© Sophie Ziegler
The project is dedicated to the songs of Roma in the areas of modern-day Serbia once occupied by the National Socialist regime, songs that gave voice to the people’s experiences of persecution and violence.
What do the project sponsor and the EVZ Foundation seek to achieve with this project?
The project is dedicated to the songs of Roma in the areas of modern-day Serbia once occupied by the National Socialist regime, songs that gave voice to the people’s experiences of persecution and violence. This heritage is still passed down in the Roma community as an expression of local historical knowledge and transgenerational remembrance.
Who is involved, and who does the project reach?
Professional musicians of Roma origin created new arrangements of three surviving scores. The works were recorded professionally with musicians from the Belgrade Philharmonic, (Roma) soloists from Serbia and Bulgaria, and a Serbian youth choir. The final concerts,
in Belgrade and Berlin, met with great acclaim. A book illuminates the little-known history of the camps and living conditions around Belgrade and documents Roma songs that testify to the brutal persecution.
Why is the EVZ Foundation supporting this project in particular?
By involving multiple generations of the Roma community, the project strengthens long-marginalized memories of the Roma genocide (Samudaripen). For the first time, compositions have been made publicly available at no cost for events promoting the culture of remembrance. Through concert recordings and the film documentary “Poems of Pain and Remembrance,” both the music itself and the process of its creation can now be heard and experienced.
Project sponsor: RomaniPhen e. V.
Funding period: 2023–2024
Funding amount: 353,162 euros
Funding countries: Germany, Serbia
Webseite: www.romnja-power.de
