Roma Genocide Commemoration Initiative “Dik I na Bistar” 2016

Date 8 August 2016 Author Atanas Stoyanov Category Romani remembrance

From the 1-5 August 2016 in Krakow, Poland was held the “Dik I na Bistar”  (“Look and don’t forget”) Roma Genocide Commemoration Initiative. Around 350 young Roma from all over Europe took part in the event organised by the Ternype International Roma Youth Network.

For one week the youngsters were divided into small working group led by facilitators to discuss in depth different topics such as “Why is important to remember and commemorate?”, “Contemporary antigypsyism” and “Resistance”. On the 2nd August the Polish Government organised a special commemoration event in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp site in memorial of all the Roma victims of the Roma Genocide during World War II. Young Roma participated on this commemoration. Two days later, on August 4th, again on the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was organised a special Roma Youth Commemoration. The remembrance initiative took place on the spot where was built the already destroyed Crematorium and Gas Chamber V: the place where on the night of 2nd against 3rd August 1944, 2897 Roma were exterminated at once.

Together with youngsters, Roma Survivors also took part in the “Dik I na Bistar” Commemoration Initiative. Speeches were delivered by the French Romani Survivor Raymond Guereme and the Hungarian Roma Survivor Jozsef Forgacs.

More photos and videos from the event you can find at  the facebook page of RomaReact .

Tags: Porajmos, RomaGenocide