Feedback We observed an active work on preserving the gipsy traditions in one camp which is located in Savvatyevo settlement in Tver area. Here we have met remarkable people who do not spare power so that the former well-being returns to settlement. Not long time ago the traditional occupation of gipsy men – working with metal — was bringing quite good income: masters were making feeding troughs for cattle, welded lattices.
But nowadays there only a small demand for these products, and as a result many families have almost no income. The president of the Tver regional public welfare fund for assisting the protection of motherhood and the childhood “Mom” Lyudmila Petrovna Koklyushkina is called a “Guardian Angel” by savvatyevo gypsies. Here what she writes in her appeal to representatives of local authorities: “On the terrirtory of Savvatyevo area of the 1st Kalininskiy region there are settlements of kotlyar-gipsy in the quantity of 200 person, representing 30 large families: Petrovich, Yanch, Mikhay. At the moment the population is on the edge and despair (there are no means for existence and creation of normal conditions for the living). Sociological inspection and questioning show that gypsies are being rejected for work and that the house work today is not present anymore. The fund suggests the following obligations of the population. 1. Create a necessary infrastructure (a bath, a health center, school for children and adults, an amuzement center). 2. Open workshops for repairing the equipment and for tailoring. 3. Create a song and dance theatre of roma people with 35 workplaces”. On October 12th, 2006 under the initiative of L.P. Koklyushkina a holiday gipsy settlement took place. There were performances of actors — an ensemble of Petrovich family “Bachtory romen”, children chorus, and an exhibition of gipsy suits which are being produced by local skilled goo-hands, and presentation of the great book of O.N. Petrovich who wrote about the history of his tribe, and rewarding of mothers who having many children. It was very important, that the representatives of local authorities came to the holiday. Offers on employment at the local autoenterprise for gipsy have sounded too. However while problems of gipsy settlement are still very far from the decision: the school is only initial, and it being attend)ed by only 15 gipsy pupils, the settlement needs expansion and allocation of new ground areas, many gipsy houses need certificates of the property. Very serious problem — an arbitrariness of militiamen. We are publishing (see p. 8) the statement of the leader of the community M.G. Petrovich about infringements of human rights concerning gipsy women. The Savvatyev gipsy community possesses a large potential for the development of culture: there is a writer, the actors, there is also a huge enthusiasm of gipsy leaders and L.P. Koklyushkina. There is only one hope remaining, that the local authorities will appreciate the efforts of inhabitants of the settlement and will help them to develop good endeavours during difficult economic conditions.