Migrant in Romania

Ministerul Afacerilor Interne
Inspectoratul General
pentru Imigrări
Direcţia
Schengen
UNIUNEA EUROPEANĂ
Proiect finanţat
de Uniunea Europeană
Migrant
in Romania
www. migrant.ro
Multiculturalism is dead,
long-live interculturalism!
Romania: migration,
cultural diversity and democracy
The network of intercultural mediators
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page 6
Migrant in Romania
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page 8
EDITORIAL
This publication is a special issue of
Migrant in Romania
magazine, edited by
Intercultural Institute of Timisoara (coordinator)
in partnership with the League for the Defence of Human Rights – Cluj,
the Civic Resource Centre – Constanta and
the Association for Rights’ Protection and Social Integration – Bucharest
Bd. 16 Decembrie 1989, nr. 8, 300173 Timisoara
Tel/Fax +40 256 498 457
E-mail: [email protected]
Site: www.intercultural.ro
Multiculturalism
is dead, long-live
interculturalism!
This publication reflects a
part of the commitment of the
Intercultural Institute of Timisoara
and of its partners in advocating for an
intercultural society in Romania and for
an interculturalist approach in public
policies and at the level of the civil
society.
Over the past years political leaders
across Europe acknowledged that,
particularly in addressing the issues
of diversity and coexistence between
different cultural groups generated
by migration, multiculturalism is
not an effective policy.But what is
multiculturalism? And if it is not
effective, what are the alternatives?
The publication is realised in
the framework of the project
“Migrant in Intercultural
Romania”. Contract no. ref.:
IF/10.01-04.01, financed by
the European Union through
General Programme “Solidarity
and Management of Migration
Flows”, administered in
Romania by the General
Inspectorate for Immigration.
Indeed, when it comes to
addressing issues related to cultural
diversity, the terms “multicultural”
and “intercultural”, as well as their
derivatives, are often mentioned. Both
can be used in a descriptive or in a
normative way.
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Migrant in Romania
The responsibility for the
content of the articles lies
solely with the authors.
They own the copyright
for the published articles.
Proposals for contributions
to the magazine can be
sent to the editorial board.
Details on cover 3 and at
www.migrant.ro
Monoculturalism
(assimilation, cultural
homogenisation)
Exclusionism
(marginalization, divided
society, exclusion)
Communication/exchanges
This publication is available
online at www.migrant.ro
Printed copies can be
ordered at the Intercultural
Institute of Timisoara,
www.intercultural.ro
Oana Bajka, Cosmin Barzan,
Daniela Cervinschi, Ana Ludusan,
Romina Matei, Oana Neştian Sandu,
Georgiana Rentea, Călin Rus.
Design: Codruţ Radu
Contact: [email protected]
If we take a normative perspective,
referring to a vision about society,
to what we believe society should be
like, the terms “multiculturalism” and
“interculturalism” are more and more
commonly used.
The model below proposes a way to
distinguish between these concepts. It
is a bi-dimensional model built around
two key issues confronting groups
living in culturally diverse societies:
maintenance and development of
specific cultural identities of each
group and exchanges, interactions and
cooperation between the groups within
the wider society.
We can acknowledge that our
societies are culturally diverse,
that different cultural groups
Editorial board:
exist, that sometimes there are
tendencies of increasing cultural
diversity, and we describe society as
“multicultural”. We can also use the
term “intercultural” in a descriptive
way, emphasising that, in nowadays
societies, interactions between
members of different cultural groups
are frequent and even unavoidable,
that contact with people having a
different cultural background is part
of our daily lives.
Interculturalism
(integration, cohesion,
intercultural dialogue)
Specific cultural identities
Multiculturalism
(separation,
parallel societies)
According to the interculturalist
approach, it is possible and desirable
that public policies support members of
various groups in affirming publicly and
in developing their cultural identities,
while also providing a framework for
members of different groups to interact,
negotiate and cooperate in finding
the best solutions to common interest
issues, based on democratic principles.
This allows for “the existence and
equitable interaction of diverse cultures
and the possibility of generating shared
cultural expressions through dialogue
and mutual respect” (as requested
by the UNESCO’s Convention on
the Protection and Promotion of the
Diversity of Cultural Expressions,
but, at the same time, ensures the
conditions, for people who wish so,
to participate in the cultural life of
their specific communities. We could
call such a situation an “intercultural
society”. Thus, in our view, the right
alternative to multiculturalism is
interculturalism, not exclusionism or
assimilationism.
The work done in the framework
of the project Migrant in Intercultural
Romania is grounded on this choice
and aims at contributing in making
Romania an intercultural society. This
is done by addressing jointly the need
to build the capacity of migrants in
Romania to participate in local and
national democratic processes, as
well as the need to open-up public
institutions, public policies and local
civil society to consultation and
cooperation with representatives of
various cultural groups that we are
fortunate to have in our country.
Migrant in Romania
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PROJECT
Migrant in Intercultural Romania – The Project
The project Migrant in Intercultural
Romania (IF/11.01-04.01) was cofunded by the European Union
through the European Integration
Fund, General Programme “Solidarity
and the Management of Migratori
Flows”, Annual programmes 20112013, administered in Romania by the
General Inspectorate for Immigration.
The project was implemented by
the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara,
in partnership with the Human
Rights Defense League in Cluj, the
Center for Civic Resources Constanta
and ADIS Association Bucharest.
The aim of this project was to
create an adequate intercultural
environment in order to facilitate the
integration of migrants in Romania and
to strengthen the social cohesion, by
maintaining certain mechanisms for
consulting the communities of migrants
created in the previous projects.
During the previous projects
implemented with the aim of facilitating
the integration of migrants in Romania
and of developing a consultation
mechanism, several needs have been
identified, both from migrants and the
corresponding official institutions:
 The necessity to establish
positive relations and to diminish
the social distance between the
institutions and migrants;
 The necessity of an organised
environment, and in the same time
an environment culturally adapted
to the expression of migrants’
problems and needs in relation
with the authorities and also for
the communication of authorities
in relation with the migrants;
 The necessity for migrants
to receive diverse information and
from many sources regarding the
opportunities of integration;
 The necessity to have a real
and significant dialogue between
migrants and local population, and
the local authorities respectively;
 The existence of opportunities
to promote the cultural characteristics
of migrants’ communities and to
recognize their existence in society;
 The existence of multipliers
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Migrant in Romania
within the migrants’ communities,
resource-persons who can
successfully represent “the voice” of
the migrants in dialogue with the
authorities and the civil society;
 The development of the
capacity of third country nationals’
NGOs to take part in social,
cultural and community life;
 Raising awareness among massmedia regarding the phenomenon
of migration and training of
journalists to reflect relevant and
non-stereotype information.
Starting from these needs,
the project proposed a trilateral
consultation mechanism, between
the public authorities, the migrant
communities and the civil society.
This consultation mechanism
worked differently and had various
results in each of the five cities
involved in the project, with specific
interactions between players in
each case. A fourth dimension of
communication was represented
by the network of intercultural
mediators, linking the other three.
The main activities of
the project were:
 The website Migrant in Romania
(www.migrant.ro), used as a platform
for communication, information
and consultation, by posting all
activities carried out within the project
regularly, as well as news and events
of interest for and about migrants
in Romania, as well as important
information on European level.
 Migrant in Romania quarterly
magazine, a tool of information for
migrants, but also for the general public
about migration issues and migrant
integration. The magazine is available
in printed format and also online on
www.migrant.ro. Four supplementary
issues per year, titled “Bessarabian
Accent”, were also made available in
printed and online versions, focusing
on the integration of migrants from
Republic of Moldova. Each year there
was also an issue in a foreign language.
 A network of intercultural
mediators made of 20 persons was
set up, as a liaison agent between
the local migrants’ communities,
the public authorities and the civil
society. The intercultural mediators
represent in the same time “the
voice” of their communities in
relevant situations and they are also
responsible for the “translation” of
information and legislation for the
members of the communities. The
mediators received professional
training every year, in order to be as
prepared as possible for their activity.
 Local and national seminars
aiming to gather representatives of
migrants, media, local and national
authorities, NGOs and other
stakeholders in order to debate and
identify better solutions to integration:
1 national seminar and 15 local
seminars (in Bucharest, Timisoara,
Iasi, Constanta and Cluj-Napoca)
per year. The problems discussed
during the seminars and the suggested
solutions have served as a basis for the
elaboration of a set of public policies
each year, which have been submitted
to the appropriate authorities.
 During the national seminar,
thematic working groups have made
suggestions for legislation amendments
and changes in administrative
procedures in order to improve
the integration of migrants. The
groups were categorized as follows:
administrative-legal working group,
education-culture-youth working group,
social-health-labor working group.
 Trainings for journalists were
organized yearly in order to develop
their intercultural sensitivity and
to ensure for a better reflection of
migrant and migration in the media.
The journalists were put in contact
with the intercultural mediators
and were encouraged to publish
materials regarding the migrants in
Romania, applying the principles
learned during the course.
The target group of the project was
composed of participants in national
and local seminars, as well as the wider
third country nationals’ communities
accessing the online platform and
printed magazine, together with public
authorities in the field of migration and
integration and other stakeholders.
The project has achieved its goal and
objectives, building and consolidating
a space for communication between
relevant actors for migrants’ integration
in the Romanian society. One of the
most visible good unintended outcomes
is that the European Commission
considers the project to be a good
practice example in the field of
integration of non-EU migrants (See
“Timișoara case study: A new approach
to integrating non-EU migrants”).
Communication is a key element
in a diverse society, as much as a
purpose in itself, as well as a tool
for cooperation and development.
Communication keeps relationships
healthy. Consultation mechanisms
in society between public authorities
and citizens should be a permanent
habit, may they be citizens of the
respective country or not.
Migrant in Romania
5
ANALYSIS
This article describes some
key issues facing present-day
Romanian society and can be
seen both as an introduction
for a migrant coming to live
in Romania from a faraway
country, and as a support
for reflection for those
already living in Romania,
natives or migrants. Two
types of issues will be
analysed, issues referring
to cultural diversity and
issues related to democracy.
Romania: migration, cultural
diversity and democracy
also a destination country for non-EU
migrants, the legal and administrative
system, as well as the procedures for
obtaining Romanian citizenship, have
been gradually improved and made
more effective and more transparent.
Measures to assist refugees and to
support the integration of migrants
in the Romanian society have been
implemented based on the cooperation
between the national authorities in
charge of migration issues, other
institutions in the fields of education
or employment, international
organisations and local NGOs.
Diversified diversity
Regarding cultural diversity, the
landscape has evolved significantly over
the past 25 years. After the nationalistic
assimilationist policies of the last
decade of the communist regime, the
1990s can be remembered with at least
three key features: (1) the revival of
the presence of national minorities
in the public sphere, in policies and
politics, (2) the disappearance of two
important minorities – the Jews and the
Germans – after waves of emigration
based on international agreement with
their respective kin-States, and (3) the
acknowledgment that Romania has
a large minority previously ignored
in the public discourse: the Roma.
The first half of the 1990s was also
marked by violent clashes: Romanians
against Hungarians, on one side, and
Romanians and Hungarians against
Roma, on the other side. Important
progress in the relations between
the Hungarian minority and the
majority was made in the following
years, starting in 1996, but in the case
of the Roma, only in 2001 did the
authorities acknowledge the need to
develop and implement policies to
compensate not only the centuries of
inequality and exclusion, but also the
harm done during the first years of
transition to a market economy.Various
actions and policy measures focused
on ensuring the rights of persons
belonging to national minorities
and on the inclusion of Roma were
taken by the Romanian authorities
under the pressure of the Council of
Europe and the European Union.
After 2002, the new legislation
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Migrant in Romania
Democracy in progress
against discrimination and the
establishment of the National Council
for Combating Discrimination
contributed to further improvements
in intercultural perceptions and
relations. However, research still shows
a prevalence of strong negative attitudes
towards Roma. A lot needs still to be
done to ensure visible and sustainable
improvement of the situation of
many Roma communities affected by
extreme poverty and social exclusion.
Starting with 2002 Romanians could
travel in the EU without a visa and this
generated a huge wave of emigration,
particularly towards Italy, Spain and
other countries of Southern Europe.
Over two million Romanian seized the
opportunity of working abroad and the
remittances represented an important
support for the economic growth from
2002 to 2008. As countries where most
Romanians emigrated are the ones most
affected by the economic crisis, this
flow of money was significantly reduced
during the past few years and many
emigrants chose to return to Romania.
This aspect, together with the contacts
maintained with Romanians still living
abroad, contributed to introducing
new forms of cultural diversity and to
mixed cultural practices. During the
same period, many citizens of other
EU countries moved to Romania
and immigration from non-EU
countries also increased significantly.
There are currently around 50,000
EU citizens living in Romania and
a few other thousands are spending
annually a significant part of their
time in Romania, despite maintaining
their official residence in another EU
country. The largest group in this
category are the Italians, followed by
the German and the French. At the
same time, almost 60,000 citizens from
non-EU countries have legal residence
in Romania, to work, to do business,
to study, or to join their relatives. The
largest numbers are from the Republic
of Moldova, Turkey, China, and the
various countries in Middle East.
Thus, young people from the Republic
of Moldova find it generally easy to
integrate due to the shared language,
the Turkish and Chinese business
people and traders responded to a
need of the growing Romanian market,
while many Arab and Iranian doctors
filled a gap generated by the emigration
of many health professionals. The
opening of Romanian universities
to foreign students also attracted
significant numbers of young people
from both EU and non-EU countries,
interested especially to obtain a
degree in medicine. The number of
foreign citizens who obtained the
status of refugee is still small but a
significant increase is expected with
the implementation of the recent EU
agreement on managing migration
across the Mediterranean. As Romania
moved over the past decade from being
only a country of transit towards being
The changes which took place
after the revolution of December 1989
were so radical that the whole legal
and institutional framework had to
be rebuilt. Despite the hesitations
of the first years, institutions were
established and started to work in
the new democratic framework and
their compliance with the European
standards was confirmed with the
admission of Romania as member
of the Council of Europe in 1993.
However, changing mindsets and
building a culture of democracy is
another issue and this process is still
ongoing. A change of self-perception,
of perception of own role and of the
relationships with others had to take
place both on the side of those working
in public institutions, including
politicians, judges or civil servants,
and on the side of the citizens.
A rigid, slow and poorly managed
bureaucracy, focused more on the
institutions than on the needs of
their beneficiaries made it hard for
citizensto access their rights and for
businesses to develop, which resulted
in slowing down the progress. On
the other side, citizens are also often
characterised by apathy, by a lack of
trust that their voice matters and that
they can make a change, and by a
low level of political culture, making
them easy to manipulate. Long-time
denied, corruption affected deeply all
levels of decision-makers across the
political spectrum. It is only recently
that this aspect was publicly revealed,
making Romania an outstanding
example, with politicians convicted
and imprisoned, from the local level
to the level of ministers, heads of
party or former prime minister.
Towards inclusive
participatory democracy
Important changes were brought
by several laws adopted over ten years
ago, including the law requiring all
public institutions to make information
of public interest available to citizens
and the law on the transparency of the
decision-making process, requiring
the submission of all draft legislation
to public debate prior to its discussion
in the decision-making bodies. Such
laws change the responsibilities of
public institutions towards citizens and
provide opportunities for participation.
However, the level and effectiveness
of citizens participation remains very
limited and there is little concern,
both on the part of public institutions,
and on the part of civil society to
ensure the involvement of members
of minority groups and migrants.
From this perspective, the local
processes of consultation, debate
and cooperation generated in the
five largest Romanian cities by the
activities of the project Migrant in
Intercultural Romania, with the active
involvement of intercultural mediators
with migrant background, represent a
contribution, not only to the integration
of migrants in Romania, but also to
the promotion of a functional and
inclusive participatory democracy.
Migrant in Romania
7
MEDIATORS
The network of
intercultural mediators
A network made up of
over 20 intercultural
mediators, with migrant
background, is active in five
Romanian cities (Timisoara,
Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca,
Iasi and Constanta). The
network was created as
a result of consultations
with migrant organisations
and communities in the
framework of projects
focused on migrant
integration implemented
by the Intercultural
Institute Timisoara
and its collaborators
starting with 2009.
The intercultural mediators
activate as a link between
their communities, the
public institutions and the
local population. Thus,
they bring “the voice” of
migrant communities in
local public life and “the
Ameen Ahmed
I am a social intercultural
mediator for the Arab
community, the Muslim
community and other
communities of foreigners
in Bucharest. I have been
living in the capital of
Romania since 2005, I
was born in Damascus,
Syria and I am Palestinian.
I have professional
training in the field of
communication and
public relations. I speak
Romanian and English
fluently, whereas Arabic
is my mother tongue.
Nidia Galicia
I come from Mexico and
I study International
Relations and Diplomacy
at the Ovidius University
in Constanta. I became
an intercultural mediator
because I thought it
was the best chance of
staying in touch with
migrants, especially
with those coming
from Latin America.
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Migrant in Romania
translation” of the relevant
information from Romanian
society for community
members. They are certified
as social mediators with
intercultural expertise,
following their attendance of
a series of training courses.
Here are the active
mediators in the final
stage of the project, in the
period between November
2014 and June 2015.
Rima Tayara
I graduated from the Civil
Construction Faculty in
Timisoara but I work as a
financial consultant. When
I was 18 I left my country,
Syria, in order to study in
Romania and I know how
many obstacles one has to
face in a foreign country
by oneself, trying to
integrate in a society that
speaks a foreign language.
Mohamed Daoud
I was born in Alexandria,
Egypt, from which I also
draw the name of Alex,
which I often use. I came
to Romania when I was
16, learnt Romanian
and studied at the “Gr.
T. Popa” Medicine and
Pharmacy University in
Iasi, the locality where I
established my residence.
I am a gynaecologist,
doctor in medical sciences
and I founded the
Oriental Cultural Centre
Association in 2006.
Cristina Răilean
I am from the Republic
of Moldova and I study
in Cluj-Napoca. I have
been doing volunteer work
for 7 years and I am a
member of the Bessarabian
Initiative Group in Cluj
(GIB - Cluj), whose
president I used to be.
I like working with the
other mediators so that
our voice may be heard
through common projects.
Diana Costaș
I graduated from the
National School of Political
and Administrative
Studies, the Faculty of
Political Sciences in
Bucharest. I am from the
Republic of Moldova and
I became an intercultural
mediator because I wanted
to help migrants like
myself in our relationship
with the public authorities.
I speak Russian,
English and French.
Amjad Alaoui Soulimani
My origin country is
Morocco. I came to
Romania for the first time
in 1992 in order to study
here and I settled here
for good in 2007. I am a
pharmacist by profession.
I am always asked to
help people, which I
do gladly. I became an
intercultural mediator
to be guided in the right
direction in everything I
do and to gain experience,
to improve myself and
become more efficient.
Mazen Rifai
I am a journalist, founding
member of the RomanianArab Culture and Press
Club and member in
the board of the SyrianRomanian Cultural Club
in Bucharest. I created
a special section on the
Arabic News Agency
website (www.ana-news.
ro) that contains presentday information in
Arabic for refugees and
immigrants, as well as
other type of information
which is necessary for
Arabic language speakers.
Natalia Ermicioi
I come from the Republic
of Moldova and during
the last 4 years of my life I
have been contributing to
the development of ClujNapoca‘s society. Currently
I am the International
Cooperation Coordinator
of Cluj-Napoca - the
European Youth Capital
2015 and my responsibility
is to put Cluj-Napoca
on the mental map of
people around the world.
I became intercultural
mediator because I
wanted to contribute to
the wealth of migrants
and make them feel at
home, integrated and
non-discriminated.
Alexander Jacho
I have been living in ClujNapoca since 2009 and am
married with a Romanian
woman. I came here
from Ecuador and I try
to discover opportunities
for the foreigners living
in this country. And if
I find them I want to
share them with others
as quickly as possible,
in order to support the
integration of the LatinAmerican community in
the Romanian civil society.
Migrant in Romania
9
MEDIATORS
Chrisitian Chigozie
Udearo
I came from Nigeria
seven years ago and I
settled in Timisoara. I
have seen immigrants
from different countries,
people with different
traditions, with different
cultures, speaking different
languages, having different
religions and different
colours, facing certain
problems connected to
their coming into a foreign
country. I wanted to get
involved in helping them
and thus I became an
intercultural mediator.
Hermann
Twilingiyimana
I have been living in
Romania for over 10 years.
Ever since I got here I have
helped other migrants. In
time I met other people
who were working in
the field of migrant
integration, who noted
how much I was enjoying
working to facilitate
migrant integration.
Sukaina Jasim
Hashim – (Abeer)
I am a teacher of Arabic
and the president of the
“Bud’s Flowers” association
in Bucharest, whose aim
is to promote and defend
human rights, as well as
to foster intercultural
exchanges. I am from
Iraq; I speak Arabic,
English and Romanian. I
chose to become a social
intercultural mediator
in order to facilitate the
integration of foreigners
in Romania and their
access to public and
private services.
10 Migrant in Romania
Ahmed Rashidi Hassan
I am from Egypt and
I live in Timisoara. I
am a lecturer of Arabic
Language and Culture
at the University of the
West in Timisoara and
counsellor within the
Romanian-Arab Cultural
Centre. I teach Arabic
language and literature,
as well as religion, at the
Arab school; I have carried
out several activities to
guide the refugees from
the Arab countries.
Diane Inamahoro
I am from Burundi. I
have a master degree in
international development,
I am interested in the
field of migration and
I like working with
people of different
cultures; that is why I
became an intercultural
mediator – to work with
migrants and help them
with whatever I can.
Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah
I am from Pakistan and
I live in Cluj-Napoca.
My mission as a social
intercultural mediator,
as I see it, is to create
communication bridges
between migrants and
the Romanian society,
in order to create a
better place for all.
Hanna Mohammad
Babar
I was born in India, I live
in Timisoara and I am a
cardiologist by profession.
I chose to become an
intercultural mediator
because I wanted to help
the community I belong
to and to share with
others the experience
gained. I speak several
languages: Hindi, Urdu,
Punjabi, Kashmiri,
Romanian and English.
Yans Aimn
I am a Palestinian from
Syria – Damascus and I
live in Cluj-Napoca. I’ve
had the pleasure to help
many of my compatriots
to integrate in the
Romanian society. I have
had accomplishments by
I have also known failure
and I thus corrected my
perspective on life.
Nyakuge Precious Atanze
I’m Nigerian and I came
to Romania in 2009 to
study medicine. Now
I’m a general physician. I
became an intercultural
mediator because I saw
the need for foreigners
to access information. I
wanted to help Africans
integrate and become part
of the Romanian society.
Ahmed Jaber
I was born in Erbed, Jordan.
The Arab community,
which I represent, frequently
faces situations which need
mediation in Romania.
That is why I decided to
combine my own original
Arabic culture with the
Romanian one, acquired
in the 25 years I have
spent in Romania.
Carolina Stamboliu
I came to Romania from
the Republic of Moldova.
I became an intercultural
mediator because I
had always wanted a
community of Bessarabian
people that should
easily integrate in the
Romanian society, which
I feel I have achieved
through this project.
Marko Pavloski
My origin country is
Macedonia, from where
I came in 2008 to study
medicine at the Faculty
of General Medicine
within the “Ovidius”
University in Constanta.
I speak Macedonian,
Romanian, English,
Bulgarian and Serbian.
Throughout the project, the
team of intercultural mediators
has also included David Erisola
Popoola, Fouad Ounouna, Iylia
Qayyum Dzulkifly, Adela Jaber,
Doina Goro, Ștefan Miron,
Monir Mattar
I am a social intercultural
mediator for the Arab
community in Timisoara
and active collaborator
of the Intercultural
Institute Timisoara. I am
an urologist and business
man, the president of the
Banat Arab-Romanian
Friendship Association,
representative of the
Romanian-Arab Culture
and Press Club in Banat
and founding member
of the Multicultural
Centre in Timisoara. I
am also the owner of
the first intercultural
café in Timisoara.
Shen Xiaoming
I have been living in
Romania for over 20 years.
Here I completely changed
my lifestyle. I learnt the
Romanian traditions and
customs and in daily life
I usually deal with the
needs of my co-nationals.
My motto is: in order to
feel happy and fulfilled,
first of all you must give
in order to receive.
Tarek Mohamed Fathy, Iasmina
Mattar, Igor Drangoi, Moukhliss
Samir, Bizou Jeanne Phanzu,
Yusuf Çapan, Manoj Budhauliya,
Latika Budhauliya, Shalash Al
Motaz, Anatoli Codreanu.
More information on the
network of mediators and
contact information can be
found on www.migrant.ro
Migrant in Romania
11
INTERVIEW
Each issue of the
Migrant in Romania
magazine includes
a variety of articles
related to migration
and integration. Among
the articles there are
always interviews with
migrants in Romania
who share their stories
of successful integration
in the Romanian society.
For this special issue
in English the editorial
board decided to have two
interviews from previous
issues translated, gender
balanced. The following
two interviews were
selected by the public
through an online call
for selection, announced
on www.migrant.ro
and carried out on a
famous social network.
Dr. Basraoui
Fatima-Zahra
– an ambitious
woman!
12 Migrant in Romania
For starters, could you
please introduce yourself?
My name is Basraoui FatimaZahra, I am from Morocco and I am a
resident ophthalmologist. I’ve always
considered myself to be an unofficial
ambassador for my country and I want
to represent it with the best image.
What were the main difficulties,
but also the aspects that
facilitated your integration?
Honestly, integration was not so
difficult for me, thank God; I met some
wonderful people who helped me
and with whom I still keep in touch
because they are very dear to me.
Was it difficult to
learn Romanian?
The Romanian language is
a Latin language and, as we, the
Moroccans are French speakers,
it wasn’t difficult and, of course, if
you really want it, you can do it.
How was University
education in Romania?
I did the first preparatory year
in Romanian, which facilitated my
integration especially in the faculty
and, after finishing general medicine
studies in Iasi, I came to Constant
to start the residency and I chose
ophthalmology. I’m sure I made
the best choice because it is a very
interesting and beautiful specialty and
profession and, as St. Mathew said,
“The eye is the light of the body”.
Tell us about your project,
specialties and the secret
of your success
Courage and will are not enough,
the faith in everything you do is very
important, and I have faith, thank
God. It got me where I am and I still
have many objectives to achieve.
Why did you choose to
come to Romania and
especially to Constanta?
My father was the one who
guided me towards Romania,
choosing the best for his 18-year old
daughter. I spent the faculty years
in Iasi, an important university and
cultural centre, a historical city of
Romania, and then I decided to
see another part of the beautiful
Romania, Constanta, at the seaside,
a complex city, suited to all tastes.
Could you describe to us several
customs and traditions of your
origin country, Morocco? Are
there similarities between
Morocco and Romania?
I am convinced that Morocco is
one of the most culturally rich and
beautiful countries in the Arab and
Interview taken by
Ounouna Fouad
Intercultural mediator
for the Arab and
Francophone
community in
Constanta
Muslim world, with more than ten
centuries of history, a cultural and
natural diversity which is breathtaking,
a cuisine which is famous all over the
world, with welcoming and generous
people. There are many similarities
between Morocco and Romania,
but the most important one for me
was the Romanian hospitality.
What are your future projects?
For now I am focused on my
medical training, but I am also
active in the associative life on
several levels: political, social and
cultural. And in the future we may
help develop the relationship and
solidarity between Morocco and
Romania so that we can favour the
strengthening of the RomanianMoroccan relations more, why not?
A word of conclusion?
I’ve never felt a foreigner in
Romania. I want to sincerely thank
the whole Romanian people for
the hospitality and warmth they
have given me and the authorities
for their understanding and
cooperation. Romania will always
have a special place in my heart.
Thank you for your time and
your answers and I wish you
success in your future projects.
Migrant in Romania
13
INTERVIEW
Why did you choose to come
to Romania to teach Arabic?
I visited Romania for the first time
in October 2005. I didn’t stay long then
because I came as a delegate on behalf of
the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
as an expert in teaching the Arabic
language for foreigners. As the Egyptian
Embassy in Bucharest also covers the
Republic of Moldova, I was assigned to
teach there, in Chisinau. I worked at the
State University in Chisinau, the Faculty of
Foreign Languages and Literatures. I lived
there for four years, but all this time I was
in permanent contact with the Egyptian
Embassy in Bucharest and I visited several
cities of Romania. I visited Iasi, Piatra
Neamt, Cheile Bicazului, Brasov, Oradea,
Baile Herculane, all very beautiful cities.
Ahmed Rashidi
one of the hardest to learn languages in
the world. This perception is wrong, the
Russian language for example is very hard
to learn. The grammar of the Russian or
German language is very difficult. Not to
mention the Romanian language… It took
me a long time to learn Romanian. The
Arabic language is very easy but it depends
on the way it is delivered to students. I
have been teaching Arabic for a long time,
it’s my specialty, and at the University I
studied both the language and the Arabic
culture. I have experience because I have
worked with many students from the
former Soviet Union and additionally
with students from Albania, Bosnia, South
Korea, Germany, Italy and Canada.
Where did you go after those
four years were over?
It wasn’t as if I had finished those
four years and then I came back, because
all that time I was in permanent contact
with Bucharest and Romania. I made
several contacts here and because of that
I came to Romania from time to time,
to visit the Faculty of Letters within
the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in
Iasi and the one within the Bucharest
University. When I arrived in Chisinau
I started to learn Romanian because I
thought it would help me in Romania. I
discovered that the Republic of Moldova
was a bilingual country, people speaking
both Romanian and Russian. I started
learning both languages and then I decided
to specialise in the Romanian language.
After the Republic of
Moldova you decided to
come to Romania... Why did
you choose Timisoara?
To be honest, at the beginning, I wanted
to go to Iasi because it was the closest city to
the Republic of Moldova and it had a very
big university centre. But the conjuncture
was that I had many friends in Timisoara
and they invited me here. I came to visit
Timisoara and I discovered a very beautiful
city, multicultural and with a university
centre. Here I met the imam of the mosque
and Ms. Luiza Mohammed, the director
of the Romanian – Arab Cultural Centre,
and so I decided to stay here. I have work
collaboration with the Romanian – Arab
Cultural Centre and another partnership
14 Migrant in Romania
the only native lecturer
of Arabic language
in Romania
How many languages
do you know?
with the Faculty of Foreign Languages within
the West University of Timisoara where I
teach Arabic language for beginners. For the
first time in Timisoara I opened an Arabic
department and I had the honour to become
the first lecturer, and the only one, that
teaches Arabic at the West University. The
opening of this department was a very nice
event, unforgettable, with the participation
of Her Excellency Ms. Ambassador of Egypt
to Romania, Sanaa Esmail Atallah Esmail.
The West University made a huge progress
with the opening of this department and
over 100 students participated in the first
course. Many people were curious and
wanted to learn Arabic. In Romania there
is no other Arabic teacher that is an Arab
native. There are many very good teachers in
Bucharest, Iasi and Cluj but no one is native.
The first course gathered
more than 100 students. How
many finished the course?
The course was finished by
approximately 40 students because it
was an optional course and it took place
in the afternoon, around 5 p.m. The
smaller number was also due to the fact
that the course overlapped with other
compulsory courses and not all the
students were able to participate full time.
The work at the University is not
the only one that I have, I also teach
private Arabic courses at the RomanianArabic Cultural Centre and courses for
children at the Syrian – Arabic School in
Timisoara where they study in Arabic.
How was the attitude of the
Romanian students that
hadn’t had any connexion
with the Arabic language
and culture before?
Unfortunately the Arabic language has
a bad reputation because it is considered
I speak English very well, a little French,
I understand Italian but I am not brave
enough to speak it. In Romania I speak
Romanian and the courses that I teach are in
Romanian-Arabic. When I worked in Egypt
in this field I had many foreign students.
I enjoy teaching very much and today’s
course is always different from tomorrow’s
course, I don’t copy them. I have a vast
experience and I also learned a bit about
the cultures and languages of my students.
I make my courses very easy to follow
and the students told me that they never
thought that Arabic was so easy to learn.
How did you adapt in Romania?
The people in Romania are very
welcoming. I visited Italy before, but it seems
to me that in Romania people are more
welcoming and we have more common
subjects. I don’t feel like being in a foreign
country, generally Eastern Europe is more
welcoming. I only felt that I was in a foreign
country when I saw the red broth. I asked
myself: what kind of food is this? It’s a
traditional food from Moldova region. It was
very interesting for me because I thought it
was cooked with blood. Because I don’t eat
pork this broth frustrates me. I don’t eat pork
so I don’t know if this red is because of blood.
You are in permanent contact
with the Arab community in
Timisoara. It is a big community,
how did they receive you?
Yes, it is a big community. The majority
came here for studies (medicine, pharmacy)
and they remained here. They married
Romanian women and now they have
children that go to the Syrian Arabic School.
It is a united community. First of all the
most important connection is the Arabic
language. The Arabic language is spoken
in 22 countries and the standard Arabic
language is understood in all these countries.
This is the language that unites us all and
that I teach. We understand each other very
easily and we meet for holidays and so on.
Do you manage to maintain
your traditions while you
are in Timisoara?
Yes, we go to the mosque, we keep the
Ramadan. During the Ramadan that just
passed all of us used to meet at the mosque
and it was very nice, many people used to
come. For us the Ramadan is something
like black fasting, we don’t drink or eat until
the sun comes down. All of us would meet
at the mosque during the Ramadan, would
pray and then eat together. That’s why it
is very nice during this celebration, all of
us would go every day at the mosque.
You were away from Romania
for a while, what happened?
I had to leave because my residence
permit here was over and so was my one
year partnership with the West University.
Interview taken by
Daniela Crăciun
Intercultural Institute
of Timişoara
I had to return to Egypt exactly when the
revolution started and it was an honour for
me to participate as a revolutionary. I don’t
know how I would have lived with myself if
I hadn’t been there during the revolution.
So you are a true believer
in the Revolution…
I am very proud of what happened
there. I have lots of friends abroad that used
to call me to complain that they couldn’t
come to Egypt. I am proud and satisfied
that I was in Egypt at that time and I was
able to be part of this remarkable period.
I was there for 8, almost 9 months.
How do you see the
future of Egypt?
Elections will come and it will take
a while before everything changes. We
are waiting, we are not in a rush. After
a Revolution the stability will come
eventually, but slowly. After the Romanian
revolution hundreds of parties appeared,
it’s the same in Egypt. But I am an optimist
because people have a voice and it’s heard
now. I will return to Egypt even if not for
good, at least to visit. My job takes me
abroad, but I will always come back.
Migrant in Romania
15
PARTNERS
The Migrant in
Intercultural
Romania project was
implemented by four
non-governmental
organisations which
worked as a team in
order to ensure the
best outcomes of the
project nationwide.
These are the partner
organisations and their
main fields of action
www.intercultural.ro
The Intercultural Institute from
Timisoara (IIT) has been established
in 1992 as a non-governmental
organisation, focused on promoting
the values and principles of the Council
of Europe regarding an intercultural
approach in education, cultural
policy, research and civil society.
The IIT has a wide network of
partners from all over the world, including
international organisations, institutions,
NGOs and professionals from its areas of
interest. IIT has a good cooperation with
local, regional and national authorities
in the fields of education, culture, youth,
migration and minorities. IIT is a member
of several international networks, including
CIVITAS – a civic education network with
partners from 80 countries coordinated
by Centre for Civic Education California,
Youth Express Network – a European
network working on social inclusion and
disadvantaged youth, DARE – Democracy
and Human Rights Education in Europe,
FOND – The Federation of Development
NGOs in Romania. IIT is also one of
the founding members of the Resource
Centre for Ethical and Solidarity-based
Initiatives – CRIES and of the Association
Timisoara European Capital of Culture
2021, as well as member in several
local, regional and national consultative
structures, including the Timis County
Mixed Working Group for Roma Issues, the
Consultative Group of NGOs established
by the Timis County Prefect and the Joint
Monitoring Committee for the RomaniaSerbia INTERREG IPA Cross-Border
16 Migrant in Romania
Partner organisations
Cooperation Programme (2014-2020).
The Intercultural Institute Timisoara
has been actively involved in several
projects of the Council of Europe, including:
 Democracy, human rights,
minorities: cultural and educational
approaches (1992-1997);
 All different, all equal - European
youth campaign against racism,
xenophobia, anti-Semitism and
intolerance (1994-1997);
 Education for democratic
citizenship (1998-2002);
 Human Rights Education, including the
publication of the Romanian version
of the COMPASS manual (2002)
 Education of Roma children
in Europe (2003-2009);
 ROMED – Mediation with
Roma (2011-2015);
 Autobiography of intercultural
encounters (2012-2013):
 Competences for Democratic
Culture (2013-2017).
Some highlights:
In its over twenty years of work,
the Intercultural Institute Timisoara
implemented numerous projects, at local,
regional, national and international level,
focused mainly on the following topics:
 The promotion of intercultural
education and of civic education at
all levels of the education system;
 Education for democratic citizenship,
human rights education and intercultural
education in youth work, civil society
organisations and adult education;
 Promotion of local-level
cooperation between majority
and minority communities and
active involvement of young people
belonging to national minorities;
 Various issues regarding Roma minority,
including combating stereotyping,
prejudice and discrimination against
Roma, improving education of Roma
children, supporting civic participation
of Roma and developing the capacity of
Roma youth organisations, improving
the quality and effectiveness of projects
aiming at Roma inclusion, empowering
Roma women to improving the access
of Roma to the system of validation
and certification of competences;
The Intercultural Institute of Timisoara
(IIT) has been in the 1990s one of the
pioneers of work on Roma education
in Romania. IIT developed in its first
larger pilot project in 1996-1998, the first
national project to address issues related to
education for Roma children in Romania,
the key concepts and approaches on the
employment of Roma school mediators and
on training teachers working with Roma
children. In 1998-2001 IIT was the first
organisation to coordinate a COMENIUS
project, on the integration of Roma history
and culture in school and out-of-school
education, with partners from France,
Slovakia and Spain. The results of these
projects were taken over and included in
public policies. Thus, hundreds of school
mediators are now employed in the
Romanian education system and large scale
training programmes have been developed
and implemented mainly with EU funds.
In 2004 and 2008 IIT organised, in
cooperation with the Council of Europe and
with the Romanian Ministry of Education,
European seminars on the training of Roma
school mediators and assistants. In 2008 IIT
also piloted the European Guide of Roma
School Mediator, published by the Council
 Combating the stereotyping and
the unfair reflection of Roma, other
national minorities and migrants
in local and national media;
 The use of participatory and inclusive
methods for the development of local
and regional strategies, particularly in the
fields of culture and youth, as well as in
the development of civil society projects;
 The promotion of European cooperation
and exchanges between civil society
organisations, public institutions, schools
and individuals, increasing EU awareness
and active European citizenship;
 Cross-border cooperation
in South-East Europe;
 Integration of migrants in Romania and
European exchanges on migration issues.
These projects include activities like
research, training, conferences, meetings
and seminars, development of resources,
policy recommendations and publications.
of Europe. In 2010, IIT led the development
of a curriculum for a national training
programme for the staff of early childhood
education institutions focused on the
inclusion of Roma children. The experience
of IIT was used by the Council of Europe
in the development of the training
curriculum of the ROMED programme
In 1998, IIT was the first Romanian
NGO to establish partnerships with civil
society organisations in Serbia and since
then implemented several cross-border
projects and supported other organisations
and institutions to engage in cross-border
cooperation with Serbia and Hungary. In
the period 1998 – 2002, IIT was member
of the Working Group on Education for
Democratic Citizenship and Management
of Diversity in Education, established by
the Council of Europe in the framework
of the Graz Process, which later became
part of the Stability Pact for South-East
Europe. In 2005-2006 IIT was part of the
consortium contracted by the European
www.asociatia-adis.ro
The Association for Rights’
Protection and Social Integration
(ADIS) is a non-profit organization,
established in 2009, whose purpose
is to defend, promote and support
democratic values and human rights,
Commission to deliver training for NGOs
from Romania and Bulgaria to prepare
them for the context of EU membership.
In 2002, in the framework of
Policies for Culture Programme of
European Cultural Foundation, IIT
has initiated and developed the first
cultural strategy of a public authority
in Romania, based on a participatory
approach. In 2014 IIT coordinated
projects which led to the development of
the strategies of Timisoara Municipality
in the fields of culture and youth.
From 2002 to 2004, IIT coordinated a
project which elaborated a methodology for
online school partnerships on intercultural
education. In 2011-2012, in a project
coordinated by the British Council, IIT
contributed to the development of a training
programme for teachers who coordinate
the international activities of their schools.
In 2006, the IIT was the first
Romanian NGO to receive support
through the EU programme on European
Active Citizenship. Also in 2006, the
IIT was the first Romanian NGO that
won a project through Action 5.1 of
the Youth in Action programme.
In 2003 – 2007 IIT was involved in
European trans-national exchanges on
the issue of the integration of migrants
and in this context IIT organised in 2006
the first national conference on this topic
and in 2007 organised with the support
of European Commission representation
in Romania a conference to promote the
Commune Basic Principles on Immigrant
Integration Policy in the European Union,
adopted by the European Council. Since
2009 IIT implements national level projects
in Romania addressing migration. Besides
the activities of the project Migrant in
Intercultural Romania, described in this
publication, IIT developed, in cooperation
with West University of Timisoara and
with the Ministry of Education, a set
of resources for teaching Romanian
language to migrant adults and children.
and to improve the quality of life.
ADIS mission is to support the
integration of migrants, youngsters
and other disadvantaged groups
in the socio-economic life.
ADIS members have gathered
expertise in migrants’ integration
and youth work as a result of
active work with these groups,
education, research and active
involvement in different projects.
ADIS has the following objectives:
- To help individuals integrate in
the socio-economic and cultural life;
- To facilitate the access to
rights and fundamental liberties
and improve the quality of the
individuals‘ social, economical
and cultural life by involving other
social actors (universities, public
services, etc.) in this process;
- To create an intercultural
environment destined to facilitate
social inclusion and eliminate any
form of discrimination and racism;
- To contribute to the
improvement of the legal framework
and institutional development;
- To involve young people in
programs of social and cultural
inclusion of immigrants and youth;
- To promote a healthy lifestyle
and environment protection.
Among the activities we have
carried out so far, especially targeting
the various categories of migrants
in Romania, the most important
are: information, counselling and
social and legal assistance to facilitate
integration; cultural orientation
sessions aiming to improve the
migrants‘ knowledge about the
Romanian society; Romanian language
courses; courses in Romanian
history and geography; intercultural
education; elaboration of information
materials; information of the relevant
stakeholders in the field of migration,
especially through seminars.
We are happy to have been
able to help migrants in Romania
through our activities and we are
committed to adapting to the real
integration needs in society.
Migrant in Romania
17
CONTENTS
PARTNERS
www.ladocluj.ro
The League for the Defence
of Human Rights (LDHR), Cluj
branch, has the mission to protect
the fundamental rights of the citizens
through all legal means, to promote
citizen’s interests and democratic values.
LDHR’s main objectives are:
- To inform the citizens about their
constitutional rights and liberties;
- To provide support for the citizens
in obtaining their rights, as well as having
their rights respected and recognized;
- To develop educational,
http://resursecivice.ro
The Civic Resource Centre
association was established in
2006 to support, promote and
develop civic consciousness
18 Migrant in Romania
preventive and intervention programs
for defending, supporting and
informing the citizens about their
constitutional rights and liberties;
- To intercede with the central
and local public authorities
through petitions for defending
citizens’ constitutional rights;
- To draw the attention of the
President, the Government, the
Parliament, the judicial courts, the
local public administration, the police,
to democratic principles. LDHR can
address the authorities to have the
created damage mended and the abuses
stopped, and can alert, if necessary,
the proper international institutions.
Among the activities we have carried
out so far, the most important are:
information, legal advice for citizens,
counselling and social and legal assistance
for the facilitation of integration; cultural
orientation sessions aiming to improve
the migrants‘ knowledge about the
Romanian society; trainings, seminars,
conferences regarding integration and
human rights, conflict mediation courses,
festivals etc. Due to its long experience in
organizing events which have had a strong
impact upon the population of ClujNapoca (both on the local communities
and on migrants), LDHR can offer strong
and continuous support to every initiative
which may arise and can have a positive
contribution for people. Over the last 5
years, through its projects for integrations
and through the “Migration and Human
Rights” festival, LDHR has been actively
concerned with issues of multiculturalism
and interculturalism, and strived
to make Cluj-Napoca a warm and
welcoming place for all its inhabitants.
LDHR is pleased to bring its
contribution to every activity which
can help people, no matter their
race, their cultural and religious
beliefs, or their origins.
and initiative in the spirit of
proactive democracy at individual,
community and regional levels.
Our recent focus is on migration,
as more and more people come to
work and live in Dobrudja, the region
in Romania on the Black Sea coast,
where the association has its offices.
Democracy is another main
topic of interest, as we provide
independent observers for the
elections in the region. Since 2008
the Civic Resource Centre has
coordinated election monitoring
campaigns in Romania and abroad.
Multiculturalism is the main
value of the region, as there are 26
ethnic groups among only 700,000
people. Therefore, we also work
with multicultural communities.
The Civic Resource Centre
has organized, since 2008, the
“Dobrudja Ethno- Cultural Festival”
to bring together representatives of
15 ethnic minorities in Constanta
County, with folk costume and mask
exhibition, a dance section, an ethnic
gastronomic exhibition and a photo
exhibition displaying photos of
specific ethnic activities or places.
We have also run various youthrelated projects, to help young people
improve their relationship with local
authorities in order to enhance the
civic participation in community life.
For instance, we have informed youth
in several towns in Constanta County
about the role, the structure and the
function of the local authorities.
In 2010, we coordinated the
Local Agenda 21 re-drafting process
for Medgidia, a 50,000-inhabitant
community 35 km from Constanta.
In 2010, we established a Migrant
Information and Counselling Centre,
where people coming from non-EU
countries learn to speak Romanian for
free, or get advice and help about living
and integrating in Romanian society.
Since then, we have assisted over
2,500 non-EU citizens to understand
more about Romanian culture and
people, about the laws and regulations,
about life in Romania in general.
Multiculturalism is dead, long-live interculturalism! . . . . . . . . . 3
Migrant in Intercultural Romania – The Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Romania: migration, cultural diversity and democracy . . . . . . 6
The network of intercultural mediators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dr. Basraoui Fatima-Zahra – an ambitious woman! . . . . . . . . 12
Ahmed Rashidi - the only native lecturer of Arabic
language in Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Partner organisations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Articles for Migrant in Romania magazine
The Intercultural Institute
of Timisoara receives proposals
of articles for Migrant in
Romania magazine.
The articles must address
aspects relevant for the integration
of third country nationals who
live in Romania. The length of the
article should be between 3.000 and
10.000 characters. The articles can
be written in English, Romanian,
French or Spanish. We accept texts
that describe individual cases,
communities, organizations, activities,
interviews or personal stories,
along with other types of texts.
magazine and on www.migrant.ro.
The authors are responsible for
the content of the texts. They keep
the copyright for the texts, but
they give Intercultural Institute of
Timisoara permission to publish
the texts in Migrant in Romania
The editorial team will inform the
authors whose articles are approved
for publishing. The authors might also
receive invitations to local, national
or international activities in the
field of migration and integration.
Articles must be submitted in
electronic format (.rtf, .txt, .doc,
.docx, .odt) at [email protected].
Migrant in Romania
19
 This publication is realised in the framework
of the project “Migrant in Intercultural
Romania”, financed through General
Programme “Solidarity and Management
of Migration Flows”, European Fund
for the Integration of Third-Country
Nationals – Annual Programme 2013
 Editor: Intercultural Institute of Timisoara
 Publication date: June 2015
 Contact: Institutul Intercultural Timisoara, str.
16 Decembrie 1989, nr. 8.
Tel/fax.: 0040.256.498.457.
E-mail: [email protected];
web: www.migrant.ro
 The content of this publication does
not necessarily represent the official
position of the European Union
20 Migrant in Romania
Publication financed by the European Union through the European Fund
for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals in the framework of the project
Migrant in Intercultural Romania, coordinated by the Intercultural Institute of Timisoara