Bassam Gemayel: the 2 (K)No(w)s

I have met nothing but extremely smart Lebanese so far - and Bassam Gemayel is definitely one of them. Invited to make a speech at TEDxBucharest, Bassam - with exquisite accuracy - pinpointed the fundamental errors that lie at the foundation of the Romanian society:

- "I know": the problem with so many of us - young active Romanians - is that we know so much more than we do...or at least we think we know.

- "No": if we ever have a reaction to things, then the first one is a negation...In this way nothing is gonna change or change will be very slow - can we afford it?

One of Bassam's favourite lines seems to be Think Big and Act Small. With much more openness to listen to others and our own consciousness we could be more efficient and we could do so much more...

2009 Nobel Prize: Herta Muller

Ms. Herta Muller, from Timisoara, wins the Nobel Prize for Literature this year.

Her texts reflect her own biography and the complex situations in totalitarian systems and the human decay and degeneration: "This is not a topic that I chose, but rather one that my life has chosen for me. I don't have that freedom of choice. I cannot say: 'I want to write about that thing, or about that other thing.' I am bound to write about what concerns me and about the things that won't leave me in peace."

Being an advocate for the respect of cultures, Ms. Muller says: "In Timisoara [the main city in Banat] one can hear on the street all kinds of languages: Romanian, German, Hungarian, Serbian, Romany -- that's how it used to be and that's how it should be. Nobody should hide their culture."

Personally, I admire Ms. Herta Muller for her decency, just and noble attitude to life and also for her talent as an international writer.

The Silent Force

They were betrayed. And they were caught. The mountains had covered them for long but it hadn't been enough.
"The Americans" never came, as hoped, and the communist regime enforced its unifying destruction... But the year 1989 brought about the much needed change.

The force of the resisting spirit cuts through time. They have won!

Whenever I think of the resistance groups of brave men and women, Toma Arnautoiu is among the first leading figures who speaks to my mind and heart and whenever I see his daughter, which is a miracle in itself, I cannot help feeling the silent force of the look in their eyes - the force of justice and truth...

The BBC reveals in an article titled "Romania Securitate legacy 20 years after revolution" the haunting effects of a regime that lasted for too long.

Gheorghe Dinica: "I am from Romania."

Gheorghe Dinica will always enchant audiences - with his endless talent as an actor but, moreover, with his spirit that will continue to live with us forever. Personally, I could never forget his melancholic deep voice or his roles in so many films and plays - especially "Take, Ianke and Cadar", which lies at the very basis of my own identity belonging to this culture.
The New York Times, in the article today, relates "his modesty, humor and his refusal to praise the country's late Communist dictator", in a time when many actors did this, and also his passion for life and people so that, quite often, when dining in restaurants he would spontaneously break into song...When asked abroad if he was Robert de Niro, he would simply say: "I am from Romania."

Searching for Bucharest...

Mrs. Tessa Dunlop, journalist for The Independent British newspaper, writes from an interesting perspective on the Romanian capital after 20 years since the downfall of communism.

Married to a Romanian man, she seems to be well-acquainted with the country's problems but I bet she does not like to live here much.
Mrs. Dunlop reminds me of the English playwright Caryl Churchill who came in the early 90's for a project-play on the Romanian revolution in 1989 - with the critical eye of the outsider, unemotionally involved and probably with the perspective of both sides - she could exactly pinpoint the critical issues.

Just like Mrs. Churchill then, Mrs Dunlop speaks about the chaotic architecture, poor management of local attractions, too many casinos in Bucharest, but also the beautiful women who are very well dressed...

However, 20 years of capitalism taught people here that Ceausescu was not the real problem in the past, but a whole well-structured system which is still visible today - so, associating Bucharest with Ceausescu may work for a British readership but it is quite far-off from the real truth. Also, I wonder whether Mrs. Dunlop has really known the real beauty of Bucharest - with its old streets, museums of art, old houses and gardens... And I also wonder whether she really took the time to feel the spirit of this authentic city which lies in little details and in people's gestures not in focusing on problems, frustrations and critical issues. Personally, I have learnt to re-discover Bucharest and I am very happy I can really see its beauty now - it's about the Spirit - of sophisticated eclecticism, not the communist buildings, for sure...

Miss Pogany - the Essence of Feminity

Mademoiselle Pogany, worth $100 million, is one of Constantin Brancusi's most famous works of art with a destiny that does not seem to be very calm. Her stillness, however, seems to ignore financial interests and enchant art-lovers.
The New York Times writes about her story.

Carturesti "Book Village"

Open at the very beginning of the new millennium in Bucharest in a 19th century traditional house, Carturesti has become more than just a chain bookstore - it is a miraculous cultural space where we can enjoy the benefits of leisure, high-quality taste - of books, audio and visual materials and tea - and the personalized creative style which is simply enchanting.
Nicoleta Dumitru and Serban Radu (at 30 years of age) are part of the young Romanian generation who had the courage to innovate and re-think the social context around them and, with a lot of passion and faith in clear concepts, they managed to build a company worth 20 million euros at present. According to the owners, "Carturesti" is "a high-standard cultural platform" which was not cut out for high profits. This cultural product is an 'in-house' project and the staff consists of art lovers who eventually turned into shop assistants, Art students and newly-graduates who let their fresh creativity become reality and even Romanian writers and scholars who even donated their favourite chairs when there wasn't enough at the beginning.
Carturesti proves to be a highly creative undertaking where young energies come together and inspire everyone. What drives people to this space? There's only one way to find out by simply visiting their site...

Until 15 July, if you are in New York, you can check out the temporary Carturesti Cafe Society on 38th Street and Third Avenue, as part of the Romanian Cultural Institute New York, according to this article in The New York Times.

Speaking in the Name of All...Or Not?

The New York Times published an article on Romania on the 26th of Feb titled "Romania Shrugs Off Reminder of Its Past", by Michael Kimmelman.

After reading the article I had one puzzling question: how can anyone look down on a whole nation and squeeze it into simplistic views with such an ease?

"In straitened times it’s easy to mistake cost for value. You might also say it’s the difference between cash and culture, the price of something and what’s ultimately priceless. Romanians, it seems, have been prone to confuse the two."
Does he really mean all Romanians? Can anyone take such huge responsibility and actually state that - speaking in the name of all Romanians? What right does he have? Who does he think he is, adopting a patronizing tone and looking down on all Romanians?!
Yes, there are problems - but the truth is never simple and can never be generalized (especially in this part of the world, I'd say).

"But the ho-hum response here speaks volumes about this struggling country’s cash-versus-culture climate. With most barely scraping by, Romanians admire private enterprise more than they value some vague notion of shared artistic heritage."
I am surprised again to see how easy it is for Mr. Kimmelman to simplify things, without any touch of doubt (!)
The author of the article quotes further some opinions that support his too-generalized conclusions (you can always find anyone to state anything).

“Romanians sympathize with Valentin [Ceausescu] because he worked the system to his advantage. [no public survey has been carried out in this respect anyway so it can't be said for certain in the name of all Romanians] Our idea of culture now is making money. We still have too many basic needs to worry about elevated ones like art and the state.(Cristian Stanescu)"
This is a personal belief, to be sure. We do not live in simplified artificial worlds in this global society any more and if we think a little deeper we realize our lives are so complex, maybe too complex sometimes, that Maslow's pyramid of needs is such an old thing of the past. We simply cannot live without touching on the whole spectrum of needs - from very basic to very complex - here, in Romania, as well as in the American society and in many other parts of the world...I wish the author of this article had had more respect for a different culture than his.

I believe that articles like these are dangerous and detrimental to effective communication between cultures and deter the real authenticity of understanding - such a pity because we live such hard times - together, all in a boat - when mutual cultural understanding is essential...