The Sinti Allianz Deutschland e.V. initiates, in a press statement of November 12, 2007, a possible way to, hopefully, overcome the current deadlock as to the Romani Holocaust Memorial to be built in Berlin.
For years now the construction of this memorial in the German capital, the new old capital, has been hampered by what inscription it should bear, as Romani Rose and the Central Council of German Sinti & Roma has objected vehemently to any and all suggestions to use the word “Zigeuner” within the context of the inscription on the monument, for the usual concocted reason that is always given when an objection is made to the use of the word “Zigeuner” (we shall not discuss that wherefores here now) and has insisted on the use only of the “politically correct” term of “Sinti and Roma”, thereby, however, excluding, for instance, the Jenisch. It was as “Zigeuner” that Sinti, Roma, Jenisch, et al, were persecuted and murdered; the group names were never really used or even mentioned in the context.
The Sinti Allianz, in the person of Natascha Winter, now suggests that, as the German federal government would appear to be incapable to resolve the impasse caused by Romani Rose and the Central Council's insistence on the term “Sinti and Roma”, that the memorial itself be built without bearing any inscription whatsoever. May one ask who is actually building this memorial and whose money is used in the construction? This is a rhetorical question, obviously, as I am well aware, as I am sure are all the readers, that it is the German government and German tax payers' money that is being used and therefore it is rather difficult to understand how and why the Central Council and Mr. Rose can block the construction of this monument for the last number of years.
If the Central Council thinks that they have to get their way and their wording then, maybe, the Central Council should raise funds themselves to build their own version. I am sure that one or the other municipality, the capital Berlin even, might oblige with a piece of land as to where to put such a memorial.
This was done in the Netherlands successfully many years ago but it would appear that one does not want to use one's own funds for such a venture, obviously. One also does not look a gift horse in the mui. Period.
In its proposal the Sinti Allianz Deutschland puts forward the idea to have a chronology of events and other information regarding the Nazi persecution of all who were persecuted as Gypsies (Zigeuner) made available within the territory of the memorial for visitors, while the memorial itself would be without an inscription. This would, I am sure, make the most sense. Much more than to, purposely and needlessly, delay the building of the memorial just because of some person's wish (and of that person's organization) to excerpt power. The memorial has become the victim of a power struggle between organizations and differing groups of Gypsies in Germany.
The entire affair, so far, has become childish in the extreme and reminds one of a spoiled brat who, rather than sharing his toys with others breaks them in a tantrum.
Again my question: “why do the organizations not build their own memorial or memorials even, with donations gathered for the People and Gadje well-wishers, in the same way as it was done in Holland? Why demand that the German State do it?
They owe us, you say. But, Sintiale, have you got no pride? You sell the People's victims in this way? Obviously, you have no pride and are happy to accept blood money, even if this is in the form of a memorial.
I rest my case but will say in closing that the suggestion made in the statement by the Sinti Allianz would appear to be the best solution, even though I would rather still like to see a statement mentioning “those that were persecuted as 'Zigeuner'”. I am not taking sides; I am just stating a point.
Mind you, having seen the model of the proposed memorial I cannot, for the life of me, see the relevance that design has to our People. Something more akin to those memorials that can be found in some places in the former Czechoslovak Republic would be and have been more appropriate than this one that is being proposed and be more easily understandable without any need for texts, and such a memorial could have been built a long time ago (even by our People themselves).
That was, however, never the intention; a fight for supremacy, on the other hand, was, and all that using the memory of those that were murdered just for being Gypsy, for being Zigeuner. If those victims could they would turn in their graves, as one says in English.
All those that have been involved in this affair of blocking this monument to the memory of the Gypsy victims of the Racial Purity Obsession of the Nazis should go and hang their heads in shame and leave the field to those people that have the interest of the People at heart.
© M V Smith, November 2007