Roma Soul Food at The Night When the Violins Fell Silent

Maribor, Slovenia, July 31st 2025

On 31 July 2025, in Maribor, the Roma Soul Food project was presented as part of The Night When the Violins Fell Silent, organised by Epeka and Sinagoga Maribor. The event commemorated the International Roma Genocide Remembrance Day.

This commemoration holds deep symbolic weight — it is a day of honoring the victims of the Roma genocide during the Second World War, while also reaffirming the importance of Roma culture, resilience, and contributions to society. Within this solemn and reflective atmosphere, Roma Soul Food added its voice by highlighting how culinary traditions and oral histories can preserve identity and foster intercultural dialogue.

Our presentation showcased the project’s central mission:

• to document and celebrate Roma culinary heritage,
• to capture oral histories that carry personal and collective memory, and
• to create spaces for intercultural understanding through the universal language of food.

We are deeply grateful that the project resonated beyond the event itself, gaining visibility in local and national media outlets:

• RA Maribor (Do popoldneva, 31 July 2025, 14:30).
• Slovenska tiskovna agencija (STA) (31 July 2025, 13:34)
• Večer (31 July 2025)
• Lokalec.si (31 July 2025)

Through shared stories, food, and reflection, Roma Soul Food aims to honor the past while contributing to a more inclusive and connected future. Every recipe, every memory, and every conversation reminds us that remembering history is not only about loss but also about resilience, culture, and hope.

The Roma Soul Food project is co-funded by the European Union.