ROMANIA-ROMA-MINORITIES-EU-LABOUR

TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Mihaela Rodina
A picture taken on August 19, 2011 shows a man carving a wooden spoon from wicker wood in Mironeasa village, 420km north from Bucharest. „I am proud of my work and happy to see that people like the objects I make,” said Vasile Anusca, a Roma wicker worker, while plaiting a basket in his yard swarming with children. At Mironeasa, in north-eastern Romania, wicker and wood-working skills have been handed down from generation to generation and all of Anusca’s 13 children have had a go. The two brothers used to go from village to village, carrying a bag full of wooden spoons or a pile of baskets, hoping to trade them for potatoes or beans. But now, a project called „Romano Cher” trains Roma handicraftsmen to make more sophisticated objects and helps them find buyers abroad, mostly via the internet (http://www.mestesukar.ro). AFP PHOTO / DANIEL MIHAILESCU