We find out more about the details surrounding the death of 49 year old Romani man Stanislav Tomáš. We also discuss the wider issue of police brutality directed towards Romani people across Europe.

Featured guests:
Bernard Rorke Policy & Advocacy Manager European Roma Rights Centre
Josef Miker Human Rights Activist Czech Republic
Sebi Fernandez PhD Researcher & Millitant of Kale Amenge
Music: Mal Eleve - Police
Host: Lisa Smith
Artwork: Elijah Vardo
Animator: Marius Roth
Music: Aroma Records
(c) cover motive: Lisa Smith © Elijah Vardo 2021
Smiths Kushti Podcast is supported by RomaTrial

On the evening of May 16, 1944, in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, SS guards armed with machine guns surrounded the area of the camp designated for Roma and Sinti prisoners. Their intent was to round up the nearly 6,000 prisoners there and send them to the gas chambers. But when the guards approached the area, they were met with armed resistance from the inmates.

The prisoners had learned of the planned “liquidation” and fashioned weapons from sheet metal, wood, pipes, rocks, and any other scraps of material they could get their hands on. According to the memories of survivors and witnesses to the incident, the inmates forced the guards into retreat, and though some prisoners were shot that night, the act of resistance allowed the Roma and Sinti prisoners to put off execution for several more months.

Lifelong campaigner & co-founder of the First World Romani Congress Grattan Puxon tells us what we can expect from this year’s online congress, what symbolism we gained from the first one and his own personal vision for a more democratic future. Featuring music from Sweedish Romani Traveller Lindy Larsson performing a rendition of the Roma national anthem 'Gelem Gelem'.

Host: Lisa Smith
Guest: Grattan Puxon
Featuring music from: Lindy Larsson
Artwork: Elijah Vardo
Animator: Marius Roth
Music: Aroma Records
(c) cover motive: Lisa Smith © Elijah Vardo 2021
Smiths Kushti Podcast is supported by RomaTrial

Five Romani women from the USA, UK and Germany come together to discuss acts of resistance, feminism, women’s rights and the vast amounts of potential Romani women have for generating change – not only within their own lives and communities but in broader society. With music from Riah Knight and poetry from Lois Brookes - Jones.

Featured guests:
Author & Academic: Dr Ethel Brooks
Musician, Songwriter & Actress: Riah Knight
Teacher & Women’s rights advocate: Sabina Salimovska
Poet & Co-Founder of the Dikhlo Collective & Travellerpride: Lois Brookes-Jones
Host: Lisa Smith
Artwork: Elijah Vardo
Animator: Marius Roth
Music: Aroma Records
(c) cover motive: Lisa Smith © Elijah Vardo 2021
Smiths Kushti Podcast is supported by RomaTrial
#internationalwomensday2021#phenjalipen
#actsofresistance #Roma #Rominjapower #womensrights

In this episode, we explore the dark undercurrent of far-right extremism in Germany and pay tribute to the victims of the Hanau terror attack on this one-year anniversary. We chat to 22-year-old Amaro Sinan Kuzhan from Hanau, Ferat Kocak, a Kurdish-German local politician from Berlin and Mehmet Daimaguler a lawyer working on the violent case of an arrest of an 11-year-old Sinti boy in Singen.

Featured guests:
Politician: Ferat Koçak Politician @der_neukoellner
Maruf Sinan Kuzhan from education initiative @bi_ferhatunvar
Lawyer: Dr. Mehmet Daimaguler
Translations: Carla Baumer
Artwork: Elijah Vardo @ElijahVardo
Animator: @treefibet Marius Roth
Music: Aroma Records

In this first episode, we meet our host Lisa Smith and uncover how covid-19 pandemic is fanning the flames of anti - Roma sentiment in Germany and across Europe.