Roma Exhibition at Bucharest Subway

Art Safari organises Roma Culture Exhibition at the Bucharest Subway. The video exhibition presents wonderful personalities who were gipsies, such as the famous Charlie Chaplin and the Romanian musician Johnny Raducanu. This is a unique initiative to promote the Romani culture.

The Bucharest Subway features a video exhibition highlighting 11 gipsy personalities.

We are happy to launch a new project in collaboration with Metrorex and the National Roma Culture Center, in which we bring to the attention of travellers’ personalities of Roma culture, special people from various fields of activity, from film to painting, people in research who deserve be noticed, because we know and believe that art can change mentalities, can unite people and then this approach has the role of bringing to the attention of the public Roma personalities who change history.

Alexandra Marin, Art Safari project manager

For the next 30 days, on subway station screens, 25-second videos containing informational capsules about gipsy people and their creation will be presented to all Bucharest’s residents.

The exhibition features personalities like as Charlie Chaplin, Alina Erban, Zita Moldovan, Delia Grigore, Moca Rudy, Mihaela Dragan, Vasile Burtea, Ion Voicu, Eugen Raportoru, and Nicolae Gheorghe.

Of all the names above, Charlie Chaplin is the most famous figure. Rumour has it that Chaplin had gipsy origins. Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. was born on April 16, 1889, to allegedly Romanichal parents, Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin Sr. It was frequently said that Charlie Chaplin had some Romani (Gypsy) ancestry, despite the fact that this claim has never been substantiated.

They are just the first 11 we have selected because we hope that this project will have continuity to promote the culture of minorities. You’ve all heard of Charlie Chaplin or Johnny Răducanu, and maybe not everyone knows that these personalities are Roma and are known worldwide. In addition to these, we also have well-known Romanians such as the violinist Ion Voicu or the young artists Mihaela Dragan and Zita Moldovan – fashion designers. So, you will discover information from various fields.

Alexandra Marin, Art Safari project manager

According to Mihai Neacsu, director of the National Romani Culture Center, the video exhibition is a crucial step in promoting gipsy citizens.

This exhibition is an important step for promoting gipsy personalities who have brought pride to their culture. It means that we are beginning to realize that the gipsy elite assumed from an ethnic point of view, has a very important role in developing and promoting Romani culture. Our minority needs elite air and not the other way around. The elite also manages without the National Romani Culture Center and the National Agency for Romani. Still, we, as organizations, as a Romani movement, need as an air an elite that assumes its ethnic identity in public and represents role models. for Roma students and young people.

Mihai Neacsu, director of the National Romani Culture Center

He expressed his hope that after the exhibition’s 30-day run, many Bucharest residents, not just tourists, will have a “balanced” view of gipsies.

Delia Grigore, the president of the Romani Center Association Amare Rromentza, lecturer at the University of Bucharest, writer and poet, is one of the people included in the video show.

The exhibition has two meanings: combating stereotypes, prejudices against gipsy, that is, in other words, anti-gipsy racism, which, unfortunately, still exists and, on the other hand, increasing their self-esteem of the gipsy, so a positive image and a possible more relaxed and even proud self-assumption as a gipsy. (…) We hope that non-gipsy will know us better, respect each other and have a dialogue with us, and be in the best possible relations of intercultural dialogue and mutual respect. On the other hand, we hope that our gipsies may have a different self-image.

Delia Griogore, president of Romani Center Association Amare Rromentza

Although racism is still alive in Romania, eternally shaped by social prejudices, this initiative to highlight some of the most outstanding personalities in Roma culture, internationally recognised, is a step forward in eradicating discrimination and changing the concept of the population about ethnicity, race, colour or language differences.