Category Archives: Germany

Film Festival Ake Dikhea

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The Ake Dikhea Sinti and Roma Film Festival opened yesterday in Berlin. It will show 9 bibliographies of Roma and Sinti Holocaust victims.

Germany and Racism against Roma

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Ten years ago, the memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe who were murdered under National Socialism was inaugurated in Berlin, but little is known about this Nazi genocide. Young descendants of the victims want to change that.

It’s a cool autumn morning. It rained during the night. Stefan Pavlovic and his colleague David Nikolic are part of the “Me Sem Me” project, which was launched by the “Rroma Information Centre” in Berlin. In the project, young descendants whose families were affected by Nazi persecution report on the genocide of the Roma and Sinti. David says he feels a kind of obligation to his ancestors to bring the story closer to others. “Me Sem Me” is Romani and translated into German means: “I am I”. The association wants to make it clear that they want to be accepted as Roma.

Ten Years of Memorial – German President

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Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honoured the memorial for Sinti and Roma in Berlin on its tenth anniversary. The President criticized ongoing discrimination against Roma in Germany and Europe. According to Steinmeier in Berlin, the old anti-Roma prejudices persisted in many parts of society. They could be revived all over Europe by radical right-wing forces. “The everyday discrimination against Roma and Romnja must stop,” he said.

Germany and Racism

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The Federal Government’s Antiziganism Commissioner has denounced far-reaching discrimination against Sinti and Roma in Germany. “We have a racist profiling in the areas of police and justice, education, the housing market and social administration,” said Commissioner Mehmet Daimaguler of the German Press Agency. The genocide of the National Socialists against the Sinti and Roma has not been dealt with either. That is why he is planning a truth and reconciliation commission for the coming year.

Berlin Memorial

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The ten years old Holocaust Memorial for Sinti and Roma in Berlin is threatened by the construction of a new subway right underneath it. Associations of Sinti and Roma see the function of the memorial where fresh flowers are always placed on the stele, and where there is a violin sound threatened by planned construction work for a new S-Bahn line. The chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, has indicated that he is willing to discuss a modified draft.

Ten Years

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Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Holocaust memorial of Sinti and Roma in Berlin. The German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier will hold a speech there at 11 AM.

Zilli Schmidt

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The Holocaust survivor Zilli Schmidt, a German Sintiza, died in Manheim, Germany at the age of 98.

May she rest in peace.

Germany and Racism

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According to Romani Rose, the head of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the corona pandemic have led to more antigypsyism. In the economic and energy crisis, the old tradition of “excluding scapegoats from society is being strengthened,” Rose told the Evangelical Press Service (epd). In this way, right-wing extremists offer society a culprit. Growing antigypsyism and antisemitism had reached a threatening level.

Deutsche Bahn and Roma

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Deutsche Bahn adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antigypsyism. Deutsche Bahn (DB) is sending a clear signal against antigypsyism. In the presence of the Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, and the Special Representative for Holocaust Remembrance and International Affairs of the Sinti and Roma at the Federal Foreign Office, Dr. Robert Klinke, DB CEO Dr. Richard Lutz adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antigypsyism. Beforehand, DB laid a wreath at the memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe who were murdered under National Socialism and commemorated the approximately 500,000 victims of this minority.

By accepting the working definition, DB is following the constructive discussions with Romani Rose and the Federal Government’s Antiziganism Commissioner, Dr. Mehmet Daimaguler, May 2022. This came about after reports of cases of discrimination against Ukraine refugees who belong to the Roma minority.

Ake Dikhea

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The German Newpaper taz is giving away 2×2 free tickets for the 6th International Roma Film Festival “AKE DIKHEA?” for the film “Time of Silence and Darkness” on October 27th. at 7:30 p.m. AKE DIKHEA is an international festival with films by and with Roma and Sinti, which has been taking place in Berlin every year since 2017. It shows the world from their perspective and asks how they see themselves and how they want to be seen.

Discrimination?

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At the North Elementary School “Am Reitbahnsee” in Neubrandenburg in North Eastern Germany, two preparatory classes with Ukrainian students are treated differently: While some are taught in the school building, a two-room apartment was rented for around 20 children – three kilometres away from the school. They belong to the Roma minority. This way they have no contact with other students. In addition, the apartment has safety deficiencies. Those responsible deny the allegations of discrimination.

Bad.

Paderborn: Exhibition

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Anyone who wants to learn something about the history of the Sinti and Roma is in the right place from Sunday in the Paderborn City Museum. This is where the new exhibition “Racial Diagnosis: Gypsy” begins.

Heidelberg Documentation Centre

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The German Federal Government granted 25 million euros for the planned conversion and new construction of the Documentation Centre of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg. This was decided by the Budget Committee of the Bundestag. The total cost of the project is estimated at 50 million, so half of it is already covered. With this promise, further steps can now be taken, according to the chairman of the Federal Association of German Sinti and Roma Romani Rose. The first draft by the architectural office “Bez und Kock” is now to be further developed. This had already triggered a debate in the summer of 2021 because some residents of the old town were bothered by the windowless facade. The state of Baden-Württemberg had also promised funding for the project. Romani Rose would now like to speak to the state government promptly about the amount of the grant.

Germany and Ukrainian Roma

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The German State of Baden-Wuerttemberg supports the integration of Roma displaced from the Ukraine. All offers for refugees should also be available to members of the Roma minority and other Romani-speaking people.

Apart from the fact that few non-Roma speak Romanes (they probably wanted to include Sinti), this is welcome.

Germany and Discrimination

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The Freiburg Roma Office has presented its fourth discrimination report. It collects subjective experiences of discrimination by Sinti and Roma, as well as reflections on the coexistence of majority society and minorities and the communication between them.

Sinti, Roma, and Music

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Romani Rose,  the Chairman of the Central Council stated that  Sinti and Roma influenced Europe’s music and that when people talk about European culture, Sinti and Roma are often easily forgotten. He would therefore like to open a museum as well as a permanent exhibition in the long term.

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