Exhibitions

Learning the History of Roma Survival and Resistance

The (re-)exploration of the forgotten and unwritten holocaust history of the Roma proclaims that Roma had the power to resist oppression, take part in different forms of resistance, and thus have the capacity to inhabit a different role than that of the victim. The research reveals new sources to demonstrate how Roma stood out in their conduct as compared to other inmates in the camps, and developed several survival strategies to preserve and maintain human dignity even in the most daunting circumstances. It collects the history of escapes, the uprisings on May 16, 1944 and August 2, 1944; it explores the memory of Roma heroes and the non-Roma supporters of the Roma resistance movement as well as the active and heroic participation of Roma people in the partisan movements around Europe under the National Socialist regime. In this process of re-learning Roma resistance emerges as an inspiring model for Roma knowledge, agency and consciousness... In this immersive rewriting of Roma history, “the history of resistance replaces a history of oppression”.

The irregular exhibition of Gallery8 attempts to (re)learn the Roma Holocaust and the Roma Resistance by archive documents, survivor testimonies and documents connected to the history of the roma resistance.

On the International Roma resistance Day we celebrate Roma taking an active and conscious role in shaping their lives and defining their own faith both during the holocaust and in its aftermath. On this day we celebrate the power of Roma assembly and the alliances we build for Roma self-determination.

(The Gallery8 exhibition is built on the new research – conducted with the leadership of Roma scholars, artists, organizations and activists - initiated by La Voix de Rroms, by Ternype Roma Youth Organisation, by the Tom Lantos Institute and supported by IHRA.)

Curator: Diana Bencze, Nanna Dahler, Tímea Junghaus