International Conference, 31.07.-01.08.2024, Kraków
“My testimony is for young people”
Passing on Memory for the Future of Holocaust Remembrance and Education
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“ My testimony is for young people. You must resist. We must resist the discrimination, the racism and the violent expulsions to which Roma and Voyageurs are subjected in every country in Europe. We, the elders, have lit the flame. Now it’s up to the young people to keep it alive and make it grow so we can be stronger. Young people, stand up. Stay on your feet, never on your knees!”
Raymond Gurême, Roma Holocaust survivor (1925–2020)
About the international conference
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of 2 August 1944, the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti, this international conference addresses recognition, remembrance and education about the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti with a focus on ways to carry survivors’ testimonies into the future and making their voices heard. The conference engages experts, advocates, academics and policymakers in plenary sessions and thematic panels on topics such as the role of testimonies of Roma and Sinti Holocaust survivors and the representation of their voices in spaces of memory as well as transgenerational perspectives on memory. The conference also connects recognition and remembrance of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust with the fight against antigypsyism today, focusing on coalition-building and policy-making, transitional justice processes and educational approaches. The conference aims to foster dialogue, exchange knowledge, and develop strategies to ensure that the experiences of Roma and Sinti Holocaust are remembered, honoured, and integrated into academic, remembrance and educational discourses, contributing to more inclusive, just and respectful societies free of antigypsyism.On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of 2 August 1944, the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti, this international conference addresses the recognition, remembrance, and education about the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti. The conference focuses on ways to carry survivors’ testimonies into the future and making their voices heard. The conference aims to foster dialogue, exchange knowledge, and develop strategies to ensure that the experiences of Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust are remembered, honoured, and integrated into academic, remembrance and educational discourses, contributing to more inclusive, just and respectful societies free of anti-gypsyism.
Main organizers of the conference:
The commemoration ceremony on 2 August is organized by the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and the Association of Roma in Poland in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. An international coalition of leading stakeholders in the field is formed to enhance recognition, remembrance and visibility of the Memorial Day. The conference is organized in cooperation with the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture and the “Dikh He Na Bister” initiative of ternYpe International Roma Youth Network within the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme “Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education – RomaMemory”.
Main panels and issues of the conference
Carrying the Memory of Roma and Sinti Holocaust Victims and Survivors to the Future discusses the importance of carrying survivors’ memory to next generations to ensure lessons of the past shape the future. It explores how the memory of Roma and Sinti victims and survivors are preserved, how narratives and experiences are kept alive and communicated across generations. It discusses the roles of archives, memorial sites, and educational institutions, addressing gaps in research and representation of Roma and Sinti memories and how to overcome them.
Voices of the Victims: Learning from Testimonies of Roma and Sinti Holocaust Victims and Survivors focuses on ways to enhance the transmission and representation of testimonies and how to shape collective memory by amplifying the voices of victims and survivors. It examines archives and databases that house these testimonies and explores initiatives that strengthen their preservation and representation.
Spaces of Memory and the Representation of the Voices and Experiences of Roma and Sinti addresses the significance of memorial sites and spaces of memory in preserving and representing the experiences of Roma and Sinti. It highlights initiatives for recognizing lesser-known memorial sites and discusses challenges of representation in mainstream spaces of Holocaust memory. Memory in a Transgenerational Perspective explores how the memory of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust is carried and transformed across generations, in family narratives and through music, art, and literature. The panel focuses on the importance of transgenerational memory and practices in remembering and preserving the experiences of survivors.
Towards a Parliamentary Alliance against Antigypsyism and for Holocaust Recognition and Remembrance focuses on building a parliamentary alliance against antigypsyism and strengthening the recognition, remembrance, and education about the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti. Representatives and initiatives from national and European level discuss opportunities of cooperation and coalition-building among parliamentarians and political leaders to strengthen equality, participation and inclusion of Roma and Sinti.
Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building – Transitional Justice Tools to address Antigypsyism in Europe explores transitional justice tools to combat antigypsyism, focusing on remembrance, recognition, and
trust-building. It features current political struggles, including advocacy for recognizing racist pogroms and post-war justice for Roma in the Western Balkans, highlighting strategies to advance non-recurrence and equality.
Education for Holocaust Remembrance and against Antigypsyism focuses on educational initiatives aimed at Holocaust remembrance and combating antigypsyism. It discusses guidelines, youth programs, and the representation of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust in school curricula, emphasizing the importance of education in preserving survivor memories and addressing antigypsyism.
Holocaust Remembrance, Human Rights, and the Fight against Antigypsyism closes the conference, aiming to underscore the importance of collective remembrance in the pursuit of human rights and equality for Roma and Sinti, fostering dialogue and cooperation between policymakers, political leaders, and civil society to address systemic discrimination and ensure justice and dignity for all.
Honouring the Resistance and Resilience of Holocaust survivors and passing on their testimonies to younger generations
Opening event and reception
Exhibition “Roma Heroes of Resistance”
Exhibition “Raymond Gurême – A path of memory and resistance”
Opening of the Conference,
Key-note speech: “Landscape of Memory”by Daniel Libeskind
Session 2: Carrying the memory of Roma and Sinti Holocaust victims and survivors to the future
Session 3.1: Spaces of memory and the representation of the voices and experiences of Roma and Sinti
Session 4.1: Towards a parliamentary alliance against antigypsyism and for Holocaust recognition and remembrance
Session 5 (Plenary Session): Holocaust Remembrance, human rights and the fight against antigypsyism
Closing of the conference
Minute of Silence, 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising
Session 3.2: Voices of the Victims. Learning from testimonies of Roma and Sinti Holocaust victims and survivors
Session 4.2: Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building – transitional justice tools to address antigypsyism in Europe
Session 3.3: Memory in a transgenerational perspective
Session 4.3: Education for Holocaust Remembrance and against Antigypsyism
1 August 2024 - Conference, Krakow
Copyright: Central Council of German Sinti and Roma / Jarosław Praszkiewicz
International Conference Booklet
Program 2024
Commemoration 2024
2 August 2024 – European Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti
O Lungo Drom (Długa Droga) ~ oratorium oparte na tekstach pisarzy i poetów Sinti i Roma ~
1 August 2024 – Krakow Philharmonic Hall
International Conference
“My testimony is for young people”
Passing on Memory for the Future
of Holocaust Remembrance and Education
31st of July – 1st of August 2024
Opening event
31 July 2024 – Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University, Kraków
Exhibition: Raymond Gurême – A path of memory and resistance
31 July – 1 August 2024 – Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University, Kraków
Exhibition: Roma Heroes of Resistance – Emanuel Barica + live performance
31 July – 1 August 2024 – Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University, Kraków
Images from the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma 2024
Images for editorial articles and media coverage
Publications 2024
International Conference Booklet
Euoprean Memorial Day Booklet
Concert Oratorium Booklet