Berlin's Roma-Sinti communities asserting their presence in German theatrical arenas

Under pressure from the Berlin memorial, Romani and Sinesit communities are building their own venues of remembrance.

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2025 September 15 . 11:33 AM

2 min read

Berlin's Roma-Sinti communities are asserting their presence in the German limelight

Berlin's Roma-Sinti communities asserting their presence in German theatrical arenas

Berlin's cultural landscape is witnessing a significant shift, with Roma and Sinti performances and narratives taking centre stage. This evolution is spearheaded by various organisations, including the RomArchive, the European Roma Institute (ERI), the Philharmonic Association of Sinti and Roma Frankfurt, and self-organization support programs by the EVZ Foundation and the Freudenberg Foundation. These groups are supporting performances at Berlin’s Volksbühne, which lack public discussion and are not explicitly mentioned in the text.

One such performance explores the deeds of Noncia Alfreda Markowska, a Polish Romani woman who saved scores of children during World War II. The piece, titled Noncia Alfreda: Heldin des Widerstands ("Noncia Alfreda: Heroine of the Resistance"), was staged at the Volksbühne's 3rd Floor Studios, originating from a Grüner Salon reading. The performance aims to fill gaps in German public discourse regarding the Romani experience during World War II and ongoing discrimination.

The Volksbühne has been Europe's first Roma-hosted theatre space since September 2022. However, the construction of an S-Bahn tunnel threatens to alter the landscape of the Tiergarten memorial as conceived by Dani Karavan. The Tiergarten memorial, which recognizes the ongoing life and mourning of Romani and Sinti peoples through a daily ritual, is highly contested to be temporarily closed for this construction.

The closure of the Tiergarten memorial is met with opposition by many Roma and Sinti organisations, including RomaTrial's Grüner Salon, which has enabled diverse Romani stories to unfold that might otherwise not have a place. A December discussion at the Grüner Salon involved Hamze Bytici, the leader of RomaTrial, sociologist and activist Leah Carolla Czollek, and Kelly Laubinger, co-chair of the Federal Association of Roma and Sinti, expressing their opposition to the closure.

The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma supports this project, citing infrastructure development's potential impact on Berliners' lives to reduce anti-Roma sentiment. However, critics argue that this decision highlights a shallow Erinnerungskultur (memory culture), especially regarding Roma and Sinti.

The Maxim Gorki Theatre has served as a base for Roma and Sinti theatre since 2018. The Romaday Parade in honour of International Roma Day will end at the Volksbühne, with the celebration continuing onto the main stage. On April 8, the Romani and Sinti actors and musicians will perform at the Volksbühne, Berlin's most historic stage, marking a significant step in the work of arts advocacy organisation RomaTrial.

Meanwhile, the Rom*nja Power theatre collective has been staging works in Berlin since 2017. Today, Roma and Sinti are taking centre stage, laying the foundations for a theatre not only of memory but also for a more equitable future.

Dani Karavan, the Israeli artist who conceived the Tiergarten memorial, was against the plan until his death. Despite this, the Berlin Senate has approved the plan to temporarily close the Tiergarten memorial for S-Bahn tunnel construction. The ongoing debate surrounding this decision underscores the importance of continued advocacy and support for the inclusion of Roma and Sinti narratives in Berlin's cultural landscape.