Today, Thursday, is the Day of the Andalucian Gypsies. Andalucia is home to almost half of Spanish gypsies, around 350,000 of them and this year marks the 550th anniversary of the arrival of the first gypsies in the community.
The gypsy flag has been hoisted in the courtyard of the Andalucian parliament building and later today the Junta de Andalucia will present the ‘Andaluz Gitano’ awards, the recipients this year being filmmaker Pilar Távora, dancer Matilde Coral and the Federación de Mujeres Gitanas y Universitarias, Fakali. Also receiving recognition will be the president of the Tagore Foundation, Antonio Carmona, and the publication Nevipens Romaní.
The gypsies in Andalucia are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, many of them still excluded both socially and economically.
It is reported that 80% of gypsy children do not finish secondary education, 12% of gypsies live in substandard housing and, in 2011, 40% of Andalucian gypsies were unemployed.