The short films of BUVERO 2015 – Media Camp for Romani Women are available online
The short films of BUVERO 2015 – Media Camp for Romani Women are available online
Budapest, Hungary, October 16, 2015 – In the context of the modern day European politics, where extreme nationalistic discourse is getting stronger and stronger, where being different, in many cases, means being both physically and psychologically vulnerable, even the existance as a member of a minority group is a form of resistance. And in this very context, creating an alternative discourse, which rejects the one dominating our everyday lives, is a form of a revolution.
As they say, “revolution starts at home” and that’s why it is important that this summer, 80 kilometers away from Budapest, in a small Hungarian town, Nagykőrös (July 17-August 1) and for the first time in Kumanovo, Macedonia (July 12-26), 24 young Romani women participated in a summer media camp, BUVERO led by the Romedia Foundation, a Budapest-based NGO that uses a variety of media tools to challenge and redefine mainstream perceptions of the Roma people. The Romedia Foundation collaborated in the organization of BUVERO 2015 camps with the National Roma Centrum (NRC), a non-profit organization developing as advocate and supporter of the Roma population in Macedonia, NRC being responsible for the full implementation of the BUVERO project in Macedonia.
Romani women and girls face multiple disadvantages which impede their access to education and their prospects for employment and professional development. This is why BUVERO focuses on girls aged 18-26. By providing practical and theoretical training in the field of citizen journalism, BUVERO empowers participants, giving them the tools to become the voice of their communities. BUVERO combines theoretical training with practice. During the first five days experts in Romani studies, journalists, media workers and sociologists provide introduction to subjects such as theories of identity and prejudice, Romani culture and history, media and communication, video and audio production.
During two days after the five-day theoretical training section, the participants form groups to shoot their first shorts. During this process participants get mentored by professional directors, cameraman, editors, animators and sound engineers. The remaining days are spent for post-production work and during some of the evenings, guests and role models (successful Roma professionals) give talks.
After the camp, BUVERO alumnae join the extensive network of Romani women that Romedia began organizing online in 2009, with its campaign “I'm a Roma Woman” launched in the same year. To ensure their engagement, the former participants of BUVERO receive monthly tasks and rewards based on their level of relevant activity. During the year after the camp, with the help of the mentoring system, the participants will individually produce a number of video reportages, short films and articles, in and about their communities.
The Romedia Foundation-led project has built a solid series of activities to reach its objectives: the hands-on, individual-based training of young Roma women and their empowering, which entails makingRoma women’s voices visible in the public discourse by providing quality investigative journalism on burning societal issues to a wide audience. In addition, BUVERO creates a framework of participation to strengthen Roma NGOs that work in the best interest of local communities, and sets up the foundations for a European network of young Roma female citizen journalists supported by cohesive civil society and media partnerships.
The BUVERO 2015 brought together very talented young Romani women from all over Hungary and Macedonia. Two weeks of learning, for the young Romani women, definitely yielded the desired result, which includes not only getting acquainted with journalism and filmmaking, but also using these tools for voicing their own and their communities’ stories, histories and lived experiences. The yielded success meant not only creating eight short films, but also getting opportunities for the future development. Besides the two-day internships at Index, six post-camp internships were also offered for the participants of the camp in Hungary by our media partners such as 444, Index, Kisalföld, Kreatív Online and Marie Claire. In addition, tablets were awarded to the distinguished participants of the Hungarian BUVERO camp. At the end of the Macedonian BUVERO camp, each participant was given a tablet for future work, to encourage them to become citizen journalists.
The Macedonian BUVERO 2015 participants worked on current political issues as well as provided an insightful exploration and analysis of the Romani history and traditions in the Macedonian context.
The documentary Bibaht ki Baht (Fortunately Crash) presents an issue of migration, which is one of the most important topics in the need of discussion in the modern world. The film shows the way specific Roma individuals and communities experience migration and presents the political side of personal stories, emphasizing that migration is a consequence of poor socio-economic circumstances. Bibaht ki Baht is full of pain and sorrow of people who are affected by migration. The documentary was created by the Macedonian BUVERO 3 team called Researchers which included the following participants: Dzemiliana Abdulovska, Melisa Idik, Dzenifer Elezovska and Fatima Ramadanovska. The team was lead by Ashmet Elezovski and Galya Stoyanova.
In addition to current political problems, it is also important to talk about the fact that Romani traditions and history have been erased or misrepresented for centuries. The four girls of the group Mungosi (Natalija Mustafova, Melisa Demovska, Frosina Ikovik and Sunita Mustafova) talked with older women from Kumanovo about Romani women wedding dresses and created the documentary Barvali Paramiz (Rich Story). The film is about the significance of Romani women’s wedding dress, its color and richness, which hide many secrets and answers related to the tradition. Folk costumes are part of the Roma culture and women's clothing have been through a major transformation. The older Roma still wear traditional clothing, divided into daily and festive costumes. The team Mungosi was lead by Slavica Kjurchinska and Aleksandar Gelevski.
While it is crucial to explore the present and the past, it is also important to think about the future possibilities that helps one to stay hopeful in difficult times. The film Ruputno Chavo (Silver Boy) is about the Roma boxer, Redzep Redzepovski, from Kumanovo, Macedonia, who won silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The film shows Redzep's fights and joys. In addition, Silver Boy speaks about the potential of every Roma, of the youngsters who can be new champions. The film was created by the team called 1.000.000 denars babies and included following participants: Amela Salimovska, Sara Jasharevic, Melani Idik and Sumea Rahim. The team was led by Irfan Martez, Martin Davitkovski and Hristijan Ivanovski.
Hungarian BUVERO 2015 participants also had very productive two wees like their Macedonian counterparts, making five different films including animation, visual poetry and documentaries. The topics that films addressed were various, from thethought provoking to the entertaining.
The lives and deaths of Romani people during the holocaust is widely forgotten and it is especially important to find out how holocaust affected small towns like Nagykőrös. The documentary Stolperstein (Stumbling Stone) takes us back to the holocaust period and shows how Nagyőrös inhabitants lived during the time. We not only hear stories full of sorrow and loss, but we also learn about the time when the booming economy in Nagykőrös was based on the peaceful coexistence of Romani, Jewish and Hungarian communities. Throughout the film we hear voices of those who have witnessed the history and they share their insights about the present based on their past experiences. The film was created by the team Somnakuno Drom and its members were: Klaudia Balogh, Zsanett Balogh, Teodóra Farkas and Barbara Makula. The mentor of the team was Kristóf Asbót.
Since BUVERO is a camp for young Romani women, it is unavoidable to address issues that both Romani and non-Romani women encounter in their own communities. The documentary TABU (Taboo) features interviews with individuals of different ages and backgrounds to discuss the tabooed topic of virginity. Throughout the film we hear wide variety of personal stories and opinions to understand that “we are people with different personalities” and that “different things are important for us.” TABU aims to expose the issue that we often avoid talking about in order to let us reflect upon and discuss it. The team Buzhanglici created the film and its members were: Boglárka Balogh, Marina Csikós, Szandra Kovács and Ivett Vidák. The mentor of the team was Gyula Galyas.
The animation Paramicha (Tale) does not only have strong visuals, but also is written by one of the participants, Hajnalka Kókai who is interested in writing tales for children. The film tells a story from the perspective of a girl who is going to Nagykőrös to visit her sisters. During her journey, the main character encounters unexpected magical events and she tells us about her unusual experiences. The tale takes us into a beautiful world of symbols that create the sense of togetherness throughout the film. The members of the team Shukar Shtar were Hajnalka Kókai and Szandra Kovács. The mentors of the team were Márk Asbót and Damian Le Bas.
In the Hungarian political context different governmental policies make it hard for Romani individuals to work and be economically secure. This is why the film, Ló Passport (Horse Passport), created by the team Tumenca Sam, brings viewers to the horse fair of Nagykőrös to show how the life of the horse traders changed and why this profession started to die out. The film addresses issues regarding current policies and contrasts the modern reality with the history, which shows that Romani horse-traders were respected by high officials and were renowned internationally. The film features interviews with horse-traders, who share their insights and personal experiences. Lastly, the film shows how horse traders use internet to save their profession from dying out. The members of the team Tumenca Sam are Adrienn Balogh, Edina Dittrich, Hajnalka Kókai and Georgina Laboda. The mentors of the team are: Joka János Daróczi and Norbert Szirmai.
Through the films made by the Hungarian participants of the BUVERO 2015 camp, we not only had an opportunity to see what is happening in the actual world, but also to follow the participants’ inner journey. The film Somnakuno Drom (Golden Way) is a visual representation of the poem “Hunted” (A bujdosó) by Hungarian poet János Arany. Through the film, BUVERO 2015 participants displayed not only their filmmaking skills, but also acting and narrating abilities. Golden Way tells us a story of wandering that creates both the feeling of alienation and the feeling of comfort, as the sky becomes the home of the wanderer. The visuals of the film take its viewers on the journey through its poetic and creative images. The team that created the film was called Somnakuno Drom and its members were Zsanett Balogh, Klaudia Balogh, Teodóra Farkas and Barbara Makula. The mentor of the team was Kristóf Asbót.
While two weeks of media training is only a prelude to the future endeavours of the 24 young Romani participants of the BUVERO 2015 camp, the knowledge and network acquired at the camp as well as their works will not only go a long way in their own private lives, but also will impact their own communities as well.
Romedia Foundation’s partners and supporters, which made the organization of the BUVERO 2015 media camp possible, are different organizations and media centers such as, Roma Education Fund, The British Embassy Budapest, National Endowment for Democracy, Europe for Citizen’s Programme, United States Department of State, Prezi, Coca-Cola HBC Hungary Kft., Mozsár Café, Kreatív, Marie Claire, Index.hu, 444, Kisalföld, Delmagyar.hu, Timárház Kávézó, VJ Centrum Budapest, Páko Professional DJ, Laser, Light and Audio Technologies, Vetites.hu and Kocsis Manufaktúra Kft.
For more details about the films, please download the PDF.