Balázs Turay is a very interesting, talented photographer that I met in Budapest over Christmas. He has been working with Roma in Hungary in an effort to give them a voice through his photographic work and the relationships he is building with them over time. On his website he states:
"Anti-Roma sentiment has been on the rise for many years in the newly joined member countries of the European Union. Tensions fueled by the hate speech of far right-wing parties turned into violence in Hungary where six Romani people, among them a five-year-old boy, were shot dead by extremists in 2008 and 2009. The families of the victims have not been included in any kind of rehabilitation program, nor have they received any sort of compensation so far. Hungary is currently holding the rotating Presidency of the European Union."
Below, is the text I helped proof-read which he is using as an entry to the Alexia Foundation photographic competition.
"Anti-Roma sentiment has been on the rise for many years in the newly joined member countries of the European Union. Tensions fueled by the hate speech of far right-wing parties turned into violence in Hungary where six Romani people, among them a five-year-old boy, were shot dead by extremists in 2008 and 2009. The families of the victims have not been included in any kind of rehabilitation program, nor have they received any sort of compensation so far. Hungary is currently holding the rotating Presidency of the European Union."
Below, is the text I helped proof-read which he is using as an entry to the Alexia Foundation photographic competition.
In my project I would like to cover the widespread segregation of the Roma people in Europe and the aftermath of fatal attacks against them. I believe the Roma is the most vulnerable minority in Europe today. In recent years, they have increasingly become victim to verbal and physical attack in several European countries and in 2010 France adopted a policy of deportation claiming it to be “decent and humane” by “removing people from deplorable conditions”. A more liberal doctrine of integration is constantly under attack with far right-wing parties insisting on segregation as a solution, seeking to set up special dormitories for Roma children and camps for 'Roma-criminals'. Hate speech has led to a series of coordinated attacks in Hungary in 2008 and 2009 leaving six unarmed Roma people, among them a five-year old boy, dead, and many more seriously wounded.
This situation is rife throughout both the European Union and its prospective member states. I intend to create a body of work that reflects this, by examining the extreme difficulties that Roma-people face in Hungary. I would like to present a number of examples that increase understanding of the Catch-22 logic of segregating generation after generation. In my project I intend to document the psychological impact of daily instances of hate speech against the Roma and the aftermath of physical attacks. I also intend to explore the long term impact of barriers to health care.
George Soros states that Europe needs better Roma policies, although it is debatable whether any new policies will be an improvement on those that currently exist. Central and Eastern-European governments are far from ready to confront the rising wave of far right-wing bigotry; a body of opinion that clearly believes the Roma do not deserve any financial aid from government. This, coupled with the present economic downturn means it is unlikely that governments have the capacity to tackle this issue in a consistent and meaningful way.
However, it is of fundamental importance that the European Union adopt new policies regarding the rights of Roma for several reasons. As citizens of the EU, the Roma people have to be granted the same rights. Membership of the EU is dependent upon prospective member states allowing equal rights for all of its citizens not just in theory but in practice. I would like to address this problem by creating a body of work that shines light on this paradox. I intend to focus on Eastern-European countries where the approach to Roma and non-Roma coexistence should fundamentally change on a social and cultural level.
Following the shootings in Hungary of the six Roma people, I decided to visit the families to learn how they were dealing with the situation after the attacks. My first visit turned into a sixteen-month project where I took photographs and made notes and voice recordings with many of the victims and their families. I learned that the families of the victims were not included in any kind of rehabilitation program and they did not receive any sort of compensation. Furthermore, many of them still suffer from post traumatic stress. From my contact with these people I decided to create a body of work that, along with my photographs, would allow them to tell their stories in their own words. For me this is a way to deliver an in-depth story that has the capacity to draw attention to this issue.
I believe that creating a deep and meaningful photo essay is one very important step in a process. It is fundamentally important to tell the story in every possible way to start a discussion and generate public support for change. If I am selected as a winner of the Alexia Grant I would like to build a multilingual website for the stories and the photographic work. I also aim to foster interaction between Roma and non-Roma communities by organizing international exhibitions for this body of work and using my photographs as educational materials.
