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.
Echoes of Memory podcast invites listeners into intimate, intergenerational conversations about the Roma Holocaust and its living legacy. Across six episodes, Roma voices—elders, artists, activists, and youth—reflect on silence and survival, the stories passed down in families, and the ways remembrance continues to evolve. From uncovering erased histories to building digital archives, from confronting generational trauma to reimagining remembrance through activism and creativity, these episodes explore how memory shapes identity, resistance, and justice. Together, they ask urgent questions: How do we honor the past while keeping its lessons alive? How can remembrance guide us toward a more dignified and inclusive future?
Developed with support from the EVZ Foundation, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), the Council of Europe, Roma Foundation for Europe, and Open Society Foundations, this series continues to amplify Roma voices while exploring the history, memory, and legacy of the Roma Holocaust.
In the first episode, moderator Petro Rusanienko sits down with young Roma voices Maria Atanasova, Roxy Toledo Munrose, and Daniil Hromyko after their visit to the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism in Berlin. The conversation weaves together personal memories, the power of symbolic architecture, and the broader political context to examine how Roma remembrance is shaped—from family stories to public monuments. Most importantly, they discuss why the fight to preserve this memory remains urgent today.
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.
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 as passive victims of Nazi persecution, thereby effacing their agency. Historical evidence, however, reveals a far more complex narrative.
In a discussion moderated by Petro Rusanienko, guests Daniela Samiri, Brian Mihalicek, Dezső Máté, and Michel Femgren analyze the diverse strategies through which Roma resisted, including armed confrontation, organized escapes, acts of rescue, the preservation of cultural practices, and the determination to survive under conditions of annihilation.
By centering named individuals, personal choices, and lived experiences, the episode challenges reductionist portrayals of Roma as passive victims. Instead, it reframes Roma Holocaust history as one marked by resilience, agency, and moral courage.
The fourth episode of the Echoes of Memory podcast turns to the power of names in Roma Holocaust remembrance. Too often, Roma victims are remembered only as numbers, stripped of their identities and humanity.
Moderated by Anna Mirga-Kruszelnicka, with participants Anzhelika Bielova, Lisa Smith, and Brett Olah, the conversation reflects on why personal stories matter, how survivor testimonies confront the silences of perpetrator archives, and how remembering individual lives shapes our understanding of history. The episode underlines the urgency of restoring dignity to the victims, amplifying Roma voices in Holocaust remembrance, and ensuring that young Roma carry these stories into the future.
Eighty years after the Roma Holocaust, the phrase “Never Again” still resonates — but for many young Roma, it carries both urgency and frustration. It is a reminder of broken promises, gaps in remembrance, and the persistence of antigypsyism across Europe.
The newest episode of the Echoes of Memory Podcast brings together Roma voices to reflect on how history is remembered — or erased — in schools, museums, and public debates. Hosted by Petro Rusanienko, with participants Stelina Dungaj, Donald Myrteli, and Juan Gimenez, the conversation draws connections between the past and present, highlighting how discrimination today echoes the patterns of history.
At the heart of the discussion lies a crucial question: What must change for “Never Again” to become more than a slogan? The episode emphasizes Roma resilience while insisting on the need to move from memory to action — ensuring that remembrance empowers communities and holds societies accountable.
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 contemporary art can bridge gaps in public memory. From installations and poetry to performance and film, the conversation traces how younger generations are finding new ways to resist forgetting — and how art keeps memory alive.
Listen to the Echoes of Memory podcast on Spotify and stand with us in keeping Roma Holocaust memory alive, today and for the future!
Moderator: Umtata Tybora
Guests: Izabela Tiberiade, Daria Patru
This episode confronts the decades-long silence surrounding Roma Holocaust experiences. The guests reflect on myths, institutional erasure, and the lasting impact of generational trauma, while asking why Roma suffering was so late to be recognized.
Moderator: Riah Knight
Guests: Brejdon Xhavara, Alfred Ullrich, Bianca Babasa
A deeply personal conversation on how Roma families have carried Holocaust memory across generations—through silence, storytelling, art, and quiet acts of resistance.
Moderator: Petro Rusanienko
Guests: Mikulas Lakatos, Milena Reljić, Tayo Awosusi-Onutor
Roma youth and elders share how remembrance evolves through creativity and digital tools—from TikTok challenges to virtual archives—asking how memory can shape identity and activism for the next 80 years.
Moderator: Riah Knight
Guests: Franz-Elias Schneck, Olena Vaydalovych, Michal Ziga, Tatiana Malysheva
Young Roma voices explore how digital storytelling can preserve scattered memories and testimonies, ensuring that the Roma Holocaust is not forgotten in a digital age.
Moderator: Luna De Rosa
Guests: Palermo Hoff, Dzemiliana Abdulova
A powerful reflection on why remembrance is vital today. Through testimonies, education, and cultural expression, this episode examines how memory can inspire justice, dignity, and a more inclusive future.
Moderator: Daniela Samiri
Guests: Hynek Gannon, Tyanna-May, Hristo Kychykov
This episode challenges us to think beyond symbolic rituals, focusing on how remembrance can fuel activism and social change. The guests share visions of how memory can remain a living force for justice and future action.
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.
