Multiculturalism, between past and future

The story of the ethnic groups of Banat and Timiș does not end here, because the stories and traces of their passing, even of those who are no longer with us, remain with us forever, through the exchange of architecture, gastronomy, and traditions. Some once-thriving communities have disappeared. Turks lived in Banat for centuries when the region belonged to the Ottoman Empire. From them we have inherited the scent of the Orient, exotic gastronomy, chickpeas, walnuts, bulgur, and sesame, openness and tolerance towards Islam, but also the rich history that hides right under our feet, in the vanished towns over which the modern, western city has risen. The French of Tomnatic lived here for more than three centuries, in large, beautiful houses, had a brick and tile factory, prospered, and were enterprising, then after the Second World War, because of troubled times, they returned to Lorraine, their old home, now far from home – that is, the village of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. From the Czechs, we call them Pemi, we learned the hard work of the mines in the Caraș Severin area, and from the șocați, the Roman Catholic South Slavs, we are left with the memory and understanding that for a long time, the Banat region was a puzzle of communities, settlements, and families of diverse origins, confessions, and identities, a rich vein of stories, memories, customs that somehow survive through the livelihoods and traditions of those who live on. 

In the meantime, because communities in general are dynamic organisms, the ethnic map of Banat and Timis has begun to change. One of the newest communities, the Arab community, was formed before 1990, when young people from Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and Morocco started coming to Timisoara to study, sent by their parents to Romania, a country considered safe. A good number of them received citizenship and settled here. Today they have businesses, schools, and a mosque, and after the second wave of emigration in 2011, following the war in Syria, their number has reached 10,000. The Arab community is working to have their ethnicity officially recognized. Many of them are devout Muslims, and Arab holidays, traditions, and cuisine have become part of Timisoara culture.

Among the first to arrive here immediately after the Romanian Revolution were Italians. Their culture quickly became intertwined with the local one, especially as the Timisoara people have always lived with one foot in the West, and today many of the local businesses are Italian initiatives. They have restaurants and cafes, where you can eat authentic peninsular food, and perhaps the most noticeable thing that Timisoren have taken from them is the greeting. “Ciao!” we say to one another when we meet or say goodbye.