Embassy Press Release

Remarks Delivered by Ambassador Mark H. Gitenstein at the Opening of the “Romani Voices” Photo Exhibit Completing the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation Project

October 1, 2009

Ambassador Mark Gitenstein and his wife Libby listening the performance of Taraful din Marsa. Bucharest, October 1, 2009 (Photo: Ana-Maria Popa / Public Diplomacy Office)

- TRANSLATION -

Românã

Director Mihailescu,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

This is my wife Libby. It is an honor for us to be here today to open the exhibit “Prin ochii nostri: romii în fotografiile lor”, one of our most vital projects funded through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. For its young participants, the Romani Voices project has been a living experience in their own culture. The work they have produced serves, in turn, as a vivid response to the discrimination of the minority. It celebrates “distinction” rather than “otherness,” it celebrates the values we share, rather than what sets us apart.

I would like to congratulate The Association for Dialogue and Civic Education, who had the imagination to respond to discrimination in a truly original way: they trained 75 young Roma from Timisoara, Bucharest, and Galati in basic photography techniques. After their training, these young people took their new knowledge back home and used their talent to immortalize through pictures, the most evocative images of daily life in their communities.

And what’s moving to me, as I watch these pictures is how happy everybody is, the sense of happiness and joy.

As one trainer explained, the original idea was to see how social perceptions change when Roma are not only the “subjects” of the photography, but they create the images themselves.

By the end of this project, over 10,000 pictures were taken and 800 of those were archived. The result of the hard work, creativity and passion of the participants is an art album containing the most expressive pictures and thoughts of the contributors. You’ll find many of those images here in this exhibit tonight.

Not only have these young people gained a new skill to be proud of and a new way to appreciate their homes and culture, but several of the kids have expressed a desire to continue their photography. One young man from Galati is even considering a career in photojournalism, and we wish him all success.

I invite you to enjoy the exhibit, to encourage others to come and do so, and to share the joy and pride of these young people in their distinctive traditions, and our common humanity.

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