Ceija Stojka

Ceija Stojka is a famous Austrian writer, artist, singer, activist, and survivor of the National Socialist concentration camps of Auschwitz, Ravensbrück, and Bergen-Belsen. She was born on May 23, 1933 in Kraubath an der Mur in the province of Styria (Austria). After the war, she was a marketer by trade. At the end of the 1980s she became engaged in the Austrian Romani movement and later on especially in Holocaust education initiatives. Her first autobiography, [ Wir leben im Verborgenen: Erinnerungen einer Rom-Zigeunerin (1988), became the first writing by a Romani person in Austria to relate the horrific torture under National Socialism. Ceija Stojka’s writings reveal information about her life, her family, and Lovara culture. They depict poignant human emotions and narratives about life and death, survival and destruction, happiness and sorrow, and hope and despair. Her stories defy stereotypes of “Gypsies,” on the one hand, as carefree, happy-go-lucky travelers and, on the other hand, as marauding, peripatetic bands. Traveling was not always exotic and blithe, as the family faced inclement weather, humiliating interrogation by officials, and discriminating remarks by compatriots. Acts of kindness and the family’s resourcefulness saved them. Ceija Stojka’s autobiographies grew out of memories that she had been prolifically writing down in notebooks using a style reminiscent of oral storytelling. Upon reading these texts, Karin Berger encouraged her to publish them. Ceija also wrote a book of poems and prefaces to catalogues of her artworks. In an oral recording (‘Why I went public’) she talks about needing to tell her story publicly to prevent future persecution and to ensure that future generations know about their history. She is featured in the films Ceija Stojka and Unter den Brettern hellgrünes Gras . As a writer and artist, Ceija Stojka was awarded several medals of honor in Austria and received the honorary title of Professor from the Austrian Minister for Education, Arts, and Culture in October 2009. She died on January 28, 2013 in Vienna, Austria. Stojka, Ceija. 1988. Wir leben im Verborgenen: Erinnerungen einer Rom-Zigeunerin. Erstausgabe. Wien: Picus. Stojka, Ceija. 1992. [Reisende auf dieser Welt: Aus dem Leben einer Rom-Zigeunerin. Wien: Picus. Stojka, Ceija. 2000. Me Dikhlem Suno. CD with booklet. Co-Production with Navigator Film. Non food factory nff 2303 (distributed by Hoanzl). Stojka, Ceija. 2003. Meine Wahl zu schreiben – Ich kann es nicht: Gedichte und Bilder. O fallo de isgiri – me tschischanaf les: Gedichte (Romanes, deutsch) und Bilder. Landeck: EYE Literaturverlag. Stojka, Ceija. 2003. Wir leben im Verborgenen: Erinnerungen einer Rom-Zigeunerin. Wien: Picus, 4. Auflage. Stojka, Ceija. 2005. Träume ich, dass ich lebe? Befreit aus Bergen-Belsen. Wien: Picus. »Unter den Brettern hellgrünes Gras«. Österreich, 2005. Film directed by Karin Berger. Navigator Film. Stojka, Ceija. 2009. Auschwitz ist mein Mantel: Bilder und Texte. Ed. Christa Stippinger. Vienna: edition exil. Stojka, Ceija. 2013. Wir leben im Verborgenen. Aufzeichnungen einer Romni zwischen den Welten. Herausgegeben und mit einem Essay von Karin Berger. Wien: Picus. (Both books Wir leben im Verborgenen und Reisende auf dieser Welt in one volume / Beide Bücher »Wir leben im Verborgenen« und »Reisende auf dieser Welt« in einem Band / E duj kenjvi »Wir leben im Verborgenen« und »Reisende auf dieser Welt« ande jek kenjva.) 2012 Wind. Erinnerungen – Kai Dikhas Gallery, Berlin KZ-ALPTRÄUME – Schneidertempel, Istanbul Stopping Places – Kai Dikhas Gallery, Berlin 2014 Ceija Stojka. »… ich habe dir 1000 Bilder gemalt …« – Bezirksmuseum Neubau, Vienna Die hellen Bilder – Kai Dikhas Gallery, Berlin Wir Leben im Verborgenen – Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg Wir Schämten Uns – Gallery 8, Budapest Ceija Stojka (1933–2013) Sogar der Tod hat Angst vor Auschwitz [Even Death is Terrified of Auschwitz] – Kunstverein Tiergarten, Galerie Nord