History and Commemoration

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) together with its project partners — Jaw Dikh Foundation (Poland), Women for the Future Association / Independent Theater Hungary (Hungary), Media Voice (Slovakia), and ARA ART (Czech Republic) — invites applications from young Roma individuals (aged 18–35) to participate in the international project Shared Histories, Shared...

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is releasing the masterclass Prince Ștefan Răzvan: The Construction and Deconstruction of a Roma Hero in the Context of Romanian History and National Memory, with historian Adrian-Nicolae Furtună, produced in the framework of the project Reclaiming Our Past, Rebuilding Our Future: New Approaches to Fighting Antigypsyism...

On 20 February 2026, the 170th anniversary of the Abolition of Roma Slavery in the Romanian Principalities (1385–1856) was commemorated in Bucharest through the official launch of the Roma Voices project. The initiative represents a collaborative effort of Roma Education Fund Romania (REF), European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and Amphitheatrrom Cultural Association, financially...

On 20 February 2026, Romania marks 170 years since the official abolition of Roma slavery in the Romanian Principalities. The act signed in 1856 brought an end to more than five centuries of enslavement of Roma people in Wallachia and Moldavia. Between 1385 and 1856, Roma were legally treated as property. They were owned by...

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) will take part in Cafe Kyiv 2026, one of Germany’s largest event dedicated to Ukraine, with the panel Roma Identity in Wartime, on February 23. The session, which brings forward first-hand perspectives of Ukrainian Roma affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine, is organized in collaboration with...

On 27 January 2026, the United Nations General Assembly Hall hosted the official United Nations observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, held under the theme “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights.” At the invitation of the United Nations, Nataliia Tomenko addressed the international community by...

Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honour the victims of Nazi violence: six million Jewish people, hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti, and countless others persecuted and murdered, including disabled people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and political dissidents.   We honour their memory by refusing to forget and by renewing our responsibility to resist intolerance...

  Carnegie Hall in New York, one of the world’s most prestigious platform of artistic achievement, will host on February 2, 2026, from 8:00 PM, the Concert for the Day of Remembrance / Samudaripen, in the Weill Recital Hall. Promoted and organized by the Union of Roma Communities in Italy (UCRI) on the occasion of...

Public Announcement: ERIAC Executive Leadership Transition Berlin, 5 January 2026   The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is completing a planned transition in its executive leadership, following a period of institutional renewal and strategic development.   Over the past year, ERIAC has undertaken significant governance renewal, including the reconstitution of its governing...

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is pleased to announce the selection of the Thematic Section Coordinators for the year 2026. Following an internal call open to ERIAC members, five professionals have been selected to take on this important role, each representing one of ERIAC’s core thematic sections:   Arts and Culture...

Demonstrating their continued commitment to amplifying Roma and Sinti voices in Holocaust remembrance, European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies have selected the recipients of the 2025 Roma Holocaust Voices Fellowship. This year’s Creative Fellowship is awarded to filmmaker Lisa Smith, while the Academic Fellowship goes...

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), is pleased to announce the online training Roma(ni) Past – Europe’s Future: Why Embracing the EU’s Largest Ethnic Minority Matters, dedicated to strengthening understanding of Roma identity, history, culture, and the realities of antigypsyism, organized within the framework of the ERIACNET4EU initiative.   This training aims...

Building on the success of the previous year, Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies and the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) continue their collaboration through the Roma Holocaust Voices Fellowship. This program offers a platform to support Roma voices in relation to the history and memory of the Roma Holocaust and its...

In the sixth episode of the Echoes of Memory podcast, curator and moderator Timea Junghaus sits down with artists Lila Loisse, Riah Knight, and Petro Rusanienko to explore how Roma artists carry and transform the memory of the Roma Holocaust through creative practice. Together, they reflect on personal awakenings, silences and institutional erasure, and how...

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), in partnership with the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ), is proud to announce the release of six new episodes of the Echoes of Memory – Roma Youth for Holocaust Remembrance podcast.   Echoes of Memory podcast invites listeners into intimate, intergenerational conversations about the Roma...

What does resistance look like when survival itself is at stake—and how have Roma communities defied erasure during and after the Holocaust? The third episode of the Echoes of Memory podcast examines a frequently neglected dimension of the Roma Holocaust: the theme of resistance. Scholarly and popular accounts have too often depicted Roma communities exclusively...

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...

Driven by its mission to empower Roma through arts, culture, and remembrance, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), in partnership with the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ), launches the podcast series Echoes of Memory – Roma Youth for Holocaust Remembrance. The project explores the history and legacy of the Roma Holocaust...