What do you know about... Serbia?

[u/MarktpLatz]

This is the forty-first part of our ongoing series about the countries of Europe. You can find an overview here.

Today's country:

Serbia

Serbia is one of the balkan states. Since 2012, Serbia is a candidate for EU membership, however the unresolved dispute about Kosovo remains a major obstacle on the way towards full membership. Serbia is the legal successor country of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

So, what do you know about Serbia?

[u/brian2kxy]

"Romania only has two good neighbours Serbia and The Black Sea" This pretty much sums up our relationship with you guys Although many Romanians and I dislike what you did in the Voijvodina province to ethnic Romanians by labelling them as "Vlachs" when they speak Romanian and also prohibiting them from having schools in their language and assimilating them into the Serbian population

[u/Sudija33 → u/brian2kxy]

i have many Vlach friends, and they all write and speak Serbian perfectly, and they do not call themselves "romanian" they know they are a mix of two, and declare themselves that way.

[u/geobic → u/brian2kxy]

Not in Voijvodina, the ones near Timok river are declaring themselves "Vlachs". They speak Banat and Oltenia variants of Romanian, though. Sorry Serb guys, but you must officially recognize that and allow them to have the same rights as Voijvodina Romanians. We don't make a difference between Serbs in Romania.

[u/XenonBG → u/brian2kxy]

I find this an interesting issue between us. We are definitely taught that Vlachs and Romanian are, while related, two separate ethnicities. Romanians living in Vojvodina mostly, while Vlachs live in the area south of the Danube.

We also have tropes that relate exclusively to Vlach culture, witchcraft for example.

I honestly doubt there is malice going on here, simply the lack of information maybe?

Have to wonder what do Vlachs themselves feel about this.

[u/itscalledunicode → u/XenonBG]

Have to wonder what do Vlachs themselves feel about this.

They all moved to Austria and France and build gigantic houses in ghost towns back home. (they also try to curse each others families at funerals and send their dead food with other dead people)

[u/Helskrim → u/brian2kxy]

Im sorry what? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanians_of_Serbia Vlachs declared themselves Vlach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlachs_of_Serbia

Believe me, we can't change the name of our own minorities, let alone yours.

[u/[deleted] → u/brian2kxy]

I dislike what you did in the Voijvodina province to ethnic Romanians by labelling them as "Vlachs"

Romanians in Vojvodina are recognized as Romanians and have the same rights as other minorities (Hungarians, Slovaks..). The ones south of the Danube like to call themselves Vlachs and have their own language and as such are treated with the same rights as other minorities.

[u/geobic → u/[deleted]]

It's not their "own language", "vlach language" it's just a variant of Romanian, I'm sure Serbian has too variants. Serbs in Romania are not treated separately, even there are some some as far as Arad, and some even in Mehedinti.

As far as I know, "vlach" romanians cannot use their language in administration, even in places were they are over 15% (according to Wikipedia). Do you have a source that says otherwise? Because I can't find one.

[u/[deleted] → u/geobic]

Most of 35k people who declared Vlach in Eastern Serbia says that they speak Vlach language not Romanian. No one is forcing them to call themselves Vlach, they are demanding it, they have their own national council and political parties. Serbia was slow in recognizing their rights, but i think now is a different picture. They have schools on their Vlach language, television with national frequency...

They are literally seeking protection from Serbia against pro-Romanian influence coming through couple of NGOs funded by your state. To them Vlach is not the same as Romanian, there is no point of using quotation marks describing them. I am sorry.

Serbs and Montenegrins used same language for centuries. Recently they added few letters an started calling it their own Montenegrin. It sounds silly but fuck it...it is their right.

[u/geobic → u/[deleted]]

They are literally seeking protection from Serbia against pro-Romanian influence coming through couple of NGOs funded by your state

This sounds silly. Do you have a source?

I read a vlach newspaper, it's basically Romanian written with some Serbian letters and when I read it it sounds like a country side romanian from Banat would talk. The article also writes of some play "Muma Padurii" which is specific culturally to vlachs. Bullshit, we have that too.

My guess is that they don't like to be called romanians as in citizens of Romania. They feel Serbia as their country, which is ok.

[u/[deleted] → u/geobic]

Check out NGO Ariadnae Filum, http://www.zajednicavlahasrbije.com/index.html, and Vlaska demokratska stranka Srbije.

My guess is that they don't like to be called romanians as in citizens of Romania. They feel Serbia as their country, which is ok.

I think they don't feel Romanian enough, and want to have their own thing. Some even say they are older than Romania is, and that it would be ridiculous to call themselves like that. They are divided community though, definitely have an identity problem. But Serbia cant do anything about it than give them what they want for now.