Shutka – The Gypsy Capital of the World

A “Must See” attraction in Skopje.

* Excuse me for not sharing many photos, but the people in Shutka try desperately to keep their privacy and taking photos in Shutka is not always warmly accepted, instead, google it!

This is a tour of a different everyday. A tour for hope for a better tomorrow. The impressions will be huge. Don't expect sorrow, this tour is filled with smiled faces, loud locals, dogs, cats, sheep, goats and horses everywhere on the streets. This is a tour of hope, struggle and belief. A vivid experience of Roma in the macedonian everyday.

Eighty percent of Shuto Orizari’s population is Roma. Roma have been living in Macedonia since at least the 15th century, but didn’t start to settle in Shutka until an earthquake in 1963 destroyed 80 percent of Skopje. The municipality is the only local administrative unit in the world to have adopted Romani as an official language. It has several TV channels in the Roma language and a colorful flag featuring the Roma wheel – an Indian chakra, which refers to the origin of the Roma people. There are Roma members of the parliament, ministers, and high-level officials serving in the government, although not as many as required by the quota system for civil service. Roma in Macedonia have a lifespan 10 years shorter than the nearly 76 years of the average Macedonian. Many can’t access healthcare because of prejudice and lack of documentation.

The streets in Shutka – named after Walt Disney, Che Guevara and Garcia Lorca – are bustling. At the center is a sprawling bazaar where vendors hawk tracksuits, sneakers, and home goods mostly imported from Turkey and China.

Going to Shutka on this tour will bring you a different perspective of life, a warmer feeling about yourself, maybe a thought of how lucky we are with what we have. In this world full of excitement and consume, some people just need a good weather, sun, water, some food on the table, but most of all - friends and being together when life gets tough.