District VIII

(bbc news image)

Our sociology class: The New European Underclass took a field trip yesterday to district eight. The 8th district is just west of where our university is situated, and is known to be the poorer area of Budapest, housing most of the underclass and ethnic minorities, particularly the Gypsies, or Roma. I was quite excited about taking a few hours out of my busy academic life to see a different side of this city.

Before I dive into the discussion of living conditions of these inhabitants, the actually people who are in this underclass needs an introduction. Essentially, the Gypsy population is considered an ethnic minority within Budapest, and many other European cities. Another name for these people is Roma. Most of the Gypsies within Budapest are viewed and labeled as an underclass, but what was most interesting was the fact that not all of them view themselves as Gypsies. Out of one hundred, roughly thirty self-identify with this ethnic group. Unlike the States where race is a profound issue, here in Budapest racial lines are not very prominent, but the issue that must be highlighted is the social lines. They are not viewed as second class citizens because they are Gypsies, but rather their actions or inactions. But it is hard to really conceive which comes first, class or race.


(Radio C image)

Another intersting aspect of the Gypsies in Budapest is that of their music. On the trip, we visited a Gypsy radio station, "Radio C" 88.8 FM. What I found interesting is that these ethnic, social minorities are not left in the dust, but do have representation through the media, even if it is not as strong as the Magyar population. The director of the Gypsy Radio Station, a successful Gypsy mentioned that through the radio many issues are addressed to the general public. Sixty percent of the radio station is focused on speech, which particularly magnifies the social, cultural, and political situations of the Gypsy population. This tool--media--can do both wonders and horrors. As seen in the States, media has been highly criticized for broadcasting sometimes false, mostly bias information to the general audience. But with the Gypsy Radio station, I feel that the minority voice now can be heard.


(Gypsy musicians at the Metro station)

Compared to the U.S. the lower class communities here are more integrative, meaning both poor and middle class live in the same neighborhoods. Although this might be the case, I feel not many wealthy or middle class Hungarians actually live in the 8th district. My professor, in the beginning of the tour, mentioned to us that the actual architecture of the homes point to the inequality between the inhabitants. For example, the housing on floor one has much higher ceilings, more adequate living space, and fancier designs than floor two and up. Such can be seen in the image below.



Looking at the image above, one might assume that this home actually looks like a million dollar home, but of course, we cannot judge the conditions of anything by the outside. As we walked through the eigth district, we actually entered a few homes and spoke to a few Gypsies who lived there. As I observed my surroundings, I was quite shocked at the difference of these flats from the flats of the foreign friends I have made here in Budapest. The walls were somewhat filthy, dirty, rusty, and decaying. There seems to be no effort of reconstruction of these homes. Most of these places were from the 19th century, and from then until now, have had no real fixing. What is typical about the homes in Budapest--the more affluent areas within the city--is that there is open air within the building, with a four to five story square shaped balcony surrounding the open air. But within the homes of the 8th district, the balconies are normally "U" shaped, with garbage and other disposables piling up where that fourth balcony should be.



The problem not only lies with in the lack of reconstruction of these bulidings, but also the notion of gentrification. This is not special only to Budapest, but with every big city. Even in Chicago, during my freshman year course, we discussed and learned about this process. Development of new buildings in poorer areas, the hike of rent, forcing the underclass out. A spot which I sometimes frequent in Chicago--Wicker Park--has been completely transformed within the past ten to fifteen years. Now it is a spot for yuppies to go have fun on a Friday night. In the 8th district, there are small signs of gentrification, where new colourful buildings are being constructed side by side with these decaying buildings. It is an attempt to homogenize the population of the middle to upper class, and create a more beautiful city. It may seem though that I am very critical of gentrification, but I do realize that there are positive things with the process. But the effects are so large to not ignore. With this homogenisation, it pushes out the poor, both Magyar (Hungarian) and the Gypsy population. In turn, the concentration of Gypsies community completely becomes fragmented. With any ethnic minority population, a community is perhaps one of the most important factors in maintaining the culture and sense of identity. With gentrification, the erosion of community among the Gypsy is a reality.



We ended the day with a "langos" snack at a small market in the area. My professor stated this is the cheapest Hungarian Market all throughout Budapest. Walking through this market I felt that was much more local than the Central Market right next to the Danube. The prices are far lower and the foods and products are targeted not for the frequent tourist but the local citizen of this city. But the difference between this market and that of the Central Market is that it is by far less developed. This market is an open air market as opposed to indoor. After eating a greasty, garlic-y "langos" and a fresh, sweet peach, we headed back to our little bubbles in District V.



Tran Quy Hac.