On Armânji – General approach

The admission of the ”Armânji” as a distinct people is not a idea that was invented today. For me is something that existed forever (on a subjective level) and that can be argued (on an objective approach) with references to:
- The first written statements on ”Armânji”;
- The relations ”Armânji” had with the neighboring communities;
- The nation building theories;
- The formation of the nation states in the Balkans.

This process (of defining as distinct) might take ages, but is critical in order to maintain the ethnic identity of any people. The ”Armânji” are not inventing or reinventing anything, it is just what any nation we know today did and still does in order to preserve what is theirs.

Anyone has the right to be what he feels he is. And nobody or nothing should attempt to deny or forbid this. What you feel lays within and as long as you don’t feel ”Armân” you will never act as such.
Regarding the defining of the ”Armânji” community the process should be a two way one: from below and from above.
This is why it is important for everyone to define and acknowledge his identity and act accordingly.

(the above statements are a preview of the definition I will use for the concept of the ”nation” – but this shall be discussed in another article, as the present one is just a general approach of the issue)

In Romania there are two main directions that I will summaries as following:
- One of ”romanization” – which put aside the ”Armân” culture and embraces the romanian one;
- One of ”distinct identity” which tries to emphasize that ”Armân” culture, language, identity is something distinct (eg: ”Armânji” Community in Romania – Fara Armaneasca)

Nevertheless in order to achieve this several things are necessarily:
- Community development;
- Language revival;
- Improvement if the image of ”Armânji”;
- Decision on a common orthography;
- Cooperation with the rest of ”Armanji” located in different countries;
- Cultural reproduction.

According to the European Union directives in order to maintain and develop a minority group culture the state has to recognize it as such. This is what the Armânji” Community in Romania tries to achieve on a judicial level. Should this succeed in Romania will open similar opportunities for ”Armânji” all over the world.

Whether such groups will succeed in a confirmation of the national identity or it will fail remains to be seen.