At the National Museum of History of Ukraine in Kyiv, an exhibition and presentation on the theme of “Memory of the Nazi Genocide of the Roma: Ukrainian and European Dimensions (on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, International Roma Genocide Remembrance Day, and the 10th anniversary of its official commemoration in Ukraine)” took place.
The exhibition featured: a slideshow of pre-war photos of Roma; display of books on the topic; a photo exhibition showcasing images from the wartime taken from German archives; memorials to the victims of the Roma Genocide installed in Ukraine; memorials in Poland and Germany; testimonies and photos of Ukrainian Roma who survived the genocide; materials from the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies on Roma Genocide (visual information about the website romagenocide.com.ua, projects, school competitions, publications); infographics about significant dates related to the Roma Genocide worldwide; text of the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Organizers:
• National Museum of History of Ukraine
• International Charitable Romani Women’s Fund “Chirikli”
• International Renaissance Foundation
• M. S. Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Archeography and Source Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Historical background:
During the night of August 2 to 3, 1944, in the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, 2,897 Roma were annihilated in gas chambers. Overall, in this camp, out of 23,000 Roma deported from 14 countries, more than 20,000 perished. It is estimated that during the Holocaust, between 600,000 and 1.5 million Roma fell victim to repression. In terms of percentage, the Roma ethnic group suffered the most from the killings by the Nazis. Many of them were exterminated in forced labor camps, places of residence, and punitive operations. The Roma of Ukraine also faced persecution.
