On Romani Resistance Day, we remember the Romani uprising at Auschwitz in 1994 and celebrate the resilience of the Romani people. We also honour Viktor Ilchak and other Romani soldiers who today are defending their homeland and fighting for European values in Ukraine.
Watch Viktor Ilchak in conversation with Zeljko Jovanovic, president of the Roma Foundation for Europe.
Who is the Roma Foundation for Europe?
"The Roma Foundation for Europe works to build an ecosystem based on the talent, wisdom, strength, competence and resilience of the Roma as a collective counterforce to racism, economic deprivation, political exclusion and cultural subjugation. We aim to combine the potential of Roma communities, both as voters and as a workforce, with the voices of Roma advocates, supportive allies and influential friends.Our ambition, however, extends beyond the Roma context. Europe’s Roma have a remarkable history of adaptability and entrepreneurship, despite enduring adversity ranging from medieval persecution to the Holocaust to contemporary violence. Because they have felt systemic problems earlier and more deeply than the non-Roma population, we see Roma as catalysts for solutions to wider challenges. We therefore work to develop solutions for Roma that can be scaled up and, in turn, help solve the immense challenges Europe faces with the economy, politics, racism, culture and identity—in other words, with money, power and values."
Comments