The Roma in Nea Ionia: Neighbours both familiar and foreign

In the settlement of Nea Ionia, the Roma live in the older houses with the cheaper rents, the ones that are too small and haven’t been renovated. In contrast, in Aliveri, most of the houses are new. Their design is unique: There are no fences to separate the private houses from the community, on the ground floor they have huge windows and openings not covered by curtains, and they are ornately decorated with many curves and bright lights, simulating the openness, transparency and communal living of a Roma encampment. Most of the Roma in Nea Ionia were peddlers and travelling vendors. Lately, due to the protracted economic crisis, the young members of the community have been migrating to Cyprus, Germany or other countries of Northern Europe to work in the sectors of tourism and hospitality.      

In this conversation, we talked about the Aliveri settlement, the orality of the Roma language, education, and the difficulties the Roma face in employment and their everyday life in general.