This conference reflects upon the comparison between the present-day situation and what happened in the 1930s and 1940s. Is such a comparison possible at all? Why and how could or should such a comparison be made to reflect upon the contemporary situation of Romani and Sinti minorities in Europe? Since 1945, various Roma and Sinti groups have been involved in a struggle to get the genocide of Sinti and Roma adequately recognized. How does this struggle, as well as the neglect of this genocide by society at large, relate to contemporary public debates on the Roma’s situation in Europe?

The conference aims at bringing Roma, Sinti, scholars, activists, advocates, politicians and policy makers together to discuss these timely topics. Roma from Hungary, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic will present their analyses of the contemporary situation in their countries. A Sinto who has survived the war will share his experiences with the audience. Scholars will reflect upon the importance of taking into account the circumstances of the 1930s, as well as the post-war recognition struggle, for understanding the situation of Romani and Sinti minorities in contemporary Europe.

A preliminary agenda is available at http://www.romabuzzmonitor.net/2012/01/international-conference-on-roma-and-sinti-genocide-6-may-2012-amsterdam-netherlands/.

This event is part of the larger "Auschwitz Requiem Project." On May 3, 2012, Sint and Roma Philharmonic Orchestra (Frankfurt) and the Student Choir Amsterdam will perform the Auschwitz Requiem composed by Roger "Moreno" Rathgeb in the Nieuwe Kerk, Dam Square, Amsterdam. This will be broadcasted in Dutch National television on the 4th of May 2012 . Further performances of the Auschwitz Requiem are scheduled for Tilburg on May 4, Cracow on August 1, Bucharest on October 10, Frankfurt on October 24, Prague on November 4 and Budapest on November 6.

The conference is made possible thanks to financial support by the ITF, EU-Cultural Program, NIOD/Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the International Gipsy Festival.