ARСA presented its experience in preserving Romani oral history at a symposium in Yale

April 19, 2026 Conferences

On April 12, Yale University hosted a symposium that brought together researchers, activists, and artists working on topics related to Romani history, culture, human rights, and memory. One of the key sections focused on the genocide of Roma and the preservation of oral history.

As part of the “Holocaust” panel, Nataliia Tomenko and Verena Meier presented the talk “Safeguarding Oral History of the Genocide of Roma in Ukraine History.” Their presentation focused on preserving oral testimonies about the genocide of Roma in Ukraine during the Second World War.

For ARCA, this topic has been an important area of work for several years. For decades, the genocide of Roma remained underresearched and was often silenced — both in public discourse and in official historical narratives. That is why today it is especially important not only to restore historical justice, but also to document and preserve the memory of these crimes.

Oral history plays a special role in this process. Witness testimonies, family stories, and personal experiences help us understand the tragedy not only through numbers and archival documents, but through human lives. At the same time, with each passing year, there are fewer living witnesses, which means there is also less time left to record these stories.

“It is very important for us to speak about the genocide of Roma at international academic platforms like this. It is an opportunity not only to share the experience of the Romani community in Ukraine, but also to return this history to the international memory discourse of the Second World War. Oral testimonies help preserve the human dimension of the tragedy — something that cannot be conveyed through archival documents alone,” said Nataliia Tomenko.

ARCA values the opportunity to discuss these topics within international academic spaces. Events like this help expand the geography of our work, build new partnerships, and bring the history of Roma in Ukraine to wider audiences. It is also encouraging to see growing academic interest in the genocide of Roma and the preservation of oral history — meaning these stories are becoming less marginalized within public memory.

Daria Vorona
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