ROMA

The village of Măguri, a locality near Lugojului, on the right bank of the Timiș River, was attested in 1448, when the locals, poor peasants, tied to the land, called it Magora, and it is also recorded as such on several Austrian maps drawn up after the conquest of the region. It is surrounded by other villages, perhaps better known – Tapia, Cireșu, Gavojdia and Lugojel, but, unlike them, today Măguri has a different fame, one that has carried it as far as the other side of the country and even to the West – the local lute players are among the best in Romania.

In the mid-1930s a few Roma families were displaced to the area, and were given land on the wooded, mound-covered hills around the old cave, which historians say were shelters dug by those hiding from Turkish artillery.  At first they dug their huts to get them through the winter, then slowly built houses. At the same time, the inhabitants also built a brick church, because the old wooden one, brought to the village two centuries before from Criciova, had burnt down

The Roma community has thrived. At the beginning of the war there were already 30 families. Then, a good number of them were deported to Transnistria, to extermination camps. They never returned to Măguri. The village elders say that most of them were killed, and those who escaped, settled elsewhere and nothing is known about them.

Farming they could not do. The land on the hills around the village is sizzling and rutted. So they took up music. The violin, the saxophone, the accordion. Before long, they were playing at weddings, christenings and prayers, first in the surrounding villages, then in the big cities, and then abroad. The music took hold of them so well that it became a tradition, which the children inherit from their parents, and from which they make their living.

Mr. Stefan Ionel, a lute player, profession handed down from father to son, who is also called Oaie (because a Hungarian barber once told him “you are like a gentle lamb”) is particularly proud of the history of the village and the Roma community. We asked him what the Măgureni are like and he told us that their nature is characterized by humanity and kindness. “Be human!” is the advice they give to their children, whom they are keen to send to school, and “Respect everyone”.

Unlike the ethnic communities in the other villages of Banat, the Roma community in Măguri is growing. Some young people go abroad to work, but come back after a few years, and with the money they earn they build a home. The duty to the other members of the community is strong and they all live by it. Those most in need are helped with clothes and money by those who are better off. On holidays they gather and party together. The same goes for birthdays, name days, anniversaries. They also place great emphasis on education.

If you walk through the streets of the village in summer, there are lots of children everywhere. They chase each other, they giggle, and they greet you right from the start. They ask you lots of questions, then accompany you wherever you go, curious and determined to find out as much as they can. They all take part in the events organized at the Cultural Centre, and are actively involved.

The secondary school in Măguri teaches Romani, the only one of its kind in the country. The initiative was taken by the people of Măguri, who did everything they could to ensure that Roma tradition and culture would not be lost. They also have a traditional dance group, coordinated by Mihaela Mocanu.

They have the best time at the village parties. Everyone dresses up in traditional costumes and the houses are decorated with flowers, especially roses. The children of the ensemble, accompanied by the music of the lute players, i.e. their parents, dance on the stage of the Cultural Centre, decorated with a red carpet with money sewn on the edge. Then they line up and walk along the banks of the Timiș River, where, in honor of their heroes, they throw flowers into the water.

The village of Măguri is an example of prosperity and of the passion shown for a craft – that of music – which is handed down from generation to generation and preserved as a valuable heritage artefact, the value of which is known to all the people of Măguri and which they wish to share with everyone. The traditions that they respect to the letter, the kindness and goodwill they show both among themselves and in their dealings with others, have helped them to survive when history and the hardships of the times have hit them hardest. Today they thrive and are proud of the community in which they live and which brings a unique richness to the multicultural world of Banat.