Petr Lhotka
Museum of Romany Culture, Czech Republic

Since its founding in 1991, the Museum of Romany Culture in Brno has stressed the need for educating society about Roma history and culture in its activities. The holocaust in the history of the Roma as well as the majority population is, therefore, an essential part of the museum's educational activities. The situation regarding education about the Roma holocaust in particular and Roma history in general is different and specific compared with the Jewish holocaust or the Nazi persecution of other population groups. Interest in studying the Roma holocaust was not registered until the 1960s or 1970s. The studies on the Roma holocaust which have been published provide a basis for teaching or, rather, informing people about this tragic event. The term "the Unknown Holocaust", used to refer to the genocide practiced on the Roma by the Nazis, is symptomatic of the absence of more detailed information on the Roma holocaust. The Museum of Romany Culture is active in contributing to efforts to make this "Unknown Holocaust" better known, through its activities in informing the public about Roma history.

Information about the Roma holocaust is disseminated in several ways. This is by no means limited to organizing lectures for the public or publication activities. Another form of presenting information about the Roma holocaust is the effort to raise monuments honoring the memory of murdered and persecuted Roma at the places where they suffered. Another indisputably important form of education about the holocaust is the creation of a museum exhibit, which would provide the general public with the most vivid possible picture of the tragic fate of the Roma under Nazi persecution, set within the context of the entire history of this ethnic group, and which would serve as a memento for the future. The aim of education about the holocaust should thus be to provide information on an exceptional historical event, as well as call forth discussion in society leading to the elimination of all forms of discrimination.

The form of education about the Roma holocaust most frequently used at the Museum of Romany Culture is undoubtedly lectures on this topic. For five years now, the museum has been regularly organizing a series of lectures at the Moravian Museum in Brno, entitled "Who Are the Roma?". This series is made up of regular lectures on Roma history and culture. Among the historical topics featured is the holocaust, placed within the context of Roma history. These lectures are intended for the general public, and the lecturers include leading Czech specialists on the given issues. In this way, the museum is also able to acquaint the public with the results of its activities.

Besides organizing this series of lectures, employees of the museum also lecture on Roma history at secondary and university-level schools of various types, or give lectures for the public as organized by other institutions (Roma advisors at district offices, teacher training centers, etc.). It is also actively involved in seminars on the Roma and other activities organized by institutions focusing on Roma history and current affairs.

The museum's publication activities represent another means of informing the public about Roma history. The Museum of Romany Culture provides space for materials related to the Roma holocaust in each issue of its annual Bulletin, publishing individual studies on this topic in its pages. In addition to this, the museum has cooperated with other institutions in publishing works from the pen of the leading Czech expert on the Roma holocaust, Professor Necas, concerning the Gypsy camps in Lety near Pisek and Hodonin near Kunstat (Necas C., Andr'oda taboris. The Tragedy of the Gypsy Camps in Lety and Hodonin. Brno 1995 and Ma bisteren. Let's Not Forget. Prague 1997.)

In connection with these publications, it should be remembered that they were issued on the occasion of the unveiling of memorials on the site of the former Gypsy camps. The Museum of Romany Culture also took an active role in preparing or instigating the raising of these of these monuments to human suffering.

Museum employees actively contribute to the preparation of exhibitions. We should at least mention their contribution to the exhibition in Budapest entitled "Roma in Central Europe", which was shown last year. The museum actively contributed to, among other things, the part of the exhibition which concerned the Roma holocaust. At the present time (until the end of November 1999) the Anthropos Pavilion in Brno is presenting an exhibition entitled "Searching for a Home. Rodas amaro than", prepared in cooperation with the Moravian Museum, which attempts to present the history and culture of the Roma. Naturally, some space has also been devoted to the Roma holocaust here, as part of the historical section of the exhibition. The permanent exhibition being contemplated for the future will, of course, also include the Roma holocaust, particularly in the Czech Lands, as one of its principal topics. The Museum of Romany Culture has also lent its assistance to the preparation of a permanent exhibition on the Roma holocaust in Auschwitz, as initiated by the German Sinti and Roma Documentation Center in Heidelberg and the State Museum in Auschwitz.

Museum employees regularly lecture on topics from Roma history and culture at several universities (e.g. Palacky University in Olomouc). Besides the activities of the Museum of Romany Culture, there are, of course, other projects focusing on the Roma holocaust. Conferences and seminars on this issue provide opportunities for grasping the issue of the Roma holocaust and placing it within the context of Czech history in particular. Cooperation with other Czech and foreign institutions as part of the project entitled "The Holocaust Phenomenon", mainly in providing education about the holocaust in comparison with efforts abroad, will certainly yield results in terms of further efforts to deepen the general public's knowledge of this historical period. The experience gained by means of this cooperation will help to augment the forms by which the public is educated on the topic of the Roma holocaust.

One specific example is the question of eyewitnesses and the presentation of their stories to the public. Since its activities first began, the Museum of Romany Culture has been the only institution in this country to make systematic efforts at collecting oral histories, and thus to create a resource base not only for researchers but also for presenting these histories to the public as part of the museum's lecture activities. In the future, this material should be used in the creation of educational cassettes. These cassettes will be the result of archival research work by museum employees, supplemented by oral histories from eyewitnesses.

Lately, Roma history, especially the holocaust, has begun to receive attention in history textbooks as well, whereas until very recently there had been practically no mention of it. This trend must, however, continue to spread. At present, the Museum of Romany Culture already recommends history textbooks for use by the Ministry of Education, and produces informational materials for teachers (e.g. PhDr. Horvathova). In the future, preparation of further instructional aids (copies of documents, videocassettes and other materials useful for teaching) may also be considered.

Overall, it may be stated that, thanks to the relatively extensive coverage granted to certain topics in the mass media, a certain awareness of the Roma holocaust exists. Often, however, this awareness is not based on concrete historical facts and, therefore, the final image does not correspond in some cases to the information we have on this chapter of Roma history. During the past ten years, of course, serious scholarly works on the Roma holocaust have been produced, and these could serve as the basis for further education and as a solid, reliable source of information for those interested in this period of history. Several documentary films focusing on the Roma holocaust have also been made. One example is Jan Gogola's hour-long documentary "Frantisek Daniel Speaks". Employees of the Museum of Romany Culture took part in its production, along with the Film and Sociology Foundation and the Holocaust Museum in Washington.

For the future, the museum is considering further expansion of its educational activities, which should take their place alongside its research activities aimed at gathering materials on the Roma holocaust, as a basis for helping people to learn tolerance and understanding.

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