Fantanele is a Roma (gypsy) village in southern Romania, where they speak the vanishing Romani language. The villagers here are evangelical Baptists. Rebeca, a girl of 15, dreams of going ... See full summary
Matthew Mark Luke John (2018) Online
Fantanele is a Roma (gypsy) village in southern Romania, where they speak the vanishing Romani language. The villagers here are evangelical Baptists. Rebeca, a girl of 15, dreams of going to high-school. Her teacher from outside the village encourages Rebeca and her best friend Marta. The two girls vow to go to high-school together. However, Rebeca's brother-in-law (the head of the household), won't let her. Girls here leave school at 15. Most marry young. Determined to win approval, she starts visiting the local church. Inspired by a young priest, she discovers radical passages in the Bible that call for an uprising against social injustice. Through her Grandmother, Rebeca also learns the history of the Romani people: just like in the Old Testament, the Roma were slaves - right up until the 1850s. She begins to preach, calling for the abolition of private property. Rebeca starts questioning ideas of self-improvement, which leads to conflict with her teacher and with Marta. But she's ...