Learning about the past, can provide a new view of the present, and so this project sought to provide a new perspective on the Roma in relation to the genocide of the Roma, encouraging a shift from their image as victims lacking agency, to actors shaping history. The aim of this is to foster dignity and respect, and thus fight the discrimination and inequality that the Roma face in Europe.
The project addressed the uprising in Auschwitz in 1944, the collective and individual resistance of Roma, the rescuing of the Roma, the Roma as rescuers, and the struggle of the Roma for recognition of the genocide after the war.
To begin, the participants identified areas where more research is needed on the topic and young Roma gained training in collecting oral testimonies from survivors and witnesses in their local communities. Secondly, an interim conference and expert workshop was held. Following this, a conference, exhibition and public commemoration were organized, aiming to display and discuss the results. The partner organizations also coordinated an online remembrance campaign on Roma resistance and local remembrance actions.
