Reminds radio play: Sinti and Roma suppressed!

Reminds radio play: Sinti and Roma suppressed!

On October 2, 2025, we can look forward to a remarkable success in the cultural scene: the documentary radio play "No names, nobody", produced by Deutschlandfunk Kultur, has won the renowned Robert Geisendörfer Prize. The direction took over Franziska Stuhr, while the creative feather comes from Annette Kufner, who has made a name for herself as a freelance editor and artist. In her work, Kufner illuminates the persecution of Sinti and Roma during the Nazi era and gives the repressed stories.

The radio play, which was first broadcast on March 10, 2024 and is now available, addresses the systematic repression that began measuring bodies and the leading list lists. It describes a real event from a place where Sinti has been living for over 200 years. What happened in the past does not lose in importance: whole families disappeared from the north quarter in 1943. Out of 139 people only returned 11, and those responsible distanced themselves from their actions after the war. This cruel reality reflects a long history of discrimination that had to endure Sinti and Roma in Germany since the late 19th century, as the [historical-lexikon-bayerns.de] (https://www.historisches-listisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/lexikon/verfolgung_der_Sinti_im_national socialism).

A dark chapter of history

The persecution of Sinti and Roma has their roots in centuries -old prejudices. As early as the 18th century, racist reasons were developed to discredit the marginalized population. From 1938 they were systematically disrupted and deported to concentration camps, with 200,000 to 500,000 Sinti and Roma being murdered until the end of the war. This sad record is reminiscent of the still existing racism structures: Sinti has never received sufficient legal protection as a sub -group, which has been found in Central Europe since the 15th century.

The withdrawal of the fundamental basis, compulsory sterilization and ghettoization are just a few of the brutalities associated with Nazi rule. Among other things, "Gypsy" in the Nuremberg laws was classified as "foreign breed" in 1935. The fateful policy of this time was a result of decades of exclusion, which culminated in the Holocaust.

Memorial and educational work

The memory of these crimes is particularly painful for many descendants today. Many shy away from returning to the unbearable events for fear of stigmatization. Even a memorial stone from 2002, which is supposed to commemorate the victim, does not contain any names - another sign of fear and silence. With the documentary radio play by Kufner, not only history is created, but also a space for reflection, such as the [antziganism research.de] (https://www.antzitivanismforschung.de/ausrenzung-verglung-und- and--und- and-roma-waehrend-der-ns-1945/) illustrates that deals with the discrimination Sinti and Roma.

In a number of articles, it is discussed how important a critical and factual political education is in order not to be forgotten the offenses. The challenges of recent years have taught us how relevant the topic of discrimination in our society is still.

In summary, the documentary radio play "No names, nobody" not only shows the dark chapters of our history, but also asks to actively struggle against current forms of discrimination. With their work, Annette Kufner and Franziska Stuhr make a valuable contribution to the culture of memory and to clarify the persecution of Sinti and Roma.