History of IRWA

The idea to establish a Roma Writers' Association and a Roma Library was created in long night in a hotel room. Veijo Baltzar, Irka Cederberg, Baki Hasan and Mariella Mehr were discussing the results of a Roma meeting they were attending in October 2000 in Stockholm. The idea was then further developed by Mariella Mehr and Thomas Busch of Drava-Verlag.

When Dragoslav Dedovic was announcing his project "Das verlorene Wort" (the lost word) with "Deutsch Welle", where he wanted to present poets and authors exiled from their mother-tongue, he was informed of the idea to create a Roma Writers Association and a Roma Library and was he asked to offer a platform for Roma Authors and Editors, willing to publish a Roma library during the planned meeting of exiled poets. "Deutsche Welle" accepted this modification/extension of the project.

The Roma and their supporters used this platform offered by "Deutsche Welle" to work out and publish the "Cologne Declaration" on November 19th 2001. They established a working group to prepare an inauguration congress planned for July 2002 in Helsinki.

The impossible was achieved: IRWA was founded on July 20th 2002 in Karjaa, near Helsinki. It must be clearly stated here that we have to present the flowers to Veijo Baltzar and Leena Marsio. They were the true activist team using all their skill, enthusiasm, energy and power for this project. They were able to create an unbelievably warm and supporting atmosphere in the Finnish cultural society and in the country's political powers.

Meanwhile the project of a Romani Library is materializing. See the project in detail!!

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