet has been a part of the work RCAC does with children and young people to strengthen self-identity, support their self-confidence and improve their knowledge about the wider world. The work has been supported by the BBC’s Children In Need funding.