Silence

i've seen different roma creators give different opinions, with some saying its okay as long characters are written respectfully and not as stereotypes and non-roma writers don't try learning romanes for the character, but i've also seen other roma creators say that non-roma should leave romani characters to be written by actual roma themselves

i have teenager OCs based in Czechia and one of those OCs is roma, but i don't want to overstep or be disrespectful

The problem is that non-Roma do not have access to good resources on Romani culture. There are plenty of mistakes present in online databases, such as:

Some refuse to clarify it's only applicable to a certain subgroup,

Some lump subgroups together in a way that doesn't make sense,

Some are region-specific or contain information that requires a certain understanding of issues/culture/life as a whole in a specific country (and people from other countries won't understand the nuances)

Some are compilations sourced from dubious sources that misinterpret an already misinterpreted fact

Some people just straight up lie.

If a non-Romani author has Romani friends who were raised in the culture and enlists their help to craft an accurate portrayal of their fictional characters, I have no issue with it!

Hiya! I'm mostly Rudari/Boyash, and we don't really "follow" mahrime laws in the way other Roma subgroups do. Yes, there's a taboo around genitals and sex, but that's pretty much universal among Roma.

Not only does the concept of mahrime vary by clan and country, but following it is very subjective. Some stricter Roma, like the Gabor, would say I don't follow it at all, but I'd say I sorta, kinda follow it, but very broadly.

In some dialects, Porajmos/Porajpen means r*pe or devouring, but in others, it means sex. Literally fucking. I don't have to explain why referring to the Holocaust as "the fucking" could be interpreted as disrespectful.

Some Roma prefer "Samudaripen" but the opinion is split on that term too.

I don't have one specific book in mind; all of them deserve the same treatment.

A real Romani witch would never share her secrets with strangers on the internet. Or anyone outside her family, for that matter.

Witchcraft is one of the few Romani trades that gets passed down matrilineally. A man, Romani or not, having access to that in any form is seen as incredible bad luck, both for the man and the woman who let him access it.

(Of course, men could be on the receiving end of a spell, they're just not allowed to know the nitty-gritty of it.)

Also, a lot of Romani witches would never share their craft with non-Roma (due to a myriad of reasons, but a lot of traditional Roma still practice cultural self-isolation).

2. Put yourself in the shoes of a witch who knows prosperity spells. Why would she reveal her secret wealth spells so that people may do it themselves rather than coming to her?

For a long time, Romani women had no other choice than to sell their spiritual craft. Be it because it was too dangerous for a woman to work alongside men, discrimination, or because they weren't allowed to be legally educated (by the government, their family, financial troubles, the list goes on).

Nowadays, it's rare to see a Romani witch selling her labor (at least comparatively to past decades). This is due to several factors, among which are increased opportunities, both for women and for the Roma.

Romani women have never willingly shared their craft with anyone outside their family (and it's often performed in extreme secrecy). They see their craft as a blessing that is theirs alone and cannot pass it to anyone besides their daughters, nieces, and female relatives.

They wouldn't forsake the core tenet of their culture for $2.99, or whatever that PDF costs. If you've ever read one of those, you'll quickly realize that it draws inspiration from Wicca and Western Paganism, and Romani witchcraft COULD NOT be more different.

I guarantee you with 100% certainty that the books claiming they're "real gypsy magic" are LYING through their paper teeth. I have read a good amount of them, and every single one was pure bull. Wicca and European Paganism is NOT Romani culture and it will never even come close. They're insulting both by pretending they are even remotely similar.

Just say you've only watched American media.

There are Romani directors, like Tony Gatlif or Alina Șerban, who have been making movies for ages... Gadjo Dilo (1997), Gipsy Queen (2019), Queen of the Gypsies (1976), Mi iubita, mon amour (2021), and many more.

Granted, a lot of these movies have small budgets and amateurish acting, but in terms of representation: Romanes is spoken accurately, the culture is realistic to the specific subgroup shown, Romani struggles aren't trivialized or romanticized, and the Romani characters act like actual humans, not racist caricatures.

Obviously, there is a long way to go, both in Europe and America (and the rest of the world), but you can help! Watch and support Romani directors (even if they're not from the West).

The best way to learn about Romani culture is from Romani people!

I see many well-meaning non-Roma using (poorly translated) Romanes in their writings.

Even worse, I see (poorly translated) Romanian used as a placeholder for words not found in dictionaries.

Now, Vlax Romani does borrow some words from Romanian, but I've seen fanfics use Anglo-Romani (the tongue of the English Gypsies) and then switch to Romanian out of nowhere.

Not only is it inaccurate, Roma who have been in England for centuries would have no ties to Romania or the Romanian language.

It's disappointing to see a character switch from dialect to dialect with no regard for their country of origin and vitsa.

A Rom/ni from Czechia would never speak Angloromani as their mother tongue and I doubt English Roma speak Vlax/Carpathian Romanes.

I think a lot of people who do this stuff genuinely want to help represent Roma, but the representation is wrong (and sometimes disrespectful). You wouldn't portray an American using British slang/accents/culture/etc. so why do this to Romani people?

Google Translate is also hilariously wrong when it comes to certain words/phrases, and it only worsens when used for complex sentences. It also meshes dialects with no regard for understandability. It's so clearly meant for bored gadje who want to seem cool by having a foreign language in their IG bio.

I've seen people put English sentences in italics, with the implication being that the character is speaking another language. I think this approach is better when it comes to an endangered (and closed) language like Romanes.

I'm Silence!

I'm a budding writer from Transylvania, currently writing a werewolf romance (loosely) inspired by Romanian folklore and literature! My DMs are open!

I'm an autistic, queer, Romani person who is trying to make a career out of writing. I have a deep love for diverse literature, including from Romani, Romanian, and American authors.

I was the third person in my family to graduate high school, and I will (hopefully) be the first to attend university! My family is mostly Boyash and Vătrași, with the newer generations being mostly "Romanianized" (a term for Romani people who mostly integrate into Romanian society, similar to whitewashed). I speak Romanes, though not very well, BUT I'm trying to better myself.