Echoes of Memory Podcast | Episode 2: Other Perspectives

How can we make Holocaust remembrance more inclusive? The second episode of the podcast Echoes of Memory engages in a critical expansion of the historiographical and memorial frameworks concerning the Holocaust. Moderated by Petro Rusanienko, the episode features a powerful dialogue with Florentina-Alexandra Manea, Cat Jugravu, and Estera Stan.

Their discussion examines the often overlooked victims of Nazi persecution—including queer people, people with disabilities, political dissidents, Black Germans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others. Through stories of persecution, resistance, and survival, the conversation explores the power of symbols, the role of archives, and the importance of intersectionality in historical memory.

Developed by the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), in partnership with the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ), the podcast series Echoes of Memory – Roma Youth for Holocaust Remembrance explores the history and legacy of the Roma Holocaust through the experiences and perspectives of Roma youth.

Meet the participants

Florentina-Alexandra Manea is a Roma feminist activist and political scientist, with expertise in Roma inclusion, human rights and gender equality. Her work lives at the intersection of activism, policy, and resistance. She currently serve as the President of the Feminist Collective of Romani Gender Experts, a transnational network reshaping how power and voice are held in Roma and feminist movements.

Estera Stan is a Romani activist from Berlin and is studying to become a primary school teacher. She is a peer trainer against racism of Sinti:zze and Rom:nja, active at RomaniPhen Archiv and is a board member of the association das Kombinat. She also does theater including forum theater at Kuringa in Berlin.

Cat Jugravu is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, activist and educator, developing narratives that explore the intersections of Romani and queer identities through performance art, installations, educational programs, and curated exhibitions. Their work blends spoken word, physical theatre, melodrama, archaic song, and ritual, focusing on gender euphoria, queer failure, and critical fabulation to reclaim Romani queer histories. Their MA research at Mozarteum University Salzburg explored aligning theatre pedagogy with queer, non-hierarchical, and transformative principles. As founder and artistic co-director of QUEERDOS Kollektiv, they’ve led over 15 directorial projects and productions across Europe, turning QUEERDOS into a key platform for intersectional queer performance art. Recent productions include stages at Deutsches Theater Berlin, Volksbühne Grüner Salon, Maxim Gorki Theater, and Ballhaus Naunynstraße. In 2024, they received the Gen Divers Preis Mozarteum for “DIONYSOS. MADNESS POURS UPON MY LOVELY FACE” and the Bertha Artivism Award for “Fields of Resistance,” focusing on the Porrajmos with the DePART collective. They also secured EU and Goethe-Institut funding to implement their performance training methodology. They premiered “Trans(myth) Me Baby One More Time” at Kino Šiška, alongside their first solo exhibition at Škuc Gallery in Slovenia in 2024. Their work centres queer, trans, and Romnja BIPOC individuals as narrative experts, using theatre to dismantle traditional hierarchies and foster collective resistance. As co-founder of DePART Collective and member of Romnja in Power Theaterkollektiv, they continue pushing theatre as a space for radical remembrance.

The podcast series Echoes of Memory – Roma Youth for Holocaust Remembrance is developed by the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), funded by the EVZ Foundation and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) within the programme ‘YOUNG PEOPLE remember on site & committed’, and supported by the Council of Europe, Roma Foundation for Europe, and Open Society Foundations.

This publication does not represent an opinion of the EVZ Foundation or the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). The author is responsible for the content statements.