this is the casa poporolui - the house of the people - built by the communist leader ceaușescu, the biggest building we have in bucurești, with hundreds of rooms, most of them unused for anything besides the political party's uses. it is said to be impossible to capture on any one photo; round the other side it has a completely different aspect. one little part of the building is used for a museum of modern art - we can go and visit it if you want - and sometimes they hold parties there.
later we join the protest against the government's decision to allow a mining company to dig for gold and destroy an area covering four mountains in transylvania, evicting the tenants and using inordinate quantities of cyanide in the process. romania came out of fifty years of communism only in 1989 and romanians are still learning how to protest. there is a wall of policemen, preventing us from leaving the piatsa universitati and occupying the streets. they all look so young, so open-eyed, as if they don't know what will come next or what they will do about it. there are young people milling everywhere, speaking on mobile phones, coordinating encounters; the ferment of action is in the air. people are chanting protests, holding up slogans, waving big romanian flags, hitting plastic bottles against the ground. someone has brought a bongo drum. i feel somewhat bewildered by the milling energy. ioana says it always takes her a few days for her energy to adapt to the city after a period away. i like to see the women looking determined and decisive and participating boldly in public life. people are milling with intent while i feel as tired as a dog. lets cycle back. the city air smells of pastries from bakeries and exhaust fumes being belched on the street and cigarette smoke in the park and cooking meat and oil from the apartments.
the next night there is reggae in the piața which turns out to be a man making noises into a microphone and hands being raised. none too impressive. lets stay with the protesters. one street has been occupied now by hundreds of chanting protesters, those spinning about on bikes, those sitting down peacefully. when we try and leave the piața, every exit is blocked by a line of policemen. they have prevented us from spilling onto the bigger streets by trapping us in this one confined street. it is getting late and we want to head back and how can they prevent the free movement of people in the city like this? well, actually, it was us the protesters who wanted to disturb the free movement of the streets. yes but we want to go home now. the policemen blocks my passage, looks at me defiantly and asks: unde vrei sa mergi? i return their determined looks. ioana tells them that she needs to use the toilet and that she lives far from here, and they let us past. mulțumesc! they are actually pretty decent, those policemen. it is like a game of cat and mouse, each one trying to foresee and outwit the others's tactics. now on the big avenue in front of the imposing casa poporului others have gathered and occupied the street. police cars now direct the traffic elsewhere. they cannot drive on this street because a large crowd is sitting on it. let us sit with them for a while. uniți, salvam, roșia montana. others on their bikes spin round and round, the chant goes round and round and unites everyone, binding everyone in solidarity in their protest. there is a good atmosphere, people are together on the street which is normally reserved for traffic. people raise their free voices. some people are dancing. united we will save roșia montana we chant - even though the governement has already given the mining company permission. we want to voice our protest all the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhBW7k-4zIA
later we join the protest against the government's decision to allow a mining company to dig for gold and destroy an area covering four mountains in transylvania, evicting the tenants and using inordinate quantities of cyanide in the process. romania came out of fifty years of communism only in 1989 and romanians are still learning how to protest. there is a wall of policemen, preventing us from leaving the piatsa universitati and occupying the streets. they all look so young, so open-eyed, as if they don't know what will come next or what they will do about it. there are young people milling everywhere, speaking on mobile phones, coordinating encounters; the ferment of action is in the air. people are chanting protests, holding up slogans, waving big romanian flags, hitting plastic bottles against the ground. someone has brought a bongo drum. i feel somewhat bewildered by the milling energy. ioana says it always takes her a few days for her energy to adapt to the city after a period away. i like to see the women looking determined and decisive and participating boldly in public life. people are milling with intent while i feel as tired as a dog. lets cycle back. the city air smells of pastries from bakeries and exhaust fumes being belched on the street and cigarette smoke in the park and cooking meat and oil from the apartments.
the next night there is reggae in the piața which turns out to be a man making noises into a microphone and hands being raised. none too impressive. lets stay with the protesters. one street has been occupied now by hundreds of chanting protesters, those spinning about on bikes, those sitting down peacefully. when we try and leave the piața, every exit is blocked by a line of policemen. they have prevented us from spilling onto the bigger streets by trapping us in this one confined street. it is getting late and we want to head back and how can they prevent the free movement of people in the city like this? well, actually, it was us the protesters who wanted to disturb the free movement of the streets. yes but we want to go home now. the policemen blocks my passage, looks at me defiantly and asks: unde vrei sa mergi? i return their determined looks. ioana tells them that she needs to use the toilet and that she lives far from here, and they let us past. mulțumesc! they are actually pretty decent, those policemen. it is like a game of cat and mouse, each one trying to foresee and outwit the others's tactics. now on the big avenue in front of the imposing casa poporului others have gathered and occupied the street. police cars now direct the traffic elsewhere. they cannot drive on this street because a large crowd is sitting on it. let us sit with them for a while. uniți, salvam, roșia montana. others on their bikes spin round and round, the chant goes round and round and unites everyone, binding everyone in solidarity in their protest. there is a good atmosphere, people are together on the street which is normally reserved for traffic. people raise their free voices. some people are dancing. united we will save roșia montana we chant - even though the governement has already given the mining company permission. we want to voice our protest all the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhBW7k-4zIA
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