Opre roma III - Pot v gaj

Lane to the Grove is the 3rd part of the Romany-Slovene trilogy Opre Roma, where today's themes and dilemmas are interwoven with those from decades ago. At that time, the author and a group of friends, among them particularly Bojan Tudija, the central character, carried out several important actions trying to improve the life of the Romany community in Slovenia. They founded the first Romany association and succeeded in supplementing the law of the local self-management. Romany communities have since been eligible to elect their representatives to the municipal council. Endeavors of the Romanies and of the growing number of other citizens have borne fruit, proving the so called Romany problems can be successfully solved only by cooperation and mutual consent, by a steady and patient work. 20 years later, the author examined the situation. Has anything changed? What has been achieved in the field of material and social integration and ethnical emancipation of the Romany people in the life of the new Slovenian state? Has the national plan to do away with the "Romany problems" borne fruit? Have the tasks and the planned actions of the society been fulfilled? Have the Romanies changed some of their bad habits and assumed common standards of civilized life? In spite of the obvious opposition on the part of some new political options one can observe the life of Romanies and the cohabitation with the other citizens have greatly improved in many places. Where the mutual interest prevails and the cooperation between majority of people and the Romanies takes rise, life gets a lot better. Where there are conflicts, collisions, unwillingness and prejudice, the situation is still bad. Bojan too was caught in the cross-fire of bureaucratic rules, but being firmly determined and working very hard he managed to greatly improve his life and the life of his family. After many years of endeavor, when he acted as a Romany politician as well, he became the vice-president of the Slovenian Romany Union and deputy in the municipal council. At present Bojan is an important and influential man in the settlement. Together with some other members of the local government they managed to attain important changes for the good of the majority of inhabitants. Together they succeeded in making the settlement an integral part of Šmihel, as a street called Lane to the Grove. However, Bojan experienced that his optimism and diligence, his numerous suggestions and proposals, were often met with indolence and incomprehension, therefore he decided to abandon his public activities and functions, but nevertheless he continues to work and help for the betterment of life of the Romanies and other inhabitants of his community.