Photos taken in Romania (2)
03-02-2008
A blackberry picker. In distant parts od the Romanian mountain range Muramureš you can meet not only sheep and shepherds but also blackberry pickers. (August 2007)
Author Štěpán Hašek, Prague
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Market in Sighet (Sighet, Maramuresh, August 2007)
Author Štěpán Hašek, Prague
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Old Veta. When I was a little boy, my father used to take me to Veta, an old Roma woman, who bought beer in the brewery and sold it a little more expensive in front of her door. Therefore we used to say: We are going to old Veta (la baba Veta). We also used to visit her with my teacher to persuade her Grandson to attend school. Veta´s improvised pub is called At the white horse. In summer she sells popcorn there, she can foretell future from cards or from 41 corn grains. (summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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Where? „The man is ill“, told me a Roma woman. As she had asked him a lot, he slowly came out of his dark room and posed in front of my objective. (summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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Waiting. I think he is going to get delighted when I order some spirits for him at the shop „At Lidia“ or „At the waiter“. (Summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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Discovering the world. Puzzled by the objective and people loitering about. (Summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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The future without spectacles. At crossroads Stadionului and Bazalt in front of residential houses there stand two small shops: „At the waiter“ and „At Lidia“. The girl sometimes stands in front of the door, sometimes at the cash desk and asks you for some Bani to buy herself candies. (1 Eurocent is approx. 3,8 Bani). (Summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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The future without spectacles. They were rejoicing when I was taking pictures of them, they were jumping, teasing each other, laughing at me and wanted photo after another. (Summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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A visit to the town. This man has come to the town from a distant village to donate blood for money. On the way back to the bus station his son fell asleep. (Summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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A day is a holiday. For her smile I am obliged to my guide, her neighbour. (Summer 2005)
Author Ciprian Cirniala, Prague
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Ciprian Cirniala wrote:
The photos were taken in the city of Buzau in the Southeast of Romania in
summer 2005. More precisely, it is an area inhabited by Romas and it begins
in our quarter. They are not traditions, customs that I photographed but
mostly lethargic afternoons, common everyday life of many Romas who live in
a city and have largely lost touch with their own traditions.
Notes from my diary
Summer 2005. For the city where I have found my new home I wanted to bring
an image of the country of my origin, Romania, an image of unknown and
downtrodden „Europe“. The community of Romas live there as listlessly and
forgotten as they used to in the times of Ceauşescu. However, compared to
the old days, Romas (both adult and children) seem to be more aware of their
poverty and loneliness. When looking into their eyes many clichés popped up
in my head and formed into a tiring tune. I caught myself feeling I did not
“wish” to change anything about it.
I didn’t feel like „ameliorating the world“ when I was walking through
their quarter with my camera and 15 films. I was more pondering on their
possible sale to a magazine. A colleague of my father’s was accompanying
me. Soon ten or more children gathered in front of my objective. And more
and more were turning up; also adults who wanted to know what I was doing
came. They were approaching. Some suspected a potential impostor and warned
me to get out of there. Others may have seen a hero who could rouse them
from their everyday life for just a little while. I don’t even remember
whether I had some sweets for children then.
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