Karin Berger’s documentary film Ceija Stojka is a portrait of the titular Romani figure who was a Holocaust survivor, artist, musician, mother, and author. It is a poignant examination of how the greater Roma community processes its shared trauma and continued oppression after genocide of the Roma people. Released in 1999, the film is an intimate look into the life of the aging Ceija Stojka and her family, which is shown through a series of vignettes that depict daily life, Romani culture, issues of generational trauma, and modern discrimination. The film’s primary focus is on Ceija herself, but it is through this narrow focus that one can see how her life embodies the experiences of the Roma community in general, both good and bad. As a whole, the film is centered around remembering, identity, family, and community within Roma and Sinti society.
Ceija Stojka (1933-2013) was born in Kraubath, Steiermark, Austria and survived the Holocaust, and she became one of the first Romani women to publicly share her family's experience during that time. Her family were horse dealers before being taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Ravensbrück, and Bergen-Belsen. Throughout her adult life she wrote several texts about these experiences and preservation of memory of the Romani people. In 1999, Karin Berger produced the documentary about Ceija’s life and they became close friends throughout the film process.
The film provides the relevant historical context for Stojka's life and work. The Romani people, who are also known as Roma or Gypsies, have a long history of persecution and discrimination in Europe. In World War II, the Nazi regime targeted the Romani community for extermination, along with Jews and other minority groups. The Romani Holocaust, which is also known as the Porajmos, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Romani people.
Berger's documentary sheds light on Stojka's life and work, including her efforts to share her family's experience during the Holocaust as one of the first Romani women to do so publicly. Berger's film captures Stojka's powerful storytelling and advocacy for Romani rights, as well as her contributions to raising awareness about the Romani Holocaust. Through her documentary, Berger provides a platform for Stojka's important story to be shared with wider audiences, honoring her legacy as a Romani cultural activist and artist. Berger's work has contributed to preserving and amplifying Stojka's voice and shedding light on the history and struggles of the Romani people.
In the film, several themes and symbols are used to highlight the memory and resilience of the Romani people. The very first scene features Ceija singing. It is a poignant opening that sets the tone of the film. The song is beautiful, but also carries a melancholy to it that makes Ceija have to stop at one point. The song represents the beauty of Romani culture, along with the tragedy and loss that have impacted the Roma community throughout history. At the same time, the scene shows that, despite years of oppression, Romani culture continues to survive through generations, which indicates a resilience within the community as a whole.
Throughout the film, we see multiple scenes featuring music, including songs sung by Ceija on her own or with others in a group setting, along with recordings of performances by her son. Within the Stojka family, music is clearly an important way to preserve their culture and remember the generations that came before, as shown by the scene in which Ceija visits the former site of her family’s camp during her childhood. She sings a melancholic song that she remembers the adults singing, which connects her with those people and allows their memory to survive through the generations, despite the trauma endured by the family during the Holocaust. Overall, the repeated scenes of music within the film serve to emphasize the importance of music in Romani culture, and show how music can be a tool of intergenerational memory and remembrance.
Another aspect of the film worth examining is the repeated appearance of food/meals, which serves many of the same purposes that music does. Stojka’s focus on food and the cooking scenes shown in the film transform a simple daily act into a meaningful task that connects family and friends. Eating is not just an act of nourishment of the body, but also of the soul and family. Food brings people together to connect, and recipes and traditions pass on memories and stories across generations. Sometimes a beloved recipe or a memory of a meal is the best representation of a time, place, or person from long ago. In the film, Ceija cooks a traditional meal of chicken, peppers, carrots, and spices. The sharing of food and recipes across generations can aid in healing generational trauma.
Another notable theme in the film is the power of art to heal and to communicate. Stojka was a prolific artist, and her works explored the themes of memory, identity, generational change, and cultural heritage. Throughout the documentary, her paintings, drawings, and writings provide insightful commentary on the Romani experience, bridging cultures and preserving the memory of the Romani people. The documentary reveals the significance of experiencing and witnessing historical traumatic events first-hand, and it is apparent that through her art and activism, she works to preserve the memories of the Romani people. She refuses to let these stories be swept away by the narratives of mainstream archives. Through her art, Stojka worked to uplift the voices of a marginalized community and inspired others to do the same. In this way, her art is an example of creating a counter-narrative to established archives.
As a survivor of the Holocaust, Stojka used her art and activism to raise awareness of the experiences of Romani people in Austria and to fight against ongoing discrimination and violence against her community. Her artwork is a powerful reflection of her experiences and her cultural identity. Through her art, she was able to reclaim her cultural identity and to share the stories of her community with the world. In addition to her artwork, she was a tireless advocate for Romani rights. She spoke out about the ongoing discrimination and violence that the Romani people face, and she fought to ensure that their stories were not forgotten.
Stojka's legacy continues to inspire and empower people around the world. Her artwork is exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, and her advocacy work has helped to raise awareness of the ongoing struggles faced by the Romani people. Her life and work are a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up against oppression and of the power of art and activism to effect change. One of the most significant aspects of Stojka's legacy is the way that she challenged dominant narratives about the Holocaust and the experiences of marginalized communities. By sharing her own story and the stories of her community, Stojka helped to question the idea that the Holocaust was a singular event that affected only Jews. Her advocacy work also highlighted the ongoing struggles faced by the Romani people, who continue to be marginalized and discriminated against in many parts of the world.
Overall, her legacy is a testament to the power of art and activism to effect change and to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable hardship. Her artwork and advocacy work continue to inspire and empower people around the world, and her life and legacy serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.
Catherine Heiger, Luke Johnson, Andrés Vargas
Karin Berger is a director and author from Austria who studied ethnology and political science in Vienna before working as a freelance journalist and researcher. Her first film, "Küchengespräche mit Rebellinnen," was developed in cooperation with a working group on the topic of Austrian women who resisted Nazism. She has also worked in short films and full length documentaries whose projects are often connected with published books such as Ceija Stojka’s autobiographies, "Wir leben im Verborgenen" and "Träume ich, dass ich lebe?". Berger has focused on Stojka through her two films "Ceija Stojka" and "The Green Green Grass Beneath". Her most recent film from 2008, "Herzausreisser: Neues vom Wienerlied", touches on the Viennese musical culture through the perspective of the musicians and citizens. Additionally, she also gives lectures and workshops, as well as teaches practical and analytical approaches to documentary filmmaking at Austrian universities.
