The topic of the Roma genocide remained on the sidelines of scientific research for a long time. And although with Ukraine gaining independence, the topic of the Second World War was at the center of numerous public discussions, and historical science accumulated a significant number of works devoted to the course of military operations on Ukrainian lands, the Roma topic was not actually covered in these studies. Ban on studying the so-called of “ethnic” stories disappeared only with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Currently, there is a revival of interest in the Roma topic in international scientific circles, but it will take a lot of time for national scientists to start paying attention to it on an equal basis with others.

This project is designed to return to history another “forgotten” face – the face of Roma children who, together with their families, were victims of mass extermination by the the National Socialist occupation regime during the Second World War.

The collection of memories of the witnesses of the Roma tragedy began at a time when a significant part of the Roma, who were adults at the time of the war, had already passed away. Children, who became eyewitnesses of military actions, are actually the last generation that can personally share the experience of life in wartime.

One of the largest initiatives, within the framework of which such testimonies were collected, was the project of the Fund of historical video documents “People who survived the Shoah”, founded by S. Spielberg. Today it is one of the largest archives of digital video materials in the world. Compared to other collections of the fund, the Roma collection is relatively small and amounts to 407 interviews. Research work was conducted in 18 countries, and the collected evidence is available in 17 languages. The lion’s share of memories were recorded in Poland (181) and Ukraine (135). These materials formed the basis of our project.

In the conditions of occupation, life takes on a new rhythm, established social ties are destroyed or fundamentally changed, completely different values and goals come to the fore, among which the preservation of life is first and foremost. It is children who become one of the most unprotected categories of the population, and for those of them who were covered by the so-called “special treatment” of the warring parties – the chances of rescue were many times smaller.

In their stories, informants often refer to stories about suffering, wandering, and the constant struggle for survival. The theme of family relationships runs through almost all the records as a very bright line, memories of orphanhood and forced premature adulthood are emotionally complex. The fate of completely orphaned children was much more difficult, as they had to take care of themselves.

Lack of food was the main problem that the Roma, like many other inhabitants of the occupied territories, faced on a daily basis. The retreat of the Red Army from the territory of Ukraine was accompanied by the use of “scorched earth” tactics. In order to feed themselves (and sometimes adult members of their families), children had to beg or work hard.

Among the most common narratives are interactions with non-Roma neighbors and occupiers; forced movement or hiding. In order to survive, one had to carefully hide one’s ethnic origin. It was often difficult for the occupiers to identify the Roma, so they enlisted the help of henchmen from the local population. But this principle also worked in the opposite direction – sometimes the intercession of someone from the local non-Roma population could be enough to save whole families even on the edge of the firing pit.

By the way, it is worth noting that not all occupiers in children’s memories appeared as potential enemies that instilled fear. Some Germans who lived in the homes of civilians helped them with food and household goods, etc.

Despite their vulnerability, in some places children still managed to survive. It is difficult for us to talk about at least an approximate number of such cases, because those memories that were managed to be recorded are only a drop in the sea of life stories that were caught in the storm of wartime. But along with this, it is worth remembering those who did not manage to escape and whose stories will never be told.

Today, even the few memories that were recorded and stored in archival repositories of scientific institutions and public organizations remain unclaimed – and above all by the Roma community itself. These materials are used mainly in the academic environment, but for the general public they are only the silent voices of the past. Such a situation cannot contribute to an effective solution to the problem of preservation of historical memory. And without a connection with history, it is impossible to destroy the borders based on numerical stereotypes and prejudices, and to overcome the anti-Roma sentiments prevalent in modern society. This project is intended to initiate changes in such a situation.

Each fragment of the interview we have chosen is a story about survival strategies: finding food, means of livelihood, about support and salvation, about heavy losses and the harsh everyday life of war, which its smallest witnesses and participants – children, faced face-to-face.

When creating graphic images, it was important for us not to limit ourselves to the usual illustration of stories. In the focus of each story are bright things-symbols that have become key in these memories. On the one hand, it will make it possible to convey to a wide audience the few unique stories that have been preserved. On the other hand, it will bring the problem of war and childhood to another level of understanding, where the experience of survival in a hostile environment for a child during the Second World War could be universal and reflect the stories of hundreds and thousands of other children not only in the wars of the past, but also in the armed conflicts of today, in particular , the war in the East of Ukraine that is relevant for us.

In different countries, the tragedy that happened to the Roma happened in different ways, but what was definitely common to all numerous groups in different countries – the suffering of children. We hope that the search for common symbols and ideas about the past will serve as an impetus for the development of new forms of representation of the Roma’s own history in the public space. The project should also draw attention to the problems of childhood in today’s conditions of increasing levels of xenophobia and Romaphobia, when due to the inaction of the relevant authorities and the exacerbation of right-wing extremism in spontaneous settlements of some socially excluded Roma groups, during attacks and arson attacks, it is their smallest inhabitants – children – who suffer the most.