Shakir Pashov (1898-1981), largely forgotten today, was one of the central figures of the Roma movement in Bulgaria. He founded several Roma organizations, a newspaper and a Roma theater. His long-standing political commitment to communism and Roma rights led to persecution and arrest. After the communists came to power in 1944, in 1947 he became the first Roma to be elected to the Bulgarian parliament. A few years later he was slandered and sent to a labor camp. The accusations that led to his conviction later turned out to be lies by envious people in his community. This two-part article is based on a newly published book, centered on a previously unpublished manuscript by Shakir Pashov from 1957: A History of Roma in Bulgaria and Europe: Roma.
Shakir Mahmudov Pashov was born on October 20, 1898 in a neighborhood in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. His parents were Eda and Mahmoud. Although it was not common for Roma children at the time, nine-year-old Shakir really wanted to go to school. After completing the 8th school year, he was supposed to join his father's workshop and get married. However, he wanted to continue his studies and attended the Technical Railway School. After graduation, he married Sabria and was drafted into the army. He was sent to the Macedonian front and became politicized during the war. It is said there that he decided, if he returned alive and well from the war, to write down the history of the Roma as it was passed down through the generations. This manuscript is the fulfillment of that promise. It is not an academic matter. Although he adopted some that were taken from the scientific works of his time, it is mixed with traditional and autobiographical elements.
