“They have to learn to be culturally sensitive, to understand that they can do some things in the Finnish culture but in the Romany culture they have to be more careful. It’s like learning two codes of behaviour.”

According to the Finnish National Board of Education, Roma men and women have clearly separate roles: man as provider, head of the family, and woman as heart of the family, caretaker of the children and household.  But nowadays, Henna argues, both Romany men and women work to an equal extent outside the home, and men are slowly starting to share in the household chores. One difference she does see between Roma and Non-Roma families is that “generally Roma people socialise a lot, also during the week. The doors of homes are always open and you don’t have to make an appointment.”

Roma parents used to let their children be “freer” from school, Henna continues, because they thought they might loose their joy in life. But today, “school is unavoidable.” Unhappily, many Roma do not trust that a good education will secure a job. The reason? “Discrimination.” Roma are often judged based on the way they look and dress. “You can see it,” she continues, “if we go with my friends to a shop; sometimes the guards, security, follow us because they suspect us automatically of stealing–or we are not always permitted in all of the restaurants based on the way we look, what we wear.”

“Sadly, children are often present when a Roma family is being discriminated against, but do not understand what is happening. And discrimination is a bigger problem for Roma women because they stand out more visually than men.” When Henna is discriminated against by shop security, she asks the person for proof of their accusations. Usually they cannot justify their treatment, and let her go into the shop.

Romany people, she says, are equally discriminated against when applying for work.

“When you show up for the interview, they say the place was filled and then again next week it’s open–or they tell you straight off the record that “our customers wouldn’t like you,” or “I don’t think this is the right kind of workplace for you.” Finnish citizens have the right to take employers to court for such treatment, but most Roma do not have the energy for it.

Dress is one of the more visible indicators that a woman belongs to the Romany culture. Henna describes the female dress as consisting of two main parts. First, a decorative, white blouse with lace resembling the Finnish Röijy blouse peasant women used to wear. Second, a dress that evolved from traditional peasant-women’s dress through the addition of more and more velvet.

The latter garment is quite heavy, involving around ten metres of velvet in all. Women are not obliged to wear the outfit but, if they choose to, are not supposed to change their mind. Most start wearing it when they are seventeen or eighteen years old. Henna stresses “it’s not a party costume, not only for public outings and celebrations: you wear it every day.” Dress, she says, represents cultural identity and beauty. The whole outfit is quite expensive, costing around five hundred euros. “You can’t find the costume anywhere in the world except in Finland. It’s a speciality of the Kale tribe.” “Kale” is another name for the Finnish Roma. 

Henna welcomes all 65 Degrees North readers to an International Roma Cultural Day to be held free of charge in Nuku’s café on 8th April. The programme for the day is as follows.