Photo: FoNet
Zlata Ristić and Silvia Sinani Ibrahimović, members of the first Romani female band in the world, say that "we should never think of marriage at the age of 16, because then is not the time, we are still children then."
Zlata Ristić and Silvia Sinani Ibraimović, members of the first female Roma band in the world, Pretty Loud, spoke about early marriages for FoNet.
"Early marriages are not a Roma tradition, although it is often thought so," said Zlata Ristić.
Based on personal experience, as a girl who got married at the age of 16, Zlata Ristić states that "early marriages are a mistake" and that "girls should learn from her example." She explained that she was not forced into marriage, she married of her own free will, so she does not blame others for her mistakes.
"At the age of 16, we shouldn't think about marriage, because that's not the time, we're still children then," said Ristić.
According to her, "early marriages are not only found among Roma, but they are somehow the most obvious among them." She pointed out that Roma children often get married early, because their parents want to provide them with better working conditions by getting married.
"In addition, a special problem is that in Romani culture it is obligatory for a girl to be virgin before marriage, so the community, if she 'sins' before marriage, often forces her to marry in order to 'save the face' of the family," Ristić said. .
She emphasized that earlier there were arranged marriages among the Roma without the newlyweds even knowing each other, but "today it is not like that, today girls think completely differently, parents too, and I am very glad that has changed", said Ristic.
As the main consequence of early marriage, she pointed out the loss of childhood. "Somehow you are a girl and immediately a woman. No time for fun, school, work. This is one of the biggest consequences that can happen to them. At that age, we can't push ourselves as much to be more mature. Everything needs to go in its own way", explained Ristić.
Silvia Sinani Ibraimović points out that a lot has changed since the formation of the band Pretty Loud in 2014.
According to her, the members of the band themselves have matured significantly, realizing the daily problems that women deal with, both based on personal experiences and on the basis of the experiences of women from their environment.
"Music is the easiest way to reach someone's ears, so that our message reaches as many people as possible." The reactions of the audience, but also of the Roma community, are excellent," she claims and adds that it means a lot to them all.
"Our goal is not to just talk about the Roma community, we want to change everything. We are not only fighting for Roma women, but for all the women of the world", said Ibraimović.
"It is a great honor for us to be able to stand up and talk about our grandmothers and mothers and all Roma women, because it is a little more difficult for us, we are doubly discriminated against, because we are both women and Roma women," Ibraimović points out.
"In our community, it doesn't matter when you see a Roma woman rapping and dancing, but the Roma community accepted it very well, because it understands that we only want good for it," said Silvia Sinani Ibraimović.
S.Ć./FoNet
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