About the project

Since 2006, I’m in contact with Romanian people from all ages living inside the country or aboard. I will always remember the first conversation I had with an high educated young Romanian guy in Paris that explained me that he don’t care about his country as most of his generation because the country is sick of corruption, a sclerosis that immobilize all initiatives, from the government to simple persons. In the first moment I didn’t taught it was really like this for every body, but I met more people in Bucharest at this period and I realized that it was an entire generation that was totally unconcerned by politics and general civics consideration. I was a chock. In France it wasn’t really better but at list I remember many strike of my university period and many students at least expected to change things around them.

With time, I continue to visit Romania and to meet Romanian, and little by little I felt that thing was changing, the speeches were starting to be different, some was speaking about acting again abuses, some other said that they wait for the last generation to disappear for changing things. But changing things was suddenly a possibility for some. And when the economic crises stroked all the Europe and finally touch Romania, the incredible thing appears. People were going to the street by thousands to manifest. The civic apathy was falling, people realized they had a voice and even minus 15°C would not stop them for demonstrating and acting for them lives.
I started to hear some Romanian living aboard speak about a way back and about activism. But when Rosia Montana demonstrations reach the entire Europe I was amazed.
Finally the conscience was awake.
And the next periods proved me that it was just the beginnings of the generational change.

Then I establish in Romania during the summer 2014 and I kept hearing people telling that no one is involved any change. It was frustrating, and thought that it would be a important to give awareness about what’s happening here. I decide to document the projects and change makers I discover, not only with a picture, but also to give them the opportunity to share their stories with others with their own words.
In order to show that initiative come from many kinds of people, not only the one paid by NGO but also volunteers, I decide to organise the interview in a pattern of questions. This way people can more easily get the point, but of course it doesn’t fit all.
The process is simple, I’m not hunting activist, I act by serendipity or recommendation, when I meet a Romanian trying to change for good even something simple, I want to keep a trace. This not about great name, it’s about people that touch me. It’s not about great change or making a list of important people in Bucharest, I don’t expect to create that many changes myself, I just hope to empower some people. It seems to be fine also for the people I met to be able to speak what they have on heart, I think it also helps them to release some frustration.

Thanks’