THE ROMA INTEGRATION IN EUROPE
an interview with Esteban Antonio, specially for

Esteban Antonio is considered one of the greatest guitar players in this century. He starts learning Flamenco and classical guitar at the early age of 3. When he is 9 years of age, he is the youngest guitar player accepted in the King’s musical college in Kensington, London. He is also the youngest guitar player in the world, performing the Aranuez concert from G. Rogero, at the age of 11. Esteban has worked together with Huan Paredes and Hose Ortega, with Christina from Oyos company, with George Michael, Johnny Dep and many others. He has also worked with Sony records, EMI, Miramax and others. One of them receives the award for best music for short movies on the Kan festival. He has recorded and composed 80 different music albums.

QUESTION: Hello. Could you first say something more about your background?
ANSWER: Hello. I was born in London. My father belonged to the family Malinov. You know Alexander Malinov, who was the Prime Minister of this nation. My mother’s family has a gypsy background. Her family settled in England around the 1950s. They were all immigrants from abroad.
My musical career took off when I was about 14 years old, I became a professional and I toured the world from 18 onwards, and I’ve worked with George Michael, Johhny Dep and many other famous people, as well as with many large gypsy families in Spain.
My purpose now is to bring a new music, and to raise up artists of excellence.

QUESTION: This is great. And since you yourself have a gypsy background, what do you think about the integration of the gypsies in Europe? Do you think they will be able to integrate successfully, having in mind their culture, traditions and way of thinking?
ANSWER: The first people in Spain that experienced revival were the gypsies, because their hearts were open to God. What we need are good teachers for the Roma people. They need to be taught how to micro manage their finances. They need to be taught that there is no Roma and there’s no Gadjo, but the nation must be united, they being a part of it. When they learn that, and they can understand that and they have no fear, they will be able o integrate, provided, that this whole question about the Roma people is dealt with. They have dealt with the black people, they’ve dealt with the persecution of the Jews, but the European Union has never said: “Sorry” for the persecution of the gypsies, and I am here to tell them that they have to say “Sorry” to the gypsies.

QUESTION: That’s definitely so. OK, there are many talented and famous gypsies around the world. Do you know some personally? What have they done to achieve their success? Having achieved it, have they lost their identity or do they hide their identity?
ANSWER: No, they don’t hide it, I even think that today it is very trendy to be a gypsy, but in reality, the gypsies carry an incredible burden of pain, which they express in folkloric music.
For example, people like Miguel Cortez, the great flamenco dancer. He does not behave like a Roma. He has become some kind of fashion god, an icon. I think the true purpose of all people on this Earth is to assimilate the perfection of Jesus Christ within them.
The Roma people were always taught, if hey could make things with their hands, they would never be reliant on anyone else, and so they always played instruments they could travel with.

QUESTION: Speaking about the perfection of Jesus Christ, in Bulgaria the Orthodox Church, and in other places the Catholic Church, are so far away from the problems of the Roma people. What role could the Protestant Christianity play for their spiritual and social development then?
ANSWER: I think that here should not be a church division by denominations. I know, we have the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church, but in this area, the most important thing is this: we need to sit down and address very simple areas of tradition wihin the gypsies. They need to understand, that they will not be able to keep their traditional mentality and integrate successfully into society. The Roma people must change their ways and ideas.

QUESTION: Is there racism and prejudices against the Gypsies in Spain?
ANSWER: Not so much now as before, but it is still there.

QUESTION: To what extent is the education important for the gypsies?
ANSWER: In Germany, after the Second World War, all the gypsy children were placed in schools for the mentally handicapped. That has to be repented of. Also, there has to be an educational system which can deal with these people, in terms of how to bring them from one place to another, to show them, to educate them. And there has to be an outreach, the Church needs to stand in the gap, and provide this, and teach and educate the Government about this.

QUESTION: Ok, some final words of advice for the gypsies?
ANSWER: My advice is this: The Bible says: The love of Christ passes all wisdom and all knowledge. And that’s not just us loving Jesus and Him loving us, but understanding His idea of love. When we do, we will be able to unite.

Thank You very much!

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