10 October 2024 Time to read: 3 mins

Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies hosts international workshop: Teaching about the Roma Genocide. Prospects and Challenges.

From 26 – 27 September, 2024, the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies in partnership with the OeAD_ERINNERN:AT hosted the international workshop Teaching about the Roma Genocide. Prospects and Challenges. The event was financed by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the Ministry and the Zukunftsfonds of the Republic of Austria. Supported by the British Embassy in Vienna, the workshop hosted participants from the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Austria. The participants shared their experiences of promoting education about the genocide of the Roma in various national or local environments, discussing teaching practices surrounding the genocide in 11 countries. 

Participants at the workshop agreed that using Romani voices and biographies is a powerful tool to support recognition of and teach about the genocide of the Roma as part of European history. They discussed how sensitivity towards language is central to teaching practices, including expressions that do not reinforce stereotypical, negative, and discriminatory connotations. The workshop also emphasized how engaging Roma communities in developing the content for education about the genocide of the Roma is important alongside building an inclusive society.  

“Nothing about us, without us.”

Based on the example of the learning platform romasintigenocide.eu, the workshop explored methodological approaches and opportunities to use digital tools within local and national contexts. It critically reflected on the use of historical sources, including photographs of Roma taken by perpetrators of the genocide. In addition, the workshop also held discussions on the challenges related to teaching about the genocide, including the limited time-resources and opportunities for training available for teachers.  

Sharing various experiences, the participants called for more action to recognize and educate about the persecution of Roma under Nazi rule and its allies, focusing on encouraging stronger collaboration of stakeholders within education, civil society, training agencies, administration, and public policymakers. 

The workshop was opened by Helmut Böck, Co-head of the Austrian delegation to the IHRA and included a video message on behalf of the UK IHRA Chair delivered by Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Stéphane Laederich, the Chair of the IHRA Committee on the genocide of the Roma spoke about the upcoming IHRA Recommendations for Teaching and Learning about the Persecution and Genocide of the Roma during the Nazi Era which will be published later this year.  

The workshop was a significant step towards encouraging strong cooperation between stakeholders to make greater effort to recognize and teach about the genocide of the Roma.  

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