On the event of commemorating the International Day against Fascism and within the pilot course of Antifascist Studies, the projection of documentary “The Wrong Word – Compensation for Roma and Sinti in Germany” (1987, 85 min, German/with Serbian subtitles) in Niš Cultural Centre on November 9th at 18h.
Documentary “The Wrong Word” shows for the first time the persecution of German Roma and Sinti during National Socialism from the point of view of the oppressed. Malanie Spitta, the survivors’ daughter and film maker Katrin Seybold created this film over a period of time when Sinti and Roma representatives openly started to criticize withheld and delayed compensations and harsh institutional practices towards the survived in general. Documentary reveals documents not published before including police files and Nazi photographs experimenting with women, children and men within the concentration camps.
Film „The Wrong Word“ proves, on the basis of then unpublished documents, refusal of the German State to pay compensation to persecuted Roma and Sinti. Structural antiziganisam represents one of many continuities and for a long time it was impossible to acknowledge genocide against Roma and Sinti. Until today, this prevents stopping of the persecution and discrimination of the survived Roma and Sinti and their descendants.
Even though many decades have passed, public remembrance of war crimes and genocide remain controversial. State offers its models of interpretation, culture of remembrance and policy of reparation which remain under the governing policy and its structure much dependant on the socio-economical conditions and dominant moral and ethical norms. Therefore, contemporary state of society constantly affects interpretation of its past and essentially defines policy of remembrance.
All this will be discussed after the film projection together with our guest who will also provide an introduction, Rena Raedle – artist, journalist and initiator of the multimedia project A Visit to Staro Sajmište.
