Stephanie McDermott and Vanessa Paszkowska attended the 17th Meeting of the Council of Europe Dialogue with Roma and Traveller Civil Society ‘Teaching Roma and Traveller History’. The emphasise of the meeting was Roma Holocaust Remembrance, Recognition and Education. Welcomes and overview were chaired by Jeroen Schokkenbroek, Director, Directorate of Equal Rights and Dignity, Council of Europe with contributions from Szabolcs Schmidt, Head of Unit, Non-Discrimination: Anti-Racism and Roma Coordination, European Commission, Dotschy Michaela Reinhardt, Vice Chair of the Central Council for German Sinti and Roma, Germany and Timea Junghaus, Director, European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture.
The first presentation on “Equality and Freedom from Discrimination for Roma: Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education (RomaMemory)’ was chaired by Caroline Helene Martin, Programme manager, Roma and Travellers Division, Council of Europe with contributions from Szabolcs Schmidt, Head of Unit, Non-Discrimination: Anti-Racism and Roma Coordination, European Commission EU Policy, who provided an overview on the Assessment report of the Member States’ national Roma strategic frameworks – observations on antigypsyism, and Eleni Tsetsekou, Head of Roma and Travellers Division, Council of Europe European Union/Council of Europe Joint Programme “Equality and Freedom from Discrimination for Roma: Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education (RomaMemory).
Vanessa Paszkowska, Pavee Point Roma Worker, chaired the session on ‘Teaching Roma and Traveller History’, Roma Holocaust Education with contributions from Elise Cornu, Head of Division of National Minorities and Minority Languages, Council of Europe, Arthur CHAPMAN, Professor of History Education, Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment, University College London, UK and Jean Philippe Restoueix, History Education Division, Council of Europe. Much of the discussion centred around the absence of Roma and Traveller history in school curricula throughout Europe and the importance of teaching history.
Ms Paszkowska said, “We teach history to make the world a better place, for reconciliation, for recognition, for reparations and to learn from the mistakes of the past.”
Stephanie McDermott, Pavee Point Education Co-ordinator, added, “The absence of Roma and Traveller history ignores the trauma of the past (and the continuing legacy of that trauma) and the rich diversity of cultures, languages, ethnicities that have been part of Europe for centuries, selective memory oppresses.”
Other sessions included presentations from the Coalition on Roma Holocaust education, remembrance and recognition, countering antigypsyism, recognition of Roma holocaust and discussion on the ‘Dikh he na bister (Look and Don’t Forget)’, the upcoming International Youth Remembrance event to be held in Poland on August 2nd, European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. Delegates from Pavee Point will attend the memorial and will join the dialogue and reflection on the Roma holocaust which took place in various Nazi extermination camps. The extermination of Roma, forced labour, medical experimentation, starvation, separation and other human rights abuses have only recently been acknowledged.
In August 2024, Ms Paszkowska and other delegates from Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, will travel to Auschwitz for ‘Dikh he na bister (Look and Don’t Forget)’, the International Youth Remembrance event on European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.