A Chilean family of Serbian Romani descent from Antofagasta, Chile.

Chile as most of Latin America, has a deep-rooted history in Romani migration and settlement. In the sixteenth century, Spain and Portugal sought to reduce their Romani populations; known as the Iberian Kale, by exiling them to the newly conquered territories in the Americas. Many Romanies were forced to migrate to South America during this time period, until 1582 when the Spanish crown issued and edict forbidding Romani people from entering the American colonies. The crown also instructed that the Romanies living in the Americas be expelled. Many Romanies however, sought refuge in maroon settlements alongside runaway slaves and Indigenous refugees. Due to these circumstances the culture and heritage of the descendants of the of the Iberian Kale; was greatly lost. 

Nonetheless, the Romani presence in Chile reappeared in the form of the Eastern European Romanies; three centuries later. From the mid nineteenth to the twentieth century, thousands of Slavic immigrants from the Balkans and Eastern Europe began to migrate to the northern and southern extremes of Chile. The bulk of the immigrants that settled in the northern city of Antofagasta were ethnic Croats. Following the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of Yugoslavia, many migrants from the region continued to immigrate to communities formed by the original Croat settlers. Many of these immigrants were Romanies from Yugoslavia, who at the time were seeking refuge, from the atrocities of the the Romani holocaust; known as the porajmos. Most of the Romanies came from what is now Serbia. Persecution and economic strife also brought many Romanies from Romania and Bulgaria to Chile. The Serbian Romanies were mostly sub-ethnically Roma, while the Romanians and Bulgarians were mostly from the Boyash sub-ethnic group. These two groups currently make up the majority of the Romani descendants in the country. 

It is estimated that there are at least 20,000 Romani people in Chile, and many more of their descendants who either live sedentary lifestyles; or have Romani ancestry, but choose to identify primarily as Chileans. Many of those who strongly identify with the culture continue to live nomadic lifestyles, and retain the Romani language, while others have switched to using Spanish as a first language in recent years. 

The Romanies in Chile are often viewed in and exoticized light by non-Romani Chileans, and they have even been the subjects of a popular telenovela in the country. The exoticification of the Romani, also comes on par with discrimination against them. The non-Romani Chilean population has inherited the same social attitudes and prejudice towards the Romani, as that of the Spanish colonizers and other Europeans immigrants; a phenomenon that has occurred in many other parts of Latin America. Negative stereotypes and beliefs about the Romani run rampant; including accusations of sorcery and thievery. There have also been hate crimes committed against them, and in 2009 a Romani camp was attacked by a mob of a hundred people. Additionally, a survey conducted in 2013, which sampled more than 8000 people, in 15 areas of Chile, between the ages of 15 and 29; showed that 44% of respondents admit to discriminating against people based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability. Of the 44%, discrimination against Romani people was one of the main forms of prejudice.

it's so funny how graffiti is like a non issue that effortlessly reveals peoples' reactionary tendencies.

i like hadestown but my hot take is that the broadway version sucks ass and has amputated so many good songs of their energy and charm

Sarita Choudhury for Kallmeyer (ph: Caitlin Burke)

somewhere on a long dead forum there's a link that no longer works to a mod to a game nobody plays that would be a valuable contribution to the way people see level design if it got a chance to be seen. somewhere on a website that gets 15 monthly visitors there's a webcomic that woulkd inspire and resonate with you and change your life even in a small way if you could just find it. somewhere theres a music artist that would inspire you for years to come but their work just can't manage to be seen online or off. theres so many things that would change your life that just can't seem to rise to the surface and remain undiscovered and forgotten. or maybe never shared

“Hikari Sasu Niwa” (The Sunlit Garden) by: Shinkichi Mitsumune from: Revolutionary Girl Utena

Castle in the Sky (1986) dir. Hayao Miyazaki

RGU pmv- Sundial (pspsps go follow the link + watch it over on youtube)

There've been other autistics, other mentally ill folks, other chronically ill and disabled people, other queers and trans people (even weird gender folks), and other leftists I met and couldn't stand.

There're gonna be people like that in any group.

This is why we're not all friends just because we share a common trait. Sometimes it's because they're assholes, other times it's just incompatible, and there's no harm no foul.

I don't know what to tell you except get used to it.

A Palestinian flag, with carnations, during the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Portugal's Carnation Revolution (April 25, 1974), which ended the country's dictatorship.

im noticing that for a lot of americans “free palestine” has been an ideological motto and symbol rather than them actually believing in their heart that freedom is attainable and necessary

URGENT

Allure needs help staying off the streets, and we need help getting money together to get a room for her. the cheapest we’ve seen so far is ≈$22 a night. we have no idea how to really organize this, and Allure still needs to agree to it, but she needs help staying safe and alive

X // X

can you people go to a different school please

Hello guys i have good news and bad news.

The good news that I'm finally in Egypt now with my youngest brother and the bad news is my mother and my other brother with his wife still in Rafah waiting to evacute to Egypt.

I feel so sad and depressed for leaving them i should stayed and get out together.

stumbled across this which ended up being a delightful saturday read