Radio România Internațional

Tag: memorial

  • October 8, 2022 UPDATE

    October 8, 2022 UPDATE

    European Council. President Klaus Iohannis reiterated, on Friday, in Prague, Romanias stand regarding the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the continuation of Bucharests constant support, on multiple levels, including in preparation for winter, in the context of the new escalations caused by the Russian Federation. The head of state participated in the informal meeting of the European Council in the Czech capital, where he expressed Romanias openness to the reconstruction process. In another move, regarding the high level of energy prices, a constant concern for Romania, Klaus Iohannis recalled the need to adopt measures to ensure the decoupling of the price of electricity from the price of natural gas. The main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting concerned the situation in Ukraine, developments in the field of energy, from the point of view of the impact of high prices and efforts for ensuring supply security, as well as the economic situation at the European level. As for Ukraine, European leaders strongly rejected and unequivocally condemned Russias illegal annexation of Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions following fake referendums.



    Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have announced that two cemeteries were found in the city of Lyman (east), recently freed from the control of the Russian occupiers. Lyman, a town in the Donetsk region, was liberated from the control of the Russian forces a week ago. According to the BBC, the governor of the region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said that at one of the cemeteries there are about two hundred graves, where civilians are believed to be buried. The other is a mass grave, where both civilians and soldiers could be buried. Kirilenko stated that the authorities have started an investigation and soon the dead bodies will be exhumed. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of committing war crimes against civilians in the occupied areas. In another development, several rocket attacks on the city of Hharkiv were reported on Saturday. Also on Saturday, the bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia was badly damaged after a truck was detonated alongside a train of fuel tank cars. The destruction of the bridge deals another serious blow to Russias war effort in Ukraine, disrupting a crucial supply route. Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, ahead of this years Russian invasion.



    Rating. Fitch Ratings Agency has confirmed Romanias sovereign rating at BBB minus with a negative outlook, this being the last note in the investment-grade category (recommended for investments). The rating is supported by the EU membership and the capital flows that support investment and macrostability, and the GDP per capita (GDP per capita value expressed in standard purchasing power parity), governance and human development indicators, which are above the values of other states benefiting from a BBB rating. However, these values are counterbalanced by a budget deficit and a current account deficit that are higher compared to the deficits of other countries, by low performances regarding budget consolidation and high budget rigidities, and a relatively high net external debt, Fitch says. The agency estimates a reduction of the fiscal deficit in 2022 to 6.4% of the GDP, following the solid performance on the revenue side. According to Fitch, the economy would register a 6.2% growth in 2022, one of the highest growth rates in the EU. This is driven by the build-up of stocks, but also by solid private consumption, despite the war in Ukraine.



    Nobel. Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties are the laureates of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their defense of human rights and resistance against power abuses, the Nobel Committee announced on Friday from Norway. This award comes against the background of Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion, and there are many accusations that numerous war crimes have been committed. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained, in its motivation, that the Peace Prize laureates have been promoting, for many years, the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy, the Committees announcement also reads.



    Festival. More than 340 short and feature films are presented, until October 16, in several locations in Bucharest, at the 17th International Animation Film Festival Animest. According to the organizers, this year the event includes lots of screenings and special events, parties and masterclasses supported by professionals specially invited to Bucharest. The list of films participating in the festival includes titles that have attracted the attention of the entire industry over the last year, standing out in the competitions of major international film events. For example, the production Flee, directed by the Danish Jonas Poher Rasmussen, which received three Oscar nominations and numerous awards and which tells the story of a mans escape from Afghanistan to Denmark. There are also Romanian films presented at the festival, such as The Island, the latest feature film by Anca Damian, a surrealist comedy based on a reinterpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe. (MI)

  • October 8, 2022

    October 8, 2022


    European Council. President Klaus Iohannis reiterated, on Friday, in Prague, Romanias stand regarding the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the continuation of Bucharests constant support, on multiple levels, including in preparation for winter, in the context of the new escalations caused by the Russian Federation. The head of state participated in the informal meeting of the European Council in the Czech capital, where he expressed Romanias openness to the reconstruction process. In another move, regarding the high level of energy prices, a constant concern for Romania, Klaus Iohannis recalled the need to adopt measures to ensure the decoupling of the price of electricity from the price of natural gas. The main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting concerned the situation in Ukraine, developments in the field of energy, from the point of view of the impact of high prices and efforts for ensuring supply security, as well as the economic situation at the European level. As for Ukraine, European leaders strongly rejected and unequivocally condemned Russias illegal annexation of Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions following fake referendums.



    Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have announced that two cemeteries were found in the city of Lyman (east), recently freed from the control of the Russian occupiers. Lyman, a town in the Donetsk region, was liberated from the control of the Russian forces a week ago. According to the BBC, the governor of the region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said that at one of the cemeteries there are about two hundred graves, where civilians are believed to be buried. The other is a mass grave, where both civilians and soldiers could be buried. Kirilenko stated that the authorities have started an investigation and soon the dead bodies will be exhumed. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of committing war crimes against civilians in the occupied areas. In another development, several rocket attacks have been reported today on the city of Kharkiv. Also today, the bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia was badly damaged after a truck was detonated alongside a train of fuel tank cars. The destruction of the bridge deals another serious blow to Russias war effort in Ukraine, disrupting a crucial supply route. Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, ahead of this years Russian invasion.



    Rating. Fitch Ratings Agency has confirmed Romanias sovereign rating at BBB minus with a negative outlook, this being the last note in the investment-grade category (recommended for investments). The rating is supported by the EU membership and the capital flows that support investment and macrostability, and the GDP per capita (GDP per capita value expressed in standard purchasing power parity), governance and human development indicators, which are above the values of other states benefiting from a BBB rating. However, these values are counterbalanced by a budget deficit and a current account deficit that are higher compared to the deficits of other countries, by low performances regarding budget consolidation and high budget rigidities, and a relatively high net external debt, Fitch says. The agency estimates a reduction of the fiscal deficit in 2022 to 6.4% of the GDP, following the solid performance on the revenue side. According to Fitch, the economy would register a 6.2% growth in 2022, one of the highest growth rates in the EU. This is driven by the build-up of stocks, but also by solid private consumption, despite the war in Ukraine.



    Nobel. Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties are the laureates of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their defense of human rights and resistance against power abuses, the Nobel Committee announced on Friday from Norway. This award comes against the background of Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion, and there are many accusations that numerous war crimes have been committed. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained, in its motivation, that the Peace Prize laureates have been promoting, for many years, the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy, the Committees announcement also reads.



    Festival. More than 340 short and feature films are presented, until October 16, in several locations in Bucharest, at the 17th International Animation Film Festival Animest. According to the organizers, this year the event includes lots of screenings and special events, parties and masterclasses supported by professionals specially invited to Bucharest. The list of films participating in the festival includes titles that have attracted the attention of the entire industry over the last year, standing out in the competitions of major international film events. For example, the production Flee, directed by the Danish Jonas Poher Rasmussen, which received three Oscar nominations and numerous awards and which tells the story of a mans escape from Afghanistan to Denmark. There are also Romanian films presented at the festival, such as The Island, the latest feature film by Anca Damian, a surrealist comedy based on a reinterpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe. (MI)




  • October 7, 2022 UPDATE

    October 7, 2022 UPDATE

    Prague – President Klaus Iohannis reiterated, in Prague, Romanias position regarding the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the continuation of Bucharests constant support, on multiple levels, including in preparation for winter, in the context of the new escalations generated by the Russian Federation. Klaus Iohannis participated, on Friday, in the Czech capital, in the informal meeting of the European Council, in which context he expressed Romanias openness to the reconstruction process. On the other hand, in the context of maintaining the high level of energy prices, a constant concern for Romania, Klaus Iohannis recalled the need to adopt measures to ensure the decoupling of the price of electricity from the price of natural gas. The main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting are related to the situation in Ukraine, on all of its dimensions, the developments in the field of energy, from the point of view of the impact of the high prices and the efforts for security of supply, as well as the economic situation at the European level. As for Ukraine, European leaders strongly rejected and unequivocally condemned Russias illegal annexation of Ukraines regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson following fake referendums.



    Anim’est – Over 340 short and feature films will be presented, between October 7 and 16, at the 17th edition of the Animest International Animation Film Festival. According to the organizers, screenings and special events, parties and masterclasses supported by industry professionals especially invited to Bucharest will not be missing from this year’s festival. The list of films within the festival also includes titles that have attracted the attention of the entire industry in the last year, standing out in the competitions of major international film events. Such an example is the production Flee, directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Denmark), which received numerous awards. The list also includes Romanian films. The film Insula — The Island, a surrealist comedy based on the interpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe and the latest feature film by Anca Damian, will also be presented.



    Nobel — Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatsky, Russia’s human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to document human rights abuses, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday. This award comes as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion, which has drawn accusations that numerous war crimes have been committed. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained, in its motivation, that the Peace Prize winners have been promoting, for many years, the right to criticize power and to protect the citizens’ fundamental rights. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power.” The committee’s motivation also shows that, together, they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy.



    Patients – Five Ukrainian patients will be taken over from Poland by a Spartan aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force and transported to Ireland for treatment. The transport is monitored by a medical team made up of specialists from the Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital and from the Air Transport Base 90. Ukraine sent the request for air transport through the platform that facilitates communication between the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the national authorities. (LS)

  • August 2, 2022 UPDATE

    August 2, 2022 UPDATE

    NATURAL GAS The Romanian state owned company
    Romgaz has announced it completed the acquisition of shares from the American
    company ExxonMobil as part of the Neptun Deep natural gas extraction project in
    the Black Sea. The energy minister Virgil Popescu said on a social network that
    the completion of the USD 1 billion transaction is an important step ahead for
    Romania in its effort to achieve energy independence, at a difficult time for
    the entire Europe. Romania, which is currently the European country the least
    dependent on Russian gas, owns large reserves in the Black Sea – around 200
    billion cubic meters. Most of it is in the Neptun Deep perimeter, which Romgaz
    will develop alongside OMV Petrom. Meanwhile, in the Midia perimeter, nearly
    120 km off Romania’s Black Sea coast, Black Sea Oil&Gas has already began
    extraction.


    ROMA Improving the quality of life of Romania’s
    Roma minority, based on active citizenship, social and economic inclusion and
    the Roma cultural heritage is a priority for the government of Romania. This
    message was conveyed by PM Nicolae Ciucă on the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.
    The foreign ministry mentioned that the suffering inflicted on the Roma in concentration
    and extermination camps run by the Nazi and their allies during WW2 were
    unfortunately ignored for too long by the general public. This is why the
    foreign ministry supports national and international initiatives to promote
    research and commemoration of the Roma genocide. The institution also condemns
    hate speech against this community. The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis
    also pointed out in a message that stigmatizing and discriminating against minorities
    must be penalised harshly.On August
    2, 1944, nearly 3,000 Roma at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp were killed by the
    Nazi regime. Overall, some 500,000 Roma people were killed in Europe during the
    Holocaust.


    DROUGHT In Romania, the total area affected by drought has reached
    over 190,000 hectares in 24 counties, 30,000 hectares more than the previous
    day, the Agriculture Ministry announced. According to weather experts, temperatures
    will gradually rise until August 8, in most parts of the country. Moreover, the
    Danube river flow is half the multi-annual average for the month of August. The
    National Waters Administration announced that the strategic water reserve in
    the main 40 lakes in the country is 3.19 billion cubic metres, down from 3.45
    billion in early July.


    COVID-19 The health minister Alexandru Rafila does not rule out a 7th pandemic wave in
    Romania this autumn, when schools and universities resume classes. In
    his opinion, wearing face masks in public transportation means and closed areas
    is critical to keeping the pandemic under control. On Tuesday over 11,600 new
    COVID-19 cases were reported, most of them in Bucharest and in Cluj and Timiş
    counties. More than 4,000 COVID patients are hospitalized, of whom nearly 600
    are children. 277 patients are in intensive care, and 38 COVID-related deaths
    have also been reported, including a child.


    TAIWAN U.S. House of Representatives Speaker
    Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday with a clear message for China. She said the
    US commitment to supporting Taiwan’s democracy is more important than ever.
    Nancy Pelosi’s visit, which was immediately condemned by the Chinese
    authorities, is the first by a US House of Representatives speaker in 25 years.
    On Wednesday she will have meetings with Taiwan officials. Beijing responded immediately,
    denouncing what it called a very dangerous attitude on the part of the US.
    Taiwan has had its own government since the communist victory on continental
    China in 1949, but Beijing views it as one of its own provinces and threatens
    to resort to force should the island proclaim its independence.


    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA 16) qualified to the round of 16 of
    the Washington tournament after defeating the Moldovan Cristina Bucsa (WTA
    123), 6-3, 7-5. Halep will be up next against the winner of the match between
    American Madison Brengle and Russian Ana Kalinskaya. Also, the Romanian-Czech
    pair Monica Niculescu/Lucie Hradecka (WTA 250) qualified to the quarterfinals
    after a victory against Emma Răducanu (UK) /Clara Tauson (Denmark), 6-4, 6-1.
    Niculescu and Hradecka will be up next against Americans Makenna Jones/Sloane
    Stephens. (AMP)

  • The domestic universe of poet George Bacovia

    The domestic universe of poet George Bacovia

    On one of Bucharests interwar outskirts, to this day a rather modest neighbourhood of Romanias capital city, lies the small, seemingly insignificant, yet welcoming home of early 20th Century poet George Bacovia.



    Labelled by literary critics a symbolist poet, only to be included in a movement, Bacovia still charms his readers with his simple, sad poems that reflect and grant beauty to despondency. In fact, the sadness in his poetry was a reflection of his fragile and depressive nature.



    Bacovias survival depended mostly on his wife, Agatha, whom we also owe the existence of the small “George and Agatha Bacovia Memorial House. Curator Lelia Spirescu with the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest told us more about this house and its location on the outskirts of the capital city.



    Lelia Spirescu: “This was a ‘democratic area or neighbourhood, as the poet liked to call it. It was part of the underprivileged, proletarian world, rather than a wealthy suburb. Obviously, it matched his soul perfectly. Well, George Bacovia confessed at some point that most of his memories, both as a child and as a grownup, were tied to the town of Bacău. But it was in this house that he came to live together with and due to his wife, Agatha Grigorescu. She took a loan from the Teachers Association and managed to have this house built in record time, about one month. And she also oversaw the construction works. As I was saying, this place seemed tailored to his soul. George Bacovia was an introvert, a man who kept to himself, prone to sickness, fragile in both physical and psychological terms. He suffered from depression as well. Agatha on the other hand was an optimist, a fighter, all her life. Its true, she had no choice but to be one. She was his pillar of strength, both during his lifetime and after he died. She wanted his literary legacy to last forever, so she donated the house to the state, and it became a museum as early as in 1958, one year after the poet died.



    Although he spent most of his life in Bucharest, George Bacovia was deeply marked by his hometown of Bacău, in the east of the country.



    Lelia Spirescu: “Poet George Bacovia was born in Bacău on September 17, 1881, into a merchant family with a lot of children. Gheorghe Andone Vasiliu, known under his penname of George Bacovia, had 10 siblings. His first contact with Bucharest was in fact in 1903, when he came here to attend Law School, but he quit after the first 3 years. In 1907 he joined the Law School in Iaşi, where he graduated in 1911. He would move back and forth between Bucharest, Bacău and Iași. His wife was born in Mizil, Prahova County, in the south, on March 8, 1895 and her childhood was by no means easy. She lost her mother just days after she was born, and her father died when she was 15. She had 2 sisters, and she was raised by her family. She met the poet George Bacovia in 1916. She graduated from the School of Literature and Philosophy and she taught Romanian language and literature. She would also work as a substitute French teacher. She was a poet, too. She made her debut in 1923 with a poetry volume entitled “Twilight harmonies.



    Agatha provided George with the material and psychological support that he needed so much, and designed the house in Bucharest as a shelter for him and as a home that would reflect her personality as well, as Lelia Spirescu told us:



    Lelia Spirescu: “This house is quite modest, quiet, combining energies that were defining both for Agatha, and for George. The light and brightness of the house makes us think of her optimism, whereas the modesty and the dark tones of the furniture represent George Bacovia. These energies are present in the house to this day. You can feel both of them here when you visit the place.



    With only 3 rooms and a few small utilities rooms, the George and Agatha Bacovia Memorial House is filled with the couples personal items: furniture, books, radio sets, paintings, the violin that the poet used to play.



    Lelia Spirescu: “He loved drawing and music to the same extent. It was actually for drawing that he won his first prize ever, in 1899. That year was a landmark for him in 2 respects, because in 1899 he made his debut with the “Literatorul magazine run by poet Alexandru Macedonski, and also he won a top national place in a still nature drawing competition. He was also keen on music, which was actually his first love. He found music in his middle school years, when he played in the school orchestra and even got to conduct this orchestra with such talent that his music teacher advised him to go to the Music Conservatory. He didnt, he eventually chose poetry, but he remained loyal to music as well. His favourite instrument was the violin, and I think no other instrument could have resonated better with his emotions.



    After Bacovias death, the building and items in it were declared a “public utility collection managed by the poets wife and son, and in 1966, when the house was donated to the government, it was turned into a memorial museum. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Année de l’hommage aux victimes du communisme

    Année de l’hommage aux victimes du communisme

    Le président Klaus Iohannis a signé les décrets pour décorer le Mémorial des Victimes du communisme et de la Résistance de Sighet (nord-ouest), respectivement l’Association « Memorialul Revoluţiei 16-22 Decembrie 1989 Timişoara » (ouest). La décision a été adoptée « en vue de marquer les 30 ans depuis la Révolution roumaine, en signe d’estime et de reconnaissance pour l’importante activité de recherche sur le phénomène totalitaire et de promotion des valeurs nationales et européennes ». Sighet et Timişoara sont des repères essentiels sur la carte de la Roumanie martyrisée par le communisme. Fondé sous l’égide du Conseil de l’Europe par la poète et dissidente Ana Blandiana, le Mémorial est aménagé dans l’ancien pénitencier dans lequel les communistes ont emprisonné et tué des dizaines d’hommes politiques démocrates, de généraux et de hauts prélats dans l’entre-deux-guerres. Quant à l’association de Timisoara, elle réunit beaucoup de ceux qui, en décembre 1989, ont allumé la flamme de la Révolution qui allait culminer, à Bucarest, par la fuite du dictateur Nicolae Ceauşescu. Le chef de l’Etat a également annoncé qu’il déclarerait 2019 Année de la Reconnaissance le 20 mai, date à laquelle ont eu lieu, en 1990, les premières élections libres de la Roumanie postcommuniste. Klaus Iohannis :



    « C’est l’année pendant laquelle je souhaite que nous prouvions notre reconnaissance envers ceux qui ont rendu possible le grand changement de décembre ’89, et certains, plus râleurs, m’ont dit : bon, et alors pourquoi commencez-vous en mai ? C’est très simple : je souhaite déclarer 2019 Année de la Reconnaissance, qui s’achève en décembre par une grande fête en l’honneur de la Révolution de ’89, et je commence lorsque le vote démocratique en Roumanie a commencé. Les premières élections libres ont eu lieu le 20 mai 1990 en Roumanie, si vous vous en souvenez. »



    Des voix de la politique, de la société civile et de la presse ont déjà salué l’annonce de Klaus Iohannis. Elle a également suscité des critiques virulentes. Candidat à sa propre succession, le chef de l’Etat est accusé faire un thème de campagne de l’hommage aux victimes de la résistance anticommuniste. Contre-candidat potentiel, le président du Sénat, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, accuse le fait que cette initiative vise « l’utilisation à des fins électorales » d’éléments émotionnels — « la chute du communisme, le sacrifice des martyrs et la liberté retrouvée ». Le fils de la plus célèbre opposante de Ceauşescu, la professeure Doina Cornea, Leontin Iuhas, qui a séjourné lui-même dans le dépôt de la Securitate, a annoncé son refus de participer aux cérémonies patronnées par le président. Certains commentateurs ne cachent pas leur amertume que le dérisoire électoral menace de couvrir un thème tragique. Installée, à la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, par les troupes soviétiques d’occupation, la dictature communiste a rempli la Roumanie de bagnes et de geôles dans lesquels les historiens estiment qu’au moins 600.000 personnes ont été emprisonnées pendant un demi-siècle. D’ailleurs, en 2006, l’ancien chef de l’Etat, Traian Băsescu, avait condamné, par une déclaration officielle, le régime communiste comme criminel et illégitime.


    (Trad.: Ligia)

  • Le mémorial de Sighet

    Le mémorial de Sighet

    Le musée de Sighet concentre larchipel de la terreur communiste des années de plomb, de 1950 au début des années 1960, et dans lequel ont trouvé la mort plus de cent mille Roumains. La fondation « Academia Civică/LAcadémie civique », fondée et longtemps dirigée par les écrivains et opposants anticommunistes Ana Blandiana et feu Romulus Rusan, a réussi, au milieu des années 90, à ouvrir ce premier lieu de mémoire dédié aux victimes de la répression communiste. Au fil du temps, ce lieu réussit à se forger une place particulière dans la conscience collective des Roumains.



    30 ans après la chute du communisme en Roumanie et dans toute lEurope de lEst, Ana Blandiana rappelle limportance de ce lieu de mémoire. Au-delà des mots, lon entend la voix particulière de lécrivaine et de lopposante anticommuniste dont lémotion suinte, comme pour mieux transmettre toute lhorreur de lindicible. « Le mémorial de Sighet, qui pour moi remplace une pile de livres que je nai pas écrits, cest un livre en soi. Un livre dans lacception médiévale, dans lacception des chroniqueurs, un manuel de mémoire, un abécédaire qui nous apprend à recouvrir notre mémoire collective. Car la victoire la plus retentissante du communisme a été celle de nous avoir privés de notre mémoire. Nous en sommes devenus conscients de toute la tragédie de cette situation seulement après 1989. Parce que lhomme sans mémoire, lhomme nouveau, le lavage des cerveaux que le régime appelait de ses vœux, cet être qui ne devait se souvenir ni de celui quil avait été, ni de ce quil avait fait, ni des biens quil possédait avant linstauration du régime communiste, cétait bien cet homme que le régime ambitionnait de créer. La mémoire demeure une forme de vérité, et elle devait être anéantie pour que la vérité soit anéantie avec. Ou manipulée. La guerre contre la mémoire, qui représente à la fois un crime contre la raison et contre lhistoire, a représenté lœuvre capitale du communisme. »



    Les deux écrivains fondateurs du Mémorial ont ressenti le besoin de faire revivre le souvenir de la prison de Sighet devenue, durant les années 50, le cimetière de lélite roumaine. Cétait leur petite pierre apportée à lédifice de la renaissance du passé, celui obnubilé et déformé par lidéologie marxiste. Ana Blandiana encore: « Réaliser ce Mémorial nétait pas un but en soi, mais plutôt un moyen. Nous ne nous sommes pas proposé de créer un chef dœuvre muséographique, où les crimes de notre passé récent soient mis en lumière dune manière artistique et scientifique, rangés dans une bibliothèque de lindifférence contemporaine. Non. Nous avons voulu faire une œuvre de mémoire, creuser et faire revivre la mémoire au profit de cette génération qui, lavage du cerveau aidant, ne connaissait plus ni ses origines, ni ses buts. Cette génération devenue incapable de transmettre lhéritage du passé aux générations futures. Le musée du Mémorial de Sighet est bien le lieu où les jeunes ont loccasion dapprendre une histoire que ni leurs parents, ni lécole nont été en mesure de leur transmettre. Il sagit dune véritable pédagogie de la mémoire que lon a désiré instaurer à travers la création de ce musée. Les visiteurs peuvent lire les documents, regarder les images, écouter des analyses et des témoignages qui décortiquent les ressorts intérieurs dune mécanique historique qui a broyé des destins et qui sest nourrie de la haine de classe, faisant fi des droits humains les plus élémentaires. »



    La haine, cest le mot clé du marxisme déchaîné. Les contemporains de lépoque ont ressenti pleinement sa force destructrice. La haine, un sentiment, un état desprit qui perdure encore aujourdhui, et qui trouve ses racines et ses origines à lépoque communiste, croit Ana Blandiana: « Dailleurs, la haine, le fanatisme perdurent au-delà de leurs formes premières, institutionnalisées, consacrées. En effet, le communisme a disparu en tant que système, mais il perdure dans nos manières dêtre, dans les mentalités. Lanalyser, le décortiquer, serait salutaire, pour notre avenir dabord. Il suffit de penser aux membres des organisations terroristes actives pendant les décennies 6, 7 et 8 du siècle passé, des terroristes qui sentraînaient dans des camps spécialement aménagés par les Etats communistes de lEurope de lEst. Leurs armes étaient fabriquées en Tchécoslovaquie et en URSS, vous savez. Des armes et des techniques qui seront utilisées dans des attentats perpétrés en Europe de lOuest. Etudier le communisme nest guère en vain. »



    Mais ce que lon vit aujourdhui, trente ans après la chute du mur de Berlin, est-il vraiment lié à ce qui sétait passé à lépoque? Ana Blandiana croit dur comme fer que les évolutions daujourdhui sont intimement liées à lexpérience communiste passée : « La question qui nous importe le plus est de savoir dans quelle mesure nous continuons dêtre influencés par le communisme, 30 ans après son décès officiel. Je me rappelle avoir répondu à une vaste enquête lancée par une revue culturelle à peu près à ce sujet. A la question de savoir si le thème du communisme et de lanticommunisme aurait encore une relevance lors des 4 prochaines élections présidentielles, la grande majorité de ceux qui ont été questionnés a répondu par la négative. Pensant aussi que laugmentation des prix aura infiniment plus de poids. En même temps, effectivement, il est évident que pour ce qui est des droits et des libertés, du respect des droits de lhomme, de léconomie, les choses sont complètement différentes de ce quelles étaient à lépoque communiste. Mais si lon regarde la moitié vide du verre, lon identifie encore lombre menaçante du communisme, des similitudes, et cela dans plein de choses : dans la capacité de manipulation, par exemple, ou encore dans celle déluder la vérité. »



    En vertu de limportance du passé quil fait revivre, le Mémorial de Sighet gardera toujours vivante la flamme de la mémoire traumatisée des quatre décennies de communisme subies par les Roumains. (Trad. Ionut Jugureanu)

  • The Sighet Memorial

    The Sighet Memorial

    Opened in the
    former prison in Sighetu Marmatiei, the museum tells the story of the communist
    reign of terror between 1950 and 1960, when some 100,000 Romanians were killed.






    The Academia
    Civia NGO run by writers Ana Blandiana and Romulus Rusan has managed to create
    the first museum devoted to these victims in the mid-1990s, which has since
    been a landmark of civic awareness.








    Ana Blandiana
    spoke about the Memorial this year, when Romania marks 30 years free of
    communism. This is the opinion of a writer, not a researcher, whose
    heart-rending words echo the unimaginable abhorrence whose tragic effects
    linger to this day.






    Ana Blandiana: The Sighet Memorial is a book in itself. To
    me, it is an unwritten one. It very much resembles a medieval liturgical book
    that teaches by means of memory. It’s a book teaching you how to retrieve memory.
    The biggest achievement of communism, which became apparent in a dramatic way
    only after 1989, was that it created a man without memory, the new man, the
    brainwashed man, who didn’t need to remember who he was, what he had or what he
    did before communism. Memory is a form of truth and it needs to be destroyed in
    order to destroy or manipulate truth. Destroying memory, a crime against both
    reason and history, is the primordial work of communism.






    The two writers
    felt the need to turn Sighet into a place for memory, considering it is here
    that the Romanian elite of the 1950s perished. Their effort is but a small part
    in the wider project of retrieving the past, deformed by Marxist ideology.






    Ana Blandiana: To us, creating the Sighet Memorial was not
    an end, but a means. We didn’t set out to create the perfect museum, where the
    crimes of recent history should be artistically and scientifically laid out on
    shelves, gathering the dust of contemporary ignorance. What we wanted and
    desperately sought was a means to recuperate the definition of a generation
    that was brainwashed and lost all its bearings, a generation incapable of leaving
    anything to the coming generations. The Sighet Memorial Museum is the place
    where young people can learn things that neither school nor their families were
    able to teach them. Here they read documents, see pictures, listen to analyses
    and testimonies on the horrors of the second half of the 20th
    century perpetrated in the name of class hatred and the repression of the most
    basic of human rights, a hatred that fuels history itself.




    Hatred: this
    word was the cornerstone of Marxism, a regime that repressed the innocent. Everyone
    who’s experienced this regime has felt its force to the full. It is a feeling
    that continues to affect society today, which we would better be able to
    understand if we looked closer at our communist roots, Ana Blandiana argues.








    Ana Blandiana: In fact, hatred and fanaticism continue to
    exist beyond the disappearance of the institutions that proliferated them.
    Indeed, communism as a system is gone, but its methods and mindset have
    endured. Analyzing communism is as useful to the past as it is for the present.
    Suffice it to recall the members of terrorist cells in the 60s, 70s and the 80s
    trained in military encampments and shooting ranges in Eastern Europe. Then
    they put their training to the test in attacks carried out in Western Europe.
    They used Soviet and Czech weapons to understand that the study of communism
    and its methods can be used also as an intelligent means to understand and
    solve some of the world’s current issues.






    Is communism
    instrumental in understanding the post-communist reality? Ana Blandiana
    believes it is.

    Ana Blandiana: The main issue is to see to what extent
    communism can be relevant in post-communism, to the last 30 years. I’ve taken
    part in a wide survey conducted by the ‘Observatorul Cultural’ magazine, and
    there was a question whether the communist and anti-communist rhetoric will
    still be able to impact the next four rounds of elections in Romania. Most
    people answered no, and the topic of the rising prices will be infinitely more
    important to them. At the same time, I believe we need to answer this question,
    because, from the point of view of freedom and justice, of human rights, of
    economy, things have changed, we’re no longer under communist rule, of course.
    But if we look at how the diabolical methods of manipulation and obscuring the
    truth were used in communism, we cannot hide the fact that there are times in
    present-day Romania when things are disturbingly similar to what we’ve
    experienced before.






    The Sighet
    Memorial remains a meaningful place for understanding and relating to the past,
    which continues to live in the present.



  • 18.05.2018

    18.05.2018

    Visite – Le président roumain Klaus Iohannis s’est entretenu vendredi avec le premier — ministre croate, Andrej Plenkovic. Pendant sa visite à Bucarest, le chef de l’Exécutif de Zagreb a également rencontré son homologue roumain, Mme Viorica Dăncilă. Les deux dignitaires ont signé une déclaration d’intention portant sur le renforcement de la coopération bilatérale dans les domaines de la défense et de la sécurité. Viorica Dăncilă a souligné que l’éducation, l’agriculture et le tourisme resteraient des domaines importants de la coopération bilatérale. A son tour, le premier croate a mentionné les très bonnes relations bilatérales et précisé que le volume des échanges commerciaux s’élevait à plus de 300 millions d’euros. Les deux officiels ont également fait part de l’intérêt de leurs pays pour la stabilité et la sécurité des Balkans occidentaux et réitéré leur ferme appui à la poursuite du processus d’élargissement de l’UE.



    Moldova — La commissaire européenne à la politique régionale, Corina Cretu, qui effectue une visite de cinq jours en République de Moldova, a déclaré que l’UE souhaitait rester un partenaire fort pour le développent de ce pays. Elle a tenu ces propos à l’issue de son entrevue avec le premier ministre Pavel Filip. Corina Cretu a par ailleurs souligné la nécessité pour Chisinau de se pencher davantage sur la mise en œuvre des réformes dans les secteurs clé, tels l’économie, le milieu des affaires, l’énergie et la justice. A son tour, le premier ministre moldave a réaffirmé que l’objectif de son cabinet est celui d’intégrer l’UE. Samedi, Corina Cretu se rendra à Ungheni, localité inscrite au programme Villages européens 2018, dont les habitants seront informés sur l’appui accordé par l’UE à la République de Moldova par le biais des projets déroulés avec des fonds européens.



    Mémorial — Le Mémorial des victimes du communisme de Sighetu Marmatiei, (nord de la Roumanie) s’est vu attribuer le label du patrimoine européen, devenant ainsi la première institution roumaine à recevoir ce statut. Il y a 20 ans, le Conseil de l’Europe a inscrit ce Mémorial sur la liste des principaux endroits de conservation de la mémoire des événements ayant marqué lhistoire du continent, aux côtés du Mémorial d’Auschwitz (Pologne) et de celui de la Paix de Normandie (France). Réduite à l’état de ruines, la prison de Sighetu Marmatiei a été transformée en musée, avec l’aide de la société civile, pour honorer la mémoire de ceux qui ont subi la détention, la déportation ou qui se sont opposés au régime communiste.



    Eurostat — La Roumanie compte parmi les pays de l’UE à avoir consacré à la défense, en 2016, la plus faible part de leur PIB. Selon l’Office statistique de l’UE, Eurostat, les 28 Etats membres de l’Union ont alloué en 2016 au secteur de la défense près de 200 milliards d’euros, soit l’équivalent de 1,3% du PIB. Un montant inférieur à celui destiné à la protection sociale, à la santé ou à l’éducation, mais supérieur aux fonds pour les loisirs, la culture, la religion ou la protection de l’environnement. Les pays ayant octroyé en 2016 au domaine de la défense les plus faibles montants sont l’Irlande, le Luxembourg, Malte, Autriche, République Tchèque, Hongrie, Roumanie et Slovénie. Au pôle opposé on retrouve l’Estonie, la Grèce, le Royaume-Uni et la France. A compter de 2017, la Roumanie alloue 2% du PIB à la défense, conformément à ses obligations en tant que membre de l’OTAN.



    Tennis — La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Simona Halep, nr. 1 mondiale, rencontre ce vendredi Caroline Garcia de France, dans les quarts de finale du tournoi de Rome. C’est grâce au forfait de l’Américaine Madison Keys, ce jeudi, que Simona Halep sest qualifiée sans jouer pour les quarts de finale.



    Météo — Temps généralement instable et ciel couvert sur l’ouest, l’est, le centre et le nord du pays, où l’on signale des pluies à verse. Dans le sud et le sud – est du territoire, il fait beau et chaud et le ciel est variable. Les températures maximales de la journées iront de 17 à 28 degrés. 24 degérs à midi dans la capitale, Bucarest.


  • Intellektuelle Bürgerallianz: ein Argument gegen Polit-Zynismus

    Intellektuelle Bürgerallianz: ein Argument gegen Polit-Zynismus

    Nach der Wende war in der rumänischen Gesellschaft besonders ein Bedürfnis nach Dialog und Diskussion zu spüren — und vor diesem Hintergrund entstand die Bürgerallianz — eine Plattform für politische Ideen und Initiativen, ein Debattenforum, ein loser Zusammenschluss vieler Akteure. Und sie war auch ein Gegenpart zur Front der Nationalen Rettung, einem Mammut-Gebilde, das nach der Wende das Machtvakuum nach dem Zusammenbruch des kommunistischen Regimes gefüllt hatte. Die Bürgerallianz war zugleich Kaderschmiede für die künftigen Oppositionspolitiker. Sie wurde am 7. November 1990 von Intellektuellen und Bürgervereinen gegründet. Eine der zentralen Figuren war die Dichterin und Regimekritikerin Ana Blandiana. Sie erinnert sich an den gesellschaftlichen Hintergrund, vor dem vor 27 Jahre die Bürgerallianz entstand:



    Nach dem als Mineriade bezeichneten Bergarbeitereinfall vom Juni 1990 in Bukarest, als Studenten verhaftet wurden, sagten wir uns, dass wir etwas tun müssen. Selbst wenn wir keinen Erfolg haben, müssen die Menschen sehen, dass wir es dennoch versuchen. Und so schalteten wir eine Anzeige in der Zeitung »România liberă«. Dass heute über diese Zeitung und ihren Chef Petre Mihai Băcanu so wenig erzählt wird, ist ungerecht. Ohne diese Zeitung, die damals auf eine Auflage von mehreren Hunderttausend Stück kam, hätte es in Rumänien keine Opposition gegeben“, erzählt die ehemalige antikommunistische Dissidentin.




    In einer Zeit ohne Facebook schaltete die frisch gegründete Bürgerallianz Inserate von 10 Quadratzentimetern auf der Titelseite der România liberă“ — Wir treffen uns am Donnerstag um 16.00 Uhr an der Universität“. Und es kamen so viele Leute, dass bei einem Marsch der Universitätsplatz noch voll war, während die ersten Demonstranten den Siegesplatz in fast 2,5 km Entfernung erreichten, wo das Regierungshauptquartier steht. In einem anderen Aufruf hie‎ß es, dass die Menschen wei‎ße Kleidung und eine Blume tragen sollten — ein Zeichen der Gewaltlosigkeit, sagt Ana Blandiana. Eines der wichtigsten Anliegen der neuen Plattform war die Etablierung einer Kultur der Erinnerung an die jüngere Geschichte der kommunistischen Diktatur in Rumänien.




    Ana Blandiana spielte eine gro‎ße Rolle bei der Einrichtung der Gedenkstätte der Opfer des Kommunismus im ehemaligen Gefängnis von Sighet. Im Namen der Bürgerallianz habe ich in Stra‎ßburg das weltweit erste Memorial des Kommunismus vorgeschlagen. Das war 1993, wir waren in Krakau auf einer Konferenz gewesen und auf Besuch auch in Auschwitz, das ganz in der Nähe liegt. In Stra‎ßburg sollte ich dann eine Rede vor dem Parlament des Europarates halten. Beim Abendessen sa‎ß ich neben der Generalsekretärin des Europarates, Catherine Lalumière — ein Zufall, dachte ich, doch jemand hatte ein gutes Wort eingelegt: Professor Enver vom Ausschuss der Menschenrechte. Die Diskussion mit Catherine Lalumière war der Grundstein des Memorials“, erinnert sich Ana Blandiana.



    In Europa blies ein Wind der Einheit und es ging nicht nur den osteuropäischen Ländern darum, sich mit der Vergangenheit auseinanderzusetzen: Nicht einmal mit meinem Mann hatte ich über ein Memorial gesprochen. Die Idee kam uns bei diesem Gespräch. Wir kamen aus Auschwitz, wo der Europarat ein internationales Zentrum für Nazi-Studien einrichten wollte, und ich fragte dann nach, ob es nicht mindestens genauso wichtig wäre, ein Zentrum für Kommunismus-Studien zu gründen, denn über den Kommunismus wusste man so gut wie nichts. Dann sprachen wir über Europa, über die Vereinigung, die zwischen Ost und West stattfinden sollte, und ich sagte, dass wir nicht nur Politik und Wirtschaft vereinigen müssen, sondern auch unsere Obsessionen. Aber dafür müssen wir sie erst einmal kennen.“




    Sehr lebhaft sind die Erinnerungen der Schriftstellerin an die naiv-linkischen Momente von damals — bestes Beispiel ist immer noch das Memorial von Sighet. Heute kann ich nachvollziehen, wie komisch sich das anhört, aber damals dachten wir keinen Augenblick nach, wie das Memorial per se entstehen wird. Wir dachten, der Europarat kümmert sich darum und baut es. Ich muss ehrlich zugeben, dass ich keinen Moment dachte, wir würden etwas tun. Und dann stand in der Projektbroschüre neben unseren Vorstellungen auch etwas über die Finanzierung — und das klang für uns surreal. Denn es stand da, wieviel die Kommunalverwaltung beisteuert, wieviel der Zentralstaat, wieviel die Privatwirtschaft. Dabei waren wir Staatsfeind Nr. 1, keine Behörde würde uns Geld geben, weder lokale, noch zentrale. Eine Bedingung des Europarates war, dass wir eine Stiftung gründen — die Bürgerakademie. Das war einfach, das haben wir gemacht — und die Idee, die uns gerettet hat, lag auf der Hand: Wir haben Filialen der Stiftung in Städten eröffnet, wo viele Exilrumänen lebten, also München, Paris, New York, Los Angeles. Die ersten Summen kamen aus Spenden dieser Exilrumänen zusammen.“




    Ana Blandianas Erinnerungen sind relevant für diese romantisch-naiven Momente der Politik nach der Wende. Doch die Alianţa Civică ist fester Bestandteile der jüngeren Geschichte geworden und auch ein Argument gegen den Zynismus der Politik neuerer Machart.