Author: Ludwig Laher

Dear Reader,
Putting together a European magazine is
like preparing a fine meal: putting too many delicacies on one plate doesn’t work. Indigo, issued
in seven languages, has had the culinary aspect
of this problem solved by Conny Bösl, champion chef, who has put together a truly European
menu for us. For the magazine itself, an editorial
team from seven countries had to decide what
ingredients to use. Europe is growing up with
a generation discovering its new identity. Over
a million people go on Erasmus exchange every year, people start forming friendships across
cultural borders and barriers, colleagues need
multiple languages to communicate with each
other – we decided Europe needs a publication
to mirror and develop this transformation. In
other words, indigo comes to be because we have
a common view on life that we rediscover issue
for issue.
One group in Europe has experienced this
for centuries: the Sinti and Roma. Their story
was told on the roads of Europe, but, when we
Chief Language Editors:
Spanish
Polish
French
Italian
Dutch
English
German
Carolina Pirola - [email protected]
Zofia Bluszcz - [email protected]
Marianne Baisnée - [email protected]
Eloïse Bouton - [email protected]
Irene Sacchi - [email protected]
Joeri Oudshoorn - [email protected]
Adam Chrambach - [email protected]
Ingo Arzt - [email protected]
Contact Indigo:
indigo magazine
Dolziger Straße 39
10247 Berlin
Germany
phone +44-20-755 886 63
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www.indigomag.eu
sponsored by:
in cooperation with:
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European Youth Press
special thanks to: racken for hosting indigo and our website
Rüdiger Scheumann for programming our website
indigo Dutch Editor in Chief: Joeri Oudshoorn
Authors, Editors:Michael Schnackers, Helmer van der Heide, Friso Wiersum,
Elise van Ditmars, Amber van der Chijs, Marina ter Woort,
Mark Petimezas, Bart van Bael
indigo English Editor in Chief: Adam Chrambach
Authors, Editors:Courtney Townsend, Hayley Jane Sleigh, John Portch, Julia Citron, Kristin Eide, Max Chrambach, Natalie Hutton, Natasha Sá Osório, Owen Smith, Poonam Majithia, Sarah Nowakowska, Vlora Krasniqi
indigo French Editors in Chief:Marianne Baisnée, Eloïse Bouton
Authors:
Ruddy Guilmin, Kasia Karwan, Emmanuel Lemoine, Chiara Merico, Inga Varslavova
Layouter:
Candice Duchesne
Translators:
Mathilde Baron, Marie Deblonde, Claire Gallien, Claire Gandanger, Catherine Gottesman, Ameline Habib, Diane Jouitteau, Alexis Lebrat,
Aneta Lisik-Frankiewicz, Natalia Piwek, Marie Schmidt, Marie Seidel,
Eliza Watrakiewicz, Monika Zarecka, Agnieszka Zemla
Special thanks: Catherine Gottesman, l’ISIT, Agnieszka Grudzinska, Europa,
Cyril Bérard, Emmanuel Lemoine, Cécile Hamet, et à Gaëlle Cousin
Editorial
Yours
Imprint
Ingo Arzt
Maria Messing, Hermann Radeloff
Carina C. Kircher
Irene Sacchi, Joeri Oudshoorn, Natasha Sá Osório, Björn Richter
www.indigomag.eu
Enjoy reading,
indigo’s title page always aims to combine a historical painting with
modern photography. This time we have let Clive van Maerten’s ‘Flemish
Household,’ a painting from the time of Erasmus of Rotterdam, meet an
amalgamation of this issue’s themes in person.
Editor in Chief: Art and Layout Directors:
Photo Director:
Financing, Management:
indigo on the web
asked, we found that no one in the team
knew much about them really. It seems that
the attraction to the Gypsy genre is that
it represents a life and culture that many
Europeans are longing for – a life with freedom of travel, no fixed work, a proud heritage, and the ability to live by your own time
(see page 34). Their real life differs greatly
from this stereotype, just as the ideal of Europe is sometimes opposed to its reality.
Somehow, we all manage to live in that
strange paradox. It‘s a fascinating new time
and a common feeling, therefore we produce this magazine. Look for it the next time
you travel to the City of Light and Love
(page 38) or simply fall in love in and with a
foreign accent (page 14).
indigo German Editor in Chief: Ingo Arzt
Authors, Editors:Jochen Markett, Laura Daub, Jona Hölderle, Johannes Gernert,
Katharina Lötzsch, Ludwig Laher, Mathias Menzel, Sascha Keilholz, Oli via Gippner, Ralph Pache, Alice Bota
Translators: Susanne Wallenöffer, Timo Lutz, Michael Kaczmarek, Elke Zander, Francesca Fuselli, Laura Daub, Peter Cielek, Nora Schmitt,
Jana Dürfeld
Photographers: Ralph Pache, Carina C. Kircher
Illustrators: Danny Reinecke, Joseph Hanopol, Nina Weber
indigo Italian Editor in Chief: Irene Sacchi
Authors:
Arianna Sgammotta, Marco Riciputi, Chiara Merico, Nicola Pizzolato
Translators:
Daniela Castrataro, Alessandra Spadafora, Irina Dinca,
Sara Marcolla, Beatrice Racioppa, Alessandra D‘Angelo, Ania Arcaini,
Silvia Pistolesi, Irene Manzone
Photographer: Victor Hugo Scacchi Forieri
Illustration:
Francesco Secchi
Contributors: Miguel Maya, Martina Fattorini, Wouter Verlinde, Filipa Afonso
indigo icons index
contains
love and sex
does not contain
any EU issues
contains violence
contains nastiness
contains humour
indigo Polish Editor in Chief: Zofia Bluszcz
Editors, Authors:Zuzanna Szybisty, Honorata Zapaśnik
Translators:
Diana Kaniewska, Anna Maresz, Maria Zawadzka, Paulina Sadurska, Paulina Wereszczyńska, Piotr Kaczmarek, Karina Wojas,
Marlena Bartos, Anna Szegidewicz, Peter Cielek, Marcin Trepczyński
Layouter:
Maciej Matejewski
Contributor:
Marzena Lesińska
Special thanks: BC Edukacja
Photographer: Monika Pidło, Hanna Dobrzyńska
indigo SpanishEditor in Chief: Carolina Pirola
Editor, Layouter:Enrique Diestro
Translators:
Ramón Feenstra, Paula Urrestarazu, Myriam Fehle,
Cristina Bevilacqua, Laura Casielles Pablo Alvar, Ethel Pirola,
Kasia Ortiz, Eric B. Stevenson, Alejandro Carantoña, Alberto Iriarte, Alba González, Laura Castro,
Alfredo Poves
Photographer: Javier Sakona
Contributors and Researchers:
Florence Hazrat, Nicola Pizzolato, Kristin Eide, Kasia Karwan,
Chiara Merico, Inga Varslavova, Jan Steinbach, Natalie Hutton, Niels Richter, Benjamin von Zobeltitz, Poonam Majithia, Ingela West, Przemysław Prętkiewic, Sarah Nowakowska, Nicola Ingram,
Magnus Nilsson, Ornela Vorpsi
Sponsored by
3
Brain
Tongue
Piercing
Politics, society, and in between
Culinary and other delights
Special on the lives of Sinti and Roma
5
6
8
4
To Whom It May Concern
Letters to the world: writing to
Gazprom and other decision
makers.
Cars, Coffee, Copulation
Small misunderstandings and
minor corrections of a crazy
continent.
Walls
Two borders side by side.
14
Erasmus Orgasmus
When Evgeni met Margarita...
Turning on and spicing up the
Erasmus experience.
20
A Borderless Poeple
Persecuted then misunderstood:
Author Ludwig Laher on Roma
history.
14
Content
18
10
11
12
13
A European Menu
One country, one ingredient:
A continental concoction to
tease your taste buds.
Coalition of the Sovereign
John McClintock wants to
reform the world. But is the
world ready?
Council of Deities
The European – Olympian
ambassador – journey to
heaven‘s highest commission.
Talk of the Town
From droughts to disputes,
apologies to angst.
Emma, Michel and Francesco
Mother Europe tries to regulate
the children’s rooms.
20
24
27
Folksy Barbies
Is this what Roma art is like?
Artists vs. Clichés.
Between Marriage and Miniskirts
Choosing between tradition
and football. Two young Roma
women relate different paths.
18
27
Ear
Travel, dance, and fashion
Movies and other visuals
Telephoning and other fairy tales
39
Visual Kidnapper
Invisible graffiti, cut-out
celebrities: French artist Zevs
is shaking up urban landscapes.
44 From Rags to Riches and Back
The fisherman and his wife
told in four local variances.
30
32
34
36
38
Click‘n‘Roll
Free music, free spirit:
Net Labels are forging a niche
in the post-Napster music
business.
Balkan Beats
The dance floors of Europe
reverberate to this new sound.
Beware of the Australian
An overview of the
backpacker crowd
The Somber Side of the
City of Love
Places to take your sweetheart that are off, and sometimes
under, the beaten track.
39
42
No more Trainspotting!
Young British filmmakers
present excellent flicks on
growing up.
To Whom It May
Concern
Dear Mrs. Fische
r Boel,
As EU Agricultu
re Commissione
re that the curren
r, you will be awat agricultural su
bsidy system is
of crass reform. Th
in need
at’s ok, I have a sim
ple solution for
Your first step sh
you.
ould be to remov
e all agricultura
dies. Yup, just lik
l subsie that. Of course
, this will result
near-wars and ev
in ten
eryone will hate
yo
u,
but that won’t m
You’ll make ever
atter.
yone happy by re
instating subsid
trick is, you won’
ies. The
t subsidise produc
tion anymore. Th
farmers can prod
at way,
uce what they wa
nt
when they want.
now pour all the
You’ll
subsidies into th
e sale of goods pr
no further than 50
oduced
0 kilometres away
. And then take it
further and only
a step
subsidise unproc
essed foodstuffs
way all those deep
. That
fried empty carb
ohydrates will fle
our plates and we
e from
’ll stop looking
lik
e oversized mea
You’ll also be able
tballs.
to play King Can
ute and lower sea
Ever notice how
levels!
an apple from New
Zealand costs less
one produced lo
than
cally? And if you
do
uble the subsidie
organic produce,
s for
we’ll all end up
eating locally pr
organic fruit, ve
oduced
getables, meat an
d
fish just becaus
wallets tell us to
e our
. What a world th
at would be.
Sincerely, Indigo
team refuses to ag
ree)
Plummeting birthrates, billions for fa
rmers,
and a serious iden
tity crisis: Simple so
lutions
to the continent‘s
complex problems.
Mr. Dmitry Anatolievich Medvedev
nt President of
Former chairman of Gazprom and curre
ation
Feder
an
the Russi
117997, Russia
16 Nametkina St., V-420, GSP-7, Moscow
Dear Mr. Medvedev,
Iris
Boots named Desire
The culture of boots: An
ankle angle on fashion and
attraction.
ium)
(indigo´s French
Foot
30
Mrs. Mariann Fis
cher Boel
European Comm
ission
200, Rue de la Lo
i, B-1049 Brussel
s (Belg
44
46 Pre-Mobile Communication
To avoid roaming rates, use
a local phone booth.
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G
Dutch Cheese: No one doubts that the French, Italians, and Dutch are crazy about one thing: cheese
in all shapes and states of runniness. That means
a lot of trusty cows pumping all over Europe. But
who would have thought that the champions in
milk production stay well away from the cheese
epicentres: Sweden leads the way with over 8000
kgs per cow per years, while Denmark and Finland are in second and third place respectively
with approx. 7,600 kgs per head per year. Moo!
French Love: No matter
Brain
6
Authors: Carolina Pirola,
Florence Hazrat, Ingo Arzt
Illustration: Danny Reinecke
Amour!
how restrained they live
their lives, the French
are still seen by all to be
prepared to hop into the
next available bed. Yet,
according to recent numbers, over 0.26 % of the
population get divorced every year in (155,000
people), followed by Germany with 0.24%
(155,000), while France trails in third place with
less than 118,000 divorcees in 2005, which comes
to 0.18% of the population. It might also be that
the French have achieved true infidelity mastery
that leaves their partners without a clue…
Italian Drivers: A report by the FIA (Internatio-
Sex!
nal Automobile Federation) destroys one of the
big stereotypes about Europe again. Italians drivers are not as crazy as we think. In 2006, Poland
was top of the list of deaths on the roads (2,932),
followed by France (2,586), Germany (1,540) and
Spain (1,309).
Pizza?
Mama Mia!
Promised Lands
Misunderstandings
Some countries do some things much
better than others.
You said what? A circle of lingual confusion.
To sip a coffee:
Travelled from: Berlin to
Moscow
How: on foot
Distance: 2500 km
Time: 83 days
from June to October, 2006
Aren’t you afraid? Why didn’t you go to France
instead? And, above all, why are you travelling
on foot? All these questions went through my
head. But I had to get out, be on the road, just to
be able to write. Only the East could tickle my
adventurer’s fancy. So I – Wolfgang Büscher, freelance journalist and author – walked across Eastern Europe in 83 days, from Berlin to Moscow.
I pretty much walked on a straight line, towards
the sunrise. My bags were very small. I walked
along the side of the road in the summer heat,
right through the forests. With my military shirt,
my Russian crew haircut, and a face weathered
by sun and wind, people took me to be one of
their own. Being on the road means to turn yourself over to the countryside, to let time take its
course. Then you automatically are given moments in return. After three months of walking,
my arrival in Moscow was a shouting celebration.
I had made it: 83 days in which I was hungry and
thirsty, in which I sweated and walked until my
feet were sore—they were also 83 days in which
I’d explored the East, how it really is: broken and
modern, unknown, undervalued, with helpful
and hospitable people, with a landscape that has
made peace with its troubled history. There was
always a touch of melancholy that faced me when
I opened the door of am inn and knew this is the
one and only time you’ll ever be here.
The true fuel of progress, peace, and friendship
is coffee – its consumption is paramount to a human right. No country has realised this as well
as Norway has. If you purchase a stainless steel
cup at the national oil company Statoil, worth
40 Krone (about five Euros), you automatically
receive a year-long right to drink as much coffee
as you like at petrol stations owned by the company. Is this a trick to bind customers? Well, you
can also just walk to the station, your trusty cup
in hand, head for a coffee machine, and drink
until you burst. In contrast, steer well clear of
Germany, Belgium, and Denmark. These are the
only three countries in the EU that still impose a
direct tax on roasted coffee – up to 2.2 Euros per
kilo – inhuman!
To be behind the wheel:
Speeding tickets are unfair. Everyone pays the
same regardless of whether they’re a millionaire
or penniless: three cheers to Finland. In the just
North, the price of a ticket is dependant on the
income of the delinquent. Who earns more, pays
more. In the case of the Finnish internet-millionaire Jaakko Rytsölä, 30 km/h above the speed
limit and a dangerous lane change ended up as
134,550 Euros. But what of neighbour Sweden
when it comes to enforcing traffic laws? A glass
of wine or a cool beer will up your blood alcohol level to 0,2. In Sweden, this amount can lead
to draconian fines and even up to a half year in
prison. Who is caught with a BAL of more than
1, can even spend two years behind bars. Maybe
it’s only an act to reinforce democracy. A Swedish
saying states: “Absolutists are correct – but only
alcoholics know why.“
Italian: curva – curve
Polish: kurwa – prostitute
Polnish – English
Hardcore Traveller
fart
fart?
fart
Luck
7
English: slut – another word for loose woman
Swedish: slut – end
Swedish: tull – customs official
Norwegian: tull – joke
Norwegian: kuk – cock
Danish: kuk – mess
Danish – German
Corrected Stereotypes
mean?
bøse
gay
Böse
German: sein – to be
French: sein – breast
French: Cou - nape
Portuguese: Cú – ass, behind
Portuguese – Spanish – Italian
shy
Embarazzata
Emba
razada
Embarassada
shy?
pregnant?
Photo: Javier Sakona
Author: Joeri Oudshoorn
Photo: Carina Kircher
Autor: Tania Rabesandratana
Illustration: Hanna Schulz
People living on the Maroc side
of the border are not allowed to
cross into the Spanish enclave.
Whoever tries risks death.
Ceuta, Spain
Border between Spanish enclave on African continent and Marocco, representing the border
between European Union and
Africa.
2000-Now
People living in East Berlin were
not allowed to cross into West
Berlin. Whoever tried risked
death.
Berlin, Germany
Former border between East
and West Berlin, representing
the former border between East
and West Europe. Today, the remains of the wall are a place to
relax and spray.
1961-1989
10
Brain
Climate change, terrorism, poverty:
Humanity won’t be able to solve the
world’s problems in time, according
to John McClintock. That
The premise “Do no harm,” in which no state
may act destructively and without consideratiis, unless we combine
on, hints at the revolutionary tone. Who inf»No State Shall by
forces and found a Force Interfere with the ringes on this rule will end up at the court
Constitution or Government
of the ‘Union of Democracies,’ where fiworld commuof Another State«
nancial and economic penalties can be
nity.
expected. Disobedient members can,
from Project for a Perpetual Peace
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
in extreme cases, be expelled from
the Union and thus be barred from
a vital information platform.
Author: Olivia Gippner
Illustration: Brandon Laufenberg
Translation: Adam Chrambach
According
to the powerful participants of 1974’s World Food
Conference, 1984 should
have been the year that humanity beat hunger.
The result is apparent. International agreements
seem to promise the world and don’t end up with
much. John McClintock, who has travelled far
and wide as an economist and agronomist for the
European Union, says it simply: the world is in a
fix. Without an instrument to carry out decisions
and an equal voice for all on the UN Security
Council, the goals of peace, poverty reduction,
and human rights cannot be fulfilled. The UN
has long been a slave to national interests.
In the tradition of the Kantian theory of perpetual peace, he has now laid out a detailed vision
of a comprehensive reorganisation of the world:
‘The Uniting of Nations: An Essay on Global Governance.’ McClintock demands the creation of
a new structure, the “Global Union of Democracies,” for which he has taken, according to him,
the best functioning regional integration on our
planet as an example: the EU.
Democratic countries thus give away a piece of
sovereignty to attempt a communal solution to
problems such as climate change and world poverty. The legislation follows the model of the
EU: Formulate a goal, work on the solution in
a group, vote, and enforce binding law. At least
in the case of worldwide poverty reduction, McClintock has worked his concept out down to the
fine details – and it could work,
The charismatic do-gooder is also known to hold lectures.
www.the-uniting-of-nations.com
The Union should, in the end, not
have more than 15 to 20 members –
McClintock sees all to well how complicated and prone to blockades the 27 members have made the EU. Member states should
thus largely be admitted in regional groups.
Members of the ‘Union of Democracies’ could
thus be regional groupings such as the African
Union or ASEAN or large nation states such as
the USA.
Even if the “Do no harm” maxim seems naïve at
first glance, McClintock is in no way an idealistic
fanatic. He is a true Europe expert with many
years of experience at the Commission as well
as spending over five years in Africa. Today, he
relentlessly presents his ideas to universities and
other educational institutions and fearlessly promotes critique to improve this theory, which was
only published in 2007. He doesn’t want to only
reach decision makers but also the population as
a whole. Without them, the realisation of his political utopia wouldn’t work anyway.
Can democratic states from all over really be united? The European Court of Justice already deals
with hundreds of cases every year, because single
countries don’t carry out communal legislation.
And what about the “Do no harm” rule? How
can members be convinced to act according to
this Kantian principle? His ideal of non-violence
between states has historically never been achieved. Still, McClintocks world community is an
important impulse against the popular tendency
to resign at the problems. To add, it sounds tempting to be able to sue states for damages if their
catchphrases turn into empty promises.
Council
of Deities
The European – Olympian ambassador – journeys to heaven‘s highest
commission. His indigo column looks
for answers, at the source, somewhere
between heaven and hell.
In front of me, about 40 gods sit around
a circular, oak table and look at me quizzically.
The sublime, glass conference hall is full, outside
the sun is but a milky disc, unsure of its place
in the sky: Mount Olympus is shrouded in fog.
Hostesses in bunny costumes wait for orders by
the door with coffee, Coke, and wine in hollow
skulls in hand. One wrong word and I’m probably damned to eternity in the underworld.
One month ago, I received an email decorated
with plenty of smileys: “Dear European,” the ancient king of the gods wrote, and then invited
me to moderate the first European conference
of all religions that have ever been believed in.
Zeus himself initiated the project, “as I always
have had a soft spot for Europa ;-)”. “It is almost
unbearable”, he continued, “Constantly, politicians make references to religion”. In his time,
in ancient Greece, religion was a matter for gods
and priests only.
Zeus has just read Allah’s letter of refusal: “As a
staunch monotheist, I presume the nonexistance
of all other conference representatives” – the letter from the Christian God was worded almost
the same. Both had decided to send representation, though. Buddha let everyone know that he
would neither be present nor not-present. I take
a deep breath, fold my hands, and, according to
the etiquette, greet the group with “Dear Gods
and Goddesses.” At that moment, Dionysos, the
philandering wine god with the Jim Morrison
hairdo, guffaws loudly. Mohammed giggles at his
side. Everyone can see what he has sketched on
his notepad: Jesus in sunglasses, surfing on the
Sea of Galilee. “Sorry, buddy,” Mohammed says
in Jesus’ direction. “I don’t have a problem with
that,” he retorts, before continuing on how someone seems to have a self-consciousness issue. In
the minutes, Jesus is listed as ‘son of God’ in front
of Mohammed, who insisted on being named as
the ‘greatest prophet of all time’. The two can’t
be stopped now. “Arrogant ass” – “Money Launderer” – “Pork Gobbler” – “Jihadist.” Mohammed
finally bangs on the table and suggests they invite the Pope or the Virgin Mary instead of this
“second-class rabbi,” to which Jesus answers he
will forgive him this sin as well. Helpless, I nudge
Zeus with my elbow. He thunders. Silence.
“I don’t need to take anything from you, Mr.
Zeus. As far as I know, you had something going
on with your sister,” says Jesus, as he pushes his
hair behind his ear. “And the old man’s gay too,”
adds Mohammed. As you can imagine, hell now
breaks loose. Everyone’s shouting, Odin turns
to the Germanic warrior god Tyr and cuts his
head off for the fun of it; lightning bolts streak through the room, lava flies through the air.
“Discrimination! I am going to take this to the
European Court of Justice!” proclaims Zeus. Jesus and Mohammed roll their eyes irritably in
uncommon unison.
The gods’ conference does somehow manage to
take a turn for the better after that.
Two weeks later, I had the EU Commission a ‘European Resolution of the gods, the only God and
the only God’ – it took a while before Jesus and
Mohammed could agree on the double phrasing.
They also agree to set up a panel to warn the
gods when politicians once again take up religious controversies. Imams and priests will, from
now on, receive precise instructions from above
by email instead of the very unreliable method
of the sub-conscious influence. One also agrees
that holy sites should be built on demand: Germanic, Celtic, Greek, and Roman gods should
receive altars for sacrifices and entire temples in
Second Life and World of Warcraft. Mosques and
churches will only be built when it is clear that
there will be enough worshippers to fill them. The
answer of the Commission comes three months
later: “Europe, as a continent with clear Christian-occidental traditions, welcomes a dialogue
between the religions. But we cannot act on the
assumption that God or gods might exist.”
Brain
Author: Ingo Arzt
Illustration: Nina Weber
Translation: Adam Chrambach
11
Talk of the Town
From droughts to disputes, apologies to
angst: Get these stories while they’re hot
and listen to what they’re talking about.
Barcelona (Spain) Due to the drought Catalonia has
been experiencing over the last few months, officials
have been devising emergency plans to come into force
if the situation worsens. One solution proposed by the
region’s Environment Council for Barcelona certainly
seems peculiar, but it reveals their desperation at the
lack of rain. They are already working on the possibility of bringing water to Barcelona in by boat, all the
way from the Rodano River, in Marseille, France.
12
Brain
Realisation: Carolina Pirola
Adam Chrambach
London (Great Britain): Usually due to a lack of
evidence, only 6% of the United Kingdom’s 14,000
reports on sexual abuse end up with the offender incarcerated. So, the British Police are urging victims to
attempt to reach their aggressor with a text message
asking them why they did it. They hope the attackers
would incriminate themselves with phrases such
as: “I’m sorry, I was out of control – It will not happen again”. The questions remains as to whether this
method is entirely legal…
Sofia (Bulgaria): The EU and Bulgaria are at odds
over how to spell the word Euro. According to the
Cyrillic alphabet, the European currency’s name
would be spelled Evro, and Bulgaria threatens to
block a series of accords if it is not spelled that way in
their texts. While European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn publicly plays down the importance
of the conflict, Bulgarian diplomats state that it’s “a
matter of respect for linguistic diversity” and “national identity.”
Pelješac (Croatia): The members of the former Yugoslavia still can’t seem to avoid international disputes.
Croatia has initiated the construction of a coastal
bridge that will provide a continuous route between
the mainland and the Pelješac peninsula, separated
by 10 km of Bosnia Herzegovina’s territory. After the
project was started, Bosnian officials declared that
the bridge might violate its territorial waters and
thus must not be built. Even so, Croatia has already
announced that the 2.4 km connection is expected to
be completed in four years‘ time.
Berlin (Germany): Called the ‘Palace of the Republic,’
the former parliament of the GDR is being torn down
following a long controversy. After reunification, no
one seemed to be sure what to do with this coppercoloured behemoth in the middle of Berlin. Vociferous
residents longed for the pre-war royal palace to be
rebuilt. Due to generous asbestos, renovation seemed
too costly, but was decided anyway. Innovative art
projects were then given a roof here. This would have
made too much sense to continue, so the wrecking
ball was unpacked. The snag? No one has found the
funds to put anything in its place. So, the city is left
with a rather expensive lawn and without one of the
last prominent landmarks of the former half of the
country.
The Room Fight
Europe and her children, part 2: in the
indigo family drama on the history of
the EU, there is now bickering about
Lego, the paddling pool, and water pistols – that is, until Santa Claus steps
onto the scene.
Mama Europe is a clever woman. She knew
how difficult family life would be with all those
children. You shouldn’t forget how she adopted
the sextuplets, procreated in a celebratory orgy
on the 25th March 1957. So, she knew better than
to put all the little ones in the same room. The
little Frenchman Jean under one blanket with
the German? Fights would have erupted over the
Lego castle for sure. Emma, Sanne, Octavie, Jean,
Michel, and Francesco—all received their own
room. Onto each door Mother Europe fastened
large padlocks – “Take that, you little squabblers!” When the children were old enough and
the family had moved to Brussels, Mother Europe
handed them the keys. From now on, each child
was responsible for its own four walls. And the
children continued by the example of Mama Europe: the strictest border controls. When Dutch
Sanne wanted to play with Belgian Emma’s toys,
she would have to knock three times and politely
ask whether she could enter. Jean was ever more
strict: as soon as Francesco got anywhere near
his room, Jean would pat him down from top
to bottom to make sure he really wasn’t smuggling any water pistols. Irish Patrick and British
Emily joined the family after a few years and decided to place large paddling pools in front of
their rooms. That way, one had to swim through
those first before reaching the door and hearing your first, cheeky “Your passports, please.”
After a while, Mama Europe noticed that all those locked children’s rooms were doing more harm
to family peace than helping it. In 1985, she decided to take the eldest on holiday to talk things
over. She booked cabins on the passenger ship
Princesse Marie-Astrid for June and set sail for
the point on the Upper Mosel where Germany,
France, and Luxembourg meet—and had Jean,
Michel, Emma, Sanne, and Octavie in tow! The
sun glowed in the sky. On deck, the siblings sank
into their lounge chairs and toasted the family with ice cold Caipirihnas. In the harbour of
Schengen, the group suddenly realised that what
it needed was a more open relationship. Once
back at home in Brussels, they demonstratively
threw their padlocks into the bin. Five years later, they took the step of tearing down the walls
between the rooms. Even Francesco lifted his entire door out of its hinges and sawed it to pieces
with the help from the little Spaniard Alejandro
and the Portuguese Rui. Only Patrick and Emily
continued to huddle behind their paddling pools
and thought it quite embarrassing to lose their
privacy. Mama Europe’s house had completely
changed. The children made music with each
other, read each other books, the girls exchanged
clothes, the boys sat around the television in the
evenings watching football. This was mightily
impressive. Directly next to the Europeans, the
Norwegian family Eriksen and the Icelandic Gudfinnsson took down their high fences. From then
on, all the children played in the garden together.
Just the youngest children furrowed Europe’s
brow. She was worried the little ones could run
away and hide somewhere in the huge house,
leaving her unable to find them. Or the eldest
could rummage around in her desk! So the
locks stayed on the doors of many children for
the time being: the Latvian Liga, the Lithuanian
Ona, the Pole Jakub, the fraternal twins Tomas
and Pavel from the Czech Republic and Slovakia
respectively, the little Slovene Marika, the noble son Karol from Hungary, the Maltese Joseph,
the Cypriot Dimitra, and also the babies Gabriela from Romania and Stefka from Bulgaria.
Three days before Christmas Eve, she took down
the locks of the little ones’ doors so that everyone
could spend a peaceful Christmas with one another. Finally, even Urs, the solitary Swiss, came
forward. He lived in the basement of the family
house and usually preferred to stay out of family
issues. He was in such a melancholy Christmas
mood and wanted to tell Mama Europe that he
had loved her all along. He added that he too
wanted to take down the lock on his basement
door soon. Then, the children could come visit
him every day—maybe even to play with his model train.
Brain
Author: Jochen Markett
Illustration: Francesco Secchi
13
Erasmus Orgasmus
When Evgeni met Margarita. Turning on Erasmus experience and spicy stories from the
European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.
‘Erasmus Effect’? ‘Erasmus Orgasmus’?
Even if you’re simply speaking about Erasmus
exchanges, your listeners will start remembering
their own tales and recollections, stories made of
friendship and adventure. Above all else, though,
they will recollect their love stories. A few lucky
cases of Erasmus relationships will make it in the
long term, but most end with the return to the
home country. Even those that see their birth and
demise within a few hours still fall into the category of Erasmus love adventure. Don’t forget that
time ticks faster during an Erasmus exchange and
you try to live one hundred percent. Anyone remembering this fast-forward-time will do so with
a small smile, because only those who threw themselves into the program will really understand. The
Erasmus effect is not easy to explain.
Trying to explain Erasmus love is even trickier.
Normally, we are told we should treasure our own
experiences, whether they are positive or negative, because ‘you learn from them all.’ The end of
an Erasmus love story leaves a sour taste in your
mouth, though. It was so good, you start to believe
that geographical distances and cultural differences don’t matter. You think of dropping everything, imagine yourselves as a couple in another
country, speaking another language. In essence,
you’ve dreamt aloud and with open eyes. Usually,
the emptiness left in the place of such a relationship is linked to returning to your old country, to
old friends, to your old snail-paced life.
Theories abound on how to get out of this blue
mood. They range from simple European studies
to full theses on such topics such as ‘Erasmus Anthropology. Leave a student, live crazy, and come
back a man’ (Fiorella de Nicola) to page-long
blogs. Everyone seems to be trying to figure out
the so-called ‘post-Erasmus syndrome.’
Your old house seems so small, your friends narrow-minded, local news mere village gossip. The
only solution would be to flee from it all; to travel
again seems the elixir against all your troubles.
If you do manage to rise out of your depression,
you will start to be able to speak of your experiences, slowly wipe the dust off those painful
stories. Join the enthusiasts, the dreamers, the
passionate, those who have started to believe
again—in other words, the romantics. You have
grown into a new generation, one with fewer barriers and proud of their differences.
Tolerance and understanding should have moved
up your list of priorities. This is the ex-Erasmus
generation.
Some of just such people have shared their stories
and explained the magic moment, the butterflystomach, that certain kind of smile, or, to quote
Italian Singer Jovanotti, those that have “this light
in the eyes that only men who lived have.”
Tongue
Author: Irene Saccchi
Photos: Irene Saccchi
Translation: Adam Chrambach
Irene Saccchi
15
WOUTER (BELGIAN) MEETS SPANISH GIRL
ERASMUS IN FINLAND
16
My Erasmus exchange was the best time of my
life! I spent six months in Finland studying computer science, while she studied ecology. Both of
us had relationships going in our own countries,
but I will quickly admit that I fell in love with
her the first moment I cast eyes on her. We were
in the Gigling Marlin bar, in Joensu, in Finland,
of course. She was so new, her way of living, of
dressing, of partying, of enjoying, speaking, eating crisps with sauce, with her ‘U-Dos’ and ‘Blink
Ciento-ochenda-y-dos.’ I discovered and fell in
love with not only a girl, but an entire country. At
the end of our Erasmus time, each of us returned
to our countries. I could not live my old life anymore. My old girlfriend took me back but could
no longer understand me. I was changed, my
world suddenly too small for me. For my Spanish
sweetheart, things went differently. She returned
with her ex and I could do nothing to
become. Yes, I loved him, but more importantly
I loved that life, those friends, that energy in the
air. I returned to my country and had to leave
KARL (SWEDISH) MEETS MEDITERRANEAN GIRL
ERASMUS IN BELGIUM
him back, but that energy, those friends, and
that strange and distant idea remains. When the
nostalgia overpowers me, I bring to my mind a
phrase from a poem I was reading during that
time: “do not search for me in human form, for I
am inside your glances.”
ALESSANDRA (ITALIAN) MEETS
JORGE (BELGIAN)
ERAMSUS IN PORTUGAL
For six months, I was in Lisbon on Erasmus. I
fell in love with the city and with him. I met
Jorge at the University. Strange that, because he
really never went to his classes. Ok, fine, in the
beginning I was interested in his best friend and
only after a series of coincidental adventures we
discovered each other. It was probably the melancholy ambience of Alafama, the constantly
changing view over the Barrio Alto, but our life
stories were shooting out now. We tried to get to
know each other faster than the time flooded
sway her mind. Even though I might now see the
reasons, at the time I just suffered at the thought
of waking from this dream. If I now had the possibility to go back in time, to live it all again, I
would make the same decisions, probably make
the same mistakes. At the end of the day, I know
it was worth it.
MARTINA (ITALIAN) MEETS PETROS (GREEK)
ERASMUS IN GREECE
It was in Athens, about 5 years ago. After a runin with a guy with hair down to his feet, a punk
freak with questionable ideas about personal
hygiene, I met him. I guess he was my fate. His
name and the way it happened means little to
me today. I had no idea that he was what I would
through desperate attempts to converse in my
‘Macaroni English,’ the surprise at meeting
someone born in Nicaragua and raised in Belgium, at the same time my carbon copy and
completely different. It was unbelievably real,
and when we returned home everything seemed
a distant dream. But don’t worry, the end of our
Erasmus exchange was only the beginning of our
relationship, now spanning a lot of distance with
some friendly help from the internet and a lot of
traveling.
Eighty percent of the relationships I had during my foreign studies were with ‘Mediterranean’
girls. I do admit I have a soft spot for them, they
enchant me. To me, they represent the exotic. I
don’t want to speak of a love story in particular,
but I could write a book about all the cultural
differences I came across. Let me start with the
one about the fantastic ‘lost call’ on my mobile.
I would get tons of missed calls. In every case, I
would invariably call back. Soon, I was informed
that it is a signal showing that she wants to call
but doesn’t have the money. Then, there is the
issue of the parents. In Sweden, your parents are
part of the family, but leave you to live your life.
I would find myself at the table with her parents,
feeling like it was some kind of university exam.
To own keys to the communal apartment is not
a holy ritual, just comfortable for everyone. In
the end, I enjoy the differences though and am
powerless anyway. I am a multiple offender. Their
lures are my Achilles Heel.
MICHAEL (GERMAN) MEETS ESTONIAN GIRL
ERASMUS IN ENGLAND
We met in London, where we both were studying ‘Media and Communication Regulation.’ She
transfixed me with her words, funnily enough,
the day I met her was International Womens’ Day.
She was so intelligent. I have gathered so many
lovely experiences with her. Once, for example, I
traveled to Estonia to visit her. She warned me:
“Michael, don’t worry, but soon you’ll go to the
sauna with my stepfather and he’ll beat you with
a Christmas tree.” I thought she was joking…but,
well, she wasn’t. I have never heard of such a custom. There was even a billiards table in the sauna
and I ended up playing, completely naked, with
the stepfather of my girlfriend. Can’t have much
more culture shock than I did. Our story continued for another 2 and a half years. I can’t really
say why we ended it. The relationship had just
ended, as any other story might have.
MIGUEL (PORTUGUESE) MEETS VIVIANA (ITALIAN)
ERASMUS IN BELGIUM
I did my Erasmus year at the Faculty of International Communication in Louvain. Vivi was studying philosophy. I met her at the first Erasmus
party of Pagea, the student organisation of the
university. It was the 6th of February. She confessed that, while I had thought she was admiring
me, she had been looking at one of my friends
the entire time. On the 7th of February, we went
on a trip to Bruges. Then, we really started
17
speaking to each other. For the rest of our stay, we
attended the same lessons, lived near each other,
and had the same friends. Later, on the 13th of
March, we were on our way back home, me terribly disappointed because Porto had lost their
game. To add to the general football depression, I
felt alone and abandoned. I never actually made
it home that night. We stayed at her place talking
until seven in the morning. The same day I was
supposed to go on a trip to Paris and she had a
romantic date with another guy planned. Before
I left, I told her that I hoped she’d have a piece
of broccoli wedged between her teeth the entire
evening. She kissed me and I had to run to catch
my train to Paris.
We spent 4 years and half together, meeting in
the most unbelievable places to take advantage
of cheap flights. We’ve experienced unforgettable moments, but also had to survive minor crises, such as the time when I used a knife to eat
spaghetti at her parents’ place. Our relationship
ended recently. We are still friends and I hope
that we can stay that way. I don’t want to lose the
wonderful memories anytime soon.
18
Tongue
19
Author: Susanne Wallenöffer
Composing: Maria Messing
Translation: Adam Chrambach
Eat This
One country, one ingredient: A continental concoction to tease your taste buds.
Having moved from northern Bavarian
garlic country to the EU capital, Conny Bösl’s
creations pamper the European gourmet taste
buds like few others do. The former chief of the
German Cooks National Team chefs has for some
years provided the provisions necessary for long
conferences on the European arena. We met him
in Brussels and asked to have a look at the many
regional ingredients we had gathered.
Ingredients:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Germany – Sausage
United Kingdom - Worcestershire Sauce
France –Snails (Escargots)
Italy - Pasta
Spain – Oranges
Russia - Red Beets
Limebread: A toast on the sour side of life. Have
with Latvian herring, or, if you are adventurous, with
Icelandic Dried Salt Cod.
Lempear: Is this a lemon gone pear shaped? Could you
use this for a fruit salad?
Conny Bösl: A chef hat has never been larger (even
in unmodified form), but he was a world champion chef
for completely different talents and skills.
He agreed to put together with them, one with a
truly European flair. He had 44 ingredients from
various European countries on hand for the experiment, along with some optional ingredients
such as onions, salt, pepper, and European herbs.
He finally chose 33 ingredients from the selection and created our ‘European 3 course menu’
from them. We were present for both preparation and consumption and have thus eaten a path
across all of Europe.
RECIPE
For the fish soup, fry finely diced onion in oil,
then add sliced carrots and fry for approximately
3 minutes more. Add fish stock and add crème
fraiche to taste. Heat again. Cut salmon fillets,
herring, and soaked dried cod into small
7 Netherlands - Bell Peppers
8 Belgium – Mussels
9 Turkey - Figs
10 Sweden – Lingonberries
11 Switzerland – Chocolate
12 Poland – Apple
13
14
15
16
17
18
Norway – Salmon
Austria – Pumpkin Seed Oil
Greece – Kalamata Olives
Denmark – Cooked Ham
Ireland – Leg of Lamb
Finland - Wild Mushrooms
Tomeat: You could fill these with Slovenian bacon; if
you’d like to use French snails, then please puree them
first.
pieces and add to the broth with the previously
de-shelled mussels. Let everything simmer for a
while. At the end, add diced cucumber and tomato and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Cut the rye bread into slices and spread one half
with Kochkäis (cooked cheese) and the other with
ajvar. Sprinkle with paprika and grill for about 5
minutes in a preheated oven. Serve the soup in
deep plates alongside the grilled rye bread and a
few strips of red beet for colour.
Turn meat and leave in the oven for a further
10 minutes. Remove meat and keep warm. Add
some water to the pot and mix in peeled potatoes, diced paprika, mushrooms, and olives. Season with rosemary and thyme and bring to a boil
on the stovetop. Put back into the oven with the
meat to keep warm. For the stuffed wine leaves,
cook the Polenta, mix with finely diced ham, and
wrap in the wine leaves. Serve alongside the lamb
and the vegetables.
De-bone the leg of lamb and cut into pieces. With
a sharp knife, lacerate the surface of the meat and
season with salt and pepper. Fry in a large pot
with the pumpkin seed oil for about ten minutes
or until the exterior is crispy. Then add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook in a preheated oven
(200 degrees) for about 20 minutes. Add green
beans and finely chopped white cabbage.
Cut apples, oranges, plums, and grapes into small
pieces and mix with some lemon juice in a large bowl. Add some sugar and let sit for a while.
Put lingonberries in a pot, add 2 spoons of sugar
and some water. Bring to a boil and reduce. Then
spread the sauce over the fruit salad. Garnish
with sprinkled mint leaves, chocolate, and figs.
19
20
21
22
23
24
Portugal – Tomato
Czech Republic – Roast Pork
Romania – Polenta
Hungary – Paprika
Ukraine – Potato
Slovakia – Carrot
25
26
27
28
29
30
Croatia – Silver Beet
Luxembourg – Kachkéis
Slovenia – Bacon
Belarus – Buckwheat
Serbia - Ajvar
Bulgaria – Sour Cream
31
32
33
34
35
36
Lithuania - Cucumber
Latvia – Herring
Cyprus – Vine Leaves
Iceland – Dried Cod
Estonia – Rye Bread
Bosnia-Herzegovina – Plum
37
42
43
44
Albania – Lemon
Republic of Macedonia – String Beans
Malta – Grapes
Moldova – White Cabbage
A Borderless
People
For centuries, they have suffered under persecution and pogroms: it has
only been recently that Europe has
started to understand them and to
preserve their identity. The Austrian
author and filmmaker Ludwig Laher
shares with us his thoughts on Europe’s relationship with its Sinti and
Roma communities.
I am neither Rom nor Sinto. Fourteen years ago,
I moved to a gorgeous landscape north of Salzburg, on the German-Austrian border A while
later, older women from this area pointed out
that the National Socialists had had two camps in
this place, one in which terrible things had happened. One of these was the central concentration camp for Gypsies in today’s Austrian state of
Upper Austria, which was called ‘Gau Oberdonau’
at the time. Those who didn’t end up dying here
would be deported to Poland, to the ghetto in
the city of Lodz, and were murdered there either
through starvation and pestilence or they were
gassed. Where I live, nothing, absolutely nothing
is left to remind you of the fate of these people
and only a few scientific journals offer hints and
meagre insights.
During my research, various archives revealed
an abundance of documents, and so, for the first
time, I realised that I live in between two places
central to the historic fate of this ethnic group: a
mere two kilometres south, on the ‘Galgenhügel’
(Gallows Hill) in 1658, scores of outlawed ‘Gypsy
bands’ were killed in a mass decapitation. In 1941,
the camp walls and barbed wire were erected not
even two kilometres north of here; the youngest victims were no more than five months old.
More than 150 children under ten years of age
are noted in excruciatingly long lists of those
who didn’t survive St. Pantaleon-Weyer and Lodz
respectively.
In his book ‘And Take
What Comes,’ Ludwig
Laher describes the fate
of a Roma girl.
1910
Birth of gypsy and jazz guitar player Django Reinhardt
in a caravan.
1936-1945
Nazis begin systematic persecution of Romani people (Porajmos). The
number of Romani killed during World War 2 is estimated to be around
220,000 (out of 1 million Romani living in Europe before the war).
Those few that had survived a
camp were most often denied
the status
required to receive
financial compensation.
Piercing
Author: Ludwig Laher
Photo: Albert Grühbaum
Translation: Adam Chrambach
In a strange sort of way, I felt that through this
geographic proximity, I had a duty to these people. I decided to write the novel ‘Heart Flesh
Degeneration’ based on the facts I found (along
with the German original, the book has also been
translated into Spanish and French). In parallel,
I have tried to get to know Austrian Sinti. There
are not many left, as nowhere else in Europe was
so much Sinti blood let during the barbarism of
National Socialism, where about ninety percent
fell prey to the racist mania.
in the 1990s! Another popular method was to
formally trivialise the conditions and brutality in
the camps; in extreme cases, to even deny them
for lack of knowledge. This went along with the
denial of trade licences and the reinstating of
Gypsy registers (the police were to report on their
migratory movements). Classes held in their native tongue were held only around the turn of
this century, and that only in a town in which
four Austrian Roma had died in a racist bomb
attack shortly before.
MASS MURDERS AND EXPATRIATION
EUROPE STARTS BY
ALLOCATING LIVING SPACE
These encounters have shamed me in many
ways. Without an exception, the people I contacted had lost a close relative (parent, sibling,
grandparent), yet none were keen on compensation, accusations, or irreconcilability. They were
surprised that finally someone wanted to listen
to them and to their harsh stories. By and by, I
was learning things about my country I never
thought I would. The same way silence settled
over what had happened in the concentration
camp, the official post-war Austria didn’t want to
have anything to do with their Gypsies. Those
few that had survived a camp were most often denied the status required to receive financial compensation. The agencies responsible often used
dirty tricks, such as to not reinstate the citizenship that the expatriated had lost under Hitler
and to, when possible, deport them, even though
they had been Austrians for many generations.
Many of these cases were only positively resoved
1971
Gypsy people chose to be
called « Romani ».
1977
Europe is just at the beginning of a true intercultural dialogue with its Sinti and Roma. For far
too long (and partly even today), one relied on
the different countries to deal with their own autochthonous Sinti and Roma populations. If one
did decide to deal with their problems on a European level, the solutions usually started with
allocating living space, offering education possibilities, etc.—all the time not actually talking
to the people involved and taking the cultural
and historic circumstances into account, such as
a century-old diasporal existence that included
the constant fear of daily chicanery and pogroms
alongside the indirect interference with cultural
traditions. Assimilations seemed, if the skin colour was not all too dark, the only possibility of
breaking this cycle. This process was carried on
both under the auspices of eastern European
socialist ideology, where a uniform populace of
Norway stops sterilising Romani
people. Before that, they were
forcibly sterilised by the state.
1985
In France, the First International Exhibition of Gypsy Art is
held in Paris.
21
Assimilations seemed, if the skin colour was
not all too dark, the only possibility of
breaking this cycle. This process
was carried on both under the auspices
of eastern European socialist
ideology, where a uniform populace of workers
was to be created without the shackles of
ancestry (or culture) and in the
capitalistic achievement worship of the West.
22
workers was to be created without the shackles
of ancestry (or culture) and in the capitalistic
achievement — worship of the West, powered by
a brute competition between individuals, diametrically opposed to the values of the family
and clan oriented, rigid Roma and Sinti societies. Sinti and Roma that went along with the
assimilation faced the wrath of their communities, a high price to pay and a step leaving them
between both worlds.
CLICHÉS OF DIRTY BEGGARS
One of the common mistakes in dealing with
Roma and Sinti on a European scale is a naïve
idea of homogeneity. One the one hand, we have
the well-situated Sinti — electricians and lab assistants, bank tellers and craftsmen, market deliverymen and cooks from countries such as Austria, Germany, or Belgium. On the other hand,
you find the deprived, unemployed, and perspectiveless Roma from eastern Slovakia, Kosovo, or
Bulgaria. Not only in language is there a world of
difference between them.
I can thank an Austrian Sintiza for the useful
tip, the current situation of the Roma and Sinti
is similar to the situation of the Jews during the
last throes of the Habsburg monarchy: a good
part of the Jewish population of the western areas of the empire had, since their emancipation
in 1867, tried everything to leave the beliefs and
culture of their ancestors behind them. They at-
1992
Germany evicts 60,000 illegal Romani immigrants to
Eastern Europe.
1995
tempted to be even more liberal and sometimes
more ‘Austrian’ than their Christian neighbours.
Vienna around the turn of the twentieth century
was defined by its Jewish intellectuals and artists
such as Sigmund Freud and the poet and author
Stefan Zweig. The mayor of the time even made
the famous statement: “Who’s a Jew and who’s
not is decided by me!” which shows that even the
traditional Austrians were willing, to a point, to
give absolution to economically successful Jews
willing to assimilate.
This situation changed during the First World
War, when approximately 36,000 ‘Kaftan-Jews,’
as the usually poor Orthodox Jews were disrespectfully called, streamed into Austria, especially Vienna, from the so-called shtetls of the
battle-wrought Galicia. Not only Hitler took one
look at people like this and became a glowing
anti-Semite.
In a similar way, my conversation partner pointed
out that many somewhat integrated Roma and
Sinti in western Europe feared that public perception of them could suffer due to the recent
influx of Roma beggars to pedestrian zones. She
is also worried about common media reports that
show the inexplicable living conditions of many
eastern European Roma and the thousands of
Roma prostitutes along the former Iron curtain,
etc. resuscitating images of Gypsies as primitive, dirty, lazy, thieving, or promiscuous. Many
of these reports don’t ask about the cause of this
Writer Philomina Franz, a World War II concentration
camp survivor, is awarded the German Federal Cross for
Merits, the highest civil award which Germany awards.
Over the last few years, public
awareness has brought the necessity
of talking and working with the
Sinti and Roma to light, but the approaches have
not been wholehearted enough.
situation or whether we may in any way be responsible, don’t consider the insanity in even
suggesting such parallels.
PROSTITUTION AS A FATE
Of course, the other extreme, a philanthropic
romanticism, also hampers the incredible challenge for the European Union to adequately deal
with the highly complex Roma question. Take the
Roma girl Monika from eastern Slovakia. She is
a strong personality not bound by her seemingly
predestined fate, one who experienced a subjectively happy childhood despite her impoverished
family, who loses her mother and surroundings
in adverse conditions, who injures herself during
her time in a children’s home, who tries repeatedly to commit suicide, and who is let out into
the world at eighteen, without an education and
knowledge of the world’s pitfalls. She has no one
to ask advice from, no one to lend her a helping
hand.
That it is mostly Roma who take advantage of the
financial possibilities of such a gorgeous young
woman – who start by relieving her of her bankbook, then take away her home, sell her to a pimp,
and, despite her hefty protests, send her to sell
her self on the streets of the Western border – is
just as much a fact as the looking away of bribed,
badly paid Czech officials and the looking away
of German and Austrian ‘customers’ who cross
the border by the thousands looking for a quick,
cheap fuck. After they have found a suitable girl,
ninety per cent ask for sex without a condom and
want to incorrectly accept the desperate overtures
Author: Ludwig Laher
Was born in Linz in 1955 and has finished countless
books, films, and scientific publications on the Sinti
and Roma. His most recent book, ‘And Take What
Comes,’ was printed at Haymon Verlag of Innsbruck,
Austria, in 2007. In 2006, his documentary film
1996
The European Roma
Rights Center is set up
in Budapest, Hungary.
2006
of mostly drug-addicted, near-children as sexual attraction. In the case of Monika, you find a
complex interaction of meta-social brutalisation,
quickly labelled as the Roma problem. (Editor’s
note: Laher tells Monika’s story in his latest book,
‘And Takes What Comes.’)
LAY-BYS FOR SINTI AND ROMA
Sinti and Roma are, little surprise, human beings like you and me. It becomes apparent that
their numbers hold proportionally many highly
talented musicians and relatively few successful
managers. Europe’s historic dealing with them
has been a disgrace. Over the last few years, public awareness has brought the necessity of talking
and working with the Sinti and Roma to light,
but the approaches have not been wholehearted
enough and usually concentrate on single aspects. The first lay-bys for travelling Roma and
Sinti are being set up according to their needs
and in collaboration with them. First social housing projects are being built, atrium-like, on one
floor, with plenty of storage rooms and other
amenities fitting to the cultural traditions important to so many of them. Nowadays, children sit
wide-eyed and curious when Roma and Sinti talk
about themselves.
The author, Ludwig Laher, was born in Linz in
1955 and has finished countless books, films, and
scientific publications on the Sinti and Roma.
His most recent book, ‘And Take What Comes,’
was printed at Haymon Verlag of Innsbruck,
Austria, in 2007. In 2006, his documentary film
‘Ketani means Together – Sinti Truths instead of
Gypsy Clichés’ appeared in cinemas. From 2005
to 2007, Laher was president of the European
Council of Artists (ECA).
‘Ketani means Together – Sinti Truths instead of
Gypsy Clichés’ appeared in cinemas. From 2005 to
2007, Laher was president of the European Council
of Artists (ECA).
The University of Manchester completes its « Romani » project, It collects all the
dialects of Roma language throughout Europe. The first entirely Roma party is
founded in Hungary. It is called the „MCF Roma összefogás“ (MCF Roma Union).
23
Folkways
24
András Kállai‘s Fat Barbie, 2006
Rock‘n Roll
Damian La Bas ‘s Gypsyland, 2007
Piercing
25
Photos: Barnabas Toth (left)
Karl Grady (right)
Artist Adrás Kállai (25) has already operated on hundreds of plastic Barbie
dolls. He calls it a monument against sexism. Kállai is both Hungarian and Roma
and has already taken his art well beyond clichés of colourful garb and mournful dances. To him, terms such as ‘the art of the Sinti and Roma’ usually mirror
prejudices; he denounces the separation of art by ethnicity of the artist as complete
rubbish. “I live my identity freely and at the same time I cannot. Sadly, there is
András Kállai
so much hatred towards us,” so Kállai. He counts as one of a new group of proud,
intellectual Roma artists from all over Europe.“ He describes it as: “Even though we stem from completely different countries, we feel like we have a common origin.”
Read full interviews on: www.indigomag.eu
He discovered the feeling on the Venice Biennale of 2007. Roma artists from eight
countries joined to design the Paradise Lost Pavilion, jointly founded by the Allianz
Kulturstiftung, the Open Society Institute, and the European Cultural Foundation.
British artist Damien Le Bas (44) states after the exhibit: “There’s a bit of Sinti and
Roma in all of us, because, deep down, we are all Travellers.” He is descended from
Irish Travellers and French Huguenots and is a self-proclaimed Elvis fan. Roma art
Damian La Bas
is somehow like Rock’n Roll, that suddenly became a message for many, says le Bas:
“Our art does say something, it has a political message. There seems to be a momentum for us. In England
people don‘t like a caravan at the side of the road with Gypsies in it, but they all join The Caravan Club
and travel around the Country with a four wheel drive. It‘s a weird society.”
Before
After
Between Marriage
and the Football Pitch
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How do you deal with cultural customs that have underage girls marry, leaving them with a life of tending to the household? Caught between conflicting
identities and traditions, two Roma women come to different conclusions.
“That is every cousin’s right“
24 year old Roma Sylwina studies cultural
sciences. She balances her life between
conflicting worlds.
28
Piercing
Author: Honorata Zapaśnik
Photos: Monika Pidło
Hanna Dobrzyñska
Translation:
Max Chrambach
“Your father’s a Gypsy,” a friend revealed to
me in secrecy. Being only a child, I had no idea
what it meant to be a Gypsy’s daughter. I grew up
immersed in Roma culture – my parents spoke
Romany at home, which meant that I learned the
language. When my father played his guitar, I
would swing my little arms to the rhythm and
dance. One day I asked him: ”What does it mean
to be ‘a Gypsy’?”. Later in life, during grammar
school, I heard first derogatory comments about
Roma: “The Gypsies stole from me,” or “a Gypsy
fortune-teller charged me 100 Zloty instead of
ten.” I was the only Roma at my school, so I wore
pants and kept my heritage to myself.
impossible in my Roma surroundings: Dressed
in glasses and a trendy skirt, I just don’t look like
your typical Roma girl.
Yet, I have always thought of Roma rules as
something perfectly natural. I go to discos in
longdresses. Once, when I wore a blouse with a
deeply-cut neckline, my cousin promptly told me
that my outfit was not suitable. Another cousin complained when I danced with a Pole. “Go
away,” he told him. That is every cousin’s right.
Recently, I met a young Roma man at work. He
asked me out for coffee. I refused, afraid that
he would kidnap and marry me after coffee. A
married Romany woman has to take care of the
household. I am already 25, but before it is my
turn, I want to finish my studies.
“Football is my life”
17 year old Roma Ilona is a football player.
Her family cannot understand her world.
When I was six years old, my father wanted
to leave Poland – I don’t know why. My parents,
my brother, my sister and I lived in the polish
city of Słupsk, in an apartment in a housing
block. That is how my entire Roma family lived.
We spent Easter and Christmas at grandma’s, we
drank, chatted, and had a great time. My aunts
and uncles always told me to wear dresses, and
that, if I did, I would find a Roma husband before long. When I was six, I went to London with
my brother and father. Within months, my mother and little sister followed; over time, so did my
entire Roma family. We met at grandma’s once a
week, just as before. But I missed my Polish playmates, the rest of my family, and real snow.
I lived the life of a normal Polish teenager, but
at the same time felt the urge to embrace other
customs. Finally I was ready to accept my Roma
identity. After my graduation, my friends and
I went out for drinks. “I’m Roma,” I confessed.
“Why did you never say anything?” they asked. “I
wanted you to appreciate me for myself, and not
judge me on prejudice.”
I ended up studying cultural sciences in Cracow,
and I am now in my fourth year. Roma customs
precluded me from certain professions: I could
never become a doctor, as no Roma is allowed
to have a “dirty” job, and a human’s entrails are
considered dirty.
“I know that you’ll pass your test” my uncle
told me before an exam. My uncle is Roman
Kwiatkowski, chairman of the local Roma society and a member of the Polish Roma community. He is not even my real uncle; Roma often
speak of each other as aunts, uncles and cousins.
I have been the Roma society’s secretary for four
years now. I don’t wear trousers anymore and I
read a lot about Roma culture. My uncle often
tells me to study and broaden my knowledge of
Roma traditions. He doesn’t need to motivate me,
though. I study in order to prove that not only
Poles can become something in life. Education
influences our perception of reality. When the
many uneducated Roma come to the society, I
see the difference between them and myself.Today, I stand with one foot in a Polish, the other in
a Roma world. Every day, I am made aware of the
many cultural differences. When I am with Poles,
I have as much fun as they do. That would be
Sylwina
About 12 000 Roma currently live in Poland, most of them Polish and
Carpathian Roma, as well as the Kalderara and the Lovara. They differ in their customs, languages, and ways of life. A Roma woman is
generally expected to tend to the household. She also risks being
expelled from the community if she marries a Pole. Many Carpathian
Roma customs are determined by a code of values, passed on from
one generation to the next. Studies have shown that the Roma are
Ilona
the most unpopular ethnic community in Poland. A 2002 CBOS poll
in Polish schools showed that one third of the participating children
chose “Roma” when asked who they least liked to sit next to in class,
right behind psychotics and homosexuals. According to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, hostile attitudes
often are accompanied with concrete action against the afflicted social group, only heightening the discrimination of Roma in Poland.
Not every Roma girl wants to get married, but
my grandmother wants to force me to. When she
rang on my seventeenth birthday, her wish was
that I would soon find a Gypsy man for a husband and bear him two sons and a daughter. I
told her: “I would prefer to study and play football. ” She felt insulted and hung up. Most of my
family does not like what I do. They cannot understand why I would prefer shorts and t-shirts
over skirts and blouses. When I tell my family
about one of my games, they claim that no man
would want me if I acted like that.
I started playing football long before my thirteenth birthday on a field behind my house. One
day my cousin joined the youth team of Roma
United, a club founded five years prior for the
community of Polish Roma. I asked if I could
train with the club, and after only a couple of
weeks, the boys argued over which team I should
play for. Eventually, they even made me captain.
Two years ago, we came in second in the youth
league, and I walked away with the award for best
player. Soon after, a talent scout discovered me
and I was offered a place on the Leyton Orient
Ladies football team. If my family had stayed in
Poland, I would have never come across the sport
I now enjoy so much. In Poland, I would have
had to wear skirts and marry at an early age. Here
in England, I meet people from diverse cultural
backgrounds, I go to school and I play football.
My family has had to learn to accept that. Most
cousins are, at my age, already parents. Married
among themselves, they sit about together all the
time and take care of their children. When I see
a young Gypsy girl smoking, I appeal to her to
quit: If she acts like an adult so early on, she will
be given a husband only sooner.
The English claim that Gypsies steal and beg on
the streets. That is just the common stereotype.
Even my classmates – most of whom come from
Asia – perceive me with prejudice. When they
heard that I come from Poland, they were proud
to have a Polish friend. But when I told them
that I was Roma, their manner of speaking to me
changed, they looked at me differently. I hardly
have any true friends in London anymore, so I
try to travel to Poland as often as I can. Even in
England we uphold all of our Polish traditions:
we eat Polish food, watch Polish television, listen
to Polish news.
What is my biggest dream? I want to play football in Poland’s women’s national side a year from
now. Most girls in Poland do not play football, so
maybe I have a chance. I’d even play for England.
Football means everything to me.
29
Boots
named
Desire
30
Click, clack, click-a pair of boots, peering
out from under a white skirt with a flash of skin
in between, struts down the street – spring has
arrived! Winter is fading and the thermometer is
on its way up, but they‘ll continue to prowl over
the pavement. Leather or velvet, zipped or laced,
flat or high-heeled, worn half-calf or thigh-high,
boots remain the superstars of feminine footwear.
At the 41st Midec (the international shoe fair for
specialists), which took place in Paris in last September, they were hailed like queens. Over the
past few years, boots have seduced Europeans of
all ages with their endless appeal.
Foot
Author: Ruddy Guilmin
Photos: Marianne Baisnée
Translation: Natalie Hutton
The sound of walking boots echoes across
Europe. Everywhere, women hide their feet
in these strange, seductive objects.
Edith Gaigg, 33, who works in marketing for a
translation firm in Leeds (UK), confesses to wearing them at work, when she goes out, and even
’round the house. But why are women so overwhelmingly in favour of these famous shoes?
“They are comfortable and protect you when it
rains,” explains Edith. “They make me feel sexy
too, as they extend my legs. I also feel safe as I
can kick people up the bum!” Here is the troubling paradox of the shoe fashion summarised in
a few words: it is both an item of seduction and
a symbol of authority. What is the significance of
the invasion of the boot? Is it a manifestation of
a new feminist revolution or yet another manifestation of the female object in a Western society
still in the hands of patriarchs?
For Justine Levy, a photo stylist personality from
Paris, the scope of the ideology of the boot remains minor. But it, nevertheless, characterises
the modern-day woman. “A chick who wears
boots is at the same time active and fashionable.”
If you go to a meeting wearing the classic office
heels you have to concentrate part of your brain
on just standing up straight. If you are wearing
boots you have both feet steady on the ground.
One is straight-standing, as the saying goes: “to
show a will of a woman to be active is to step over
things.” In other words, could the boot be the
protection women need to step into the soup of
society? “Some African tribes call boots ‘feet gloves’,” explains Marc-Alain Descamps, Professor of
Psychology at Université René Descartes. “They
are shoes that go up to the knee, which is very
useful if you work in mud, swamps or sewage.”
Even with heels, the boot gives an impression
of assurance. “If they have high heels, boots can
boost self-confidence,” says Carolina, a 23-yearold Spanish journalist. “I know that sounds odd
but that’s the effect they have on me – maybe it’s
because I am taller.” It’s not that surprising. In
the view of the psychologist, boots are often seen
as a symbol of authority. They evoke the image of
the cavalry, the only ones allowed to wear them.
They are heavy, noisy and give the wearer a particular step, as the ankle cannot bend. This feeling
of light domination is shared by Marie, a 29year-old press officer based in Paris. “I feel more
sure of myself when I wear boots. They give me
confidence in my stride, and this affects the confidence that I feel inside too.” The period of the
seductress wearing the traditional heeled office
shoes is over. With boots, women benefit from
the practical alongside the decorative. From authority to submission.
Paradoxically, boots feed the hidden world of fantasy within our societies. Linked with fetishism,
which took off via photography in the fifties
(with Betty Page as the inspiration), and then
again in the seventies (with the photographer
Helmut Newton), the boot retains its link with
sex. You only need to search for the term ‘boot’ in
an image search engine to be convinced: there’s
no need to search long and hard to land upon an
array of blogs and forums dedicated to the glory
of this famous shoe, generally worn with as few
clothes as possible.
The fashion sociologist Frederic Monneyron notes a strong comeback in the high boot, particularly the thigh-high. “It is a strongly erotic object,
which was very fashionable at the end of the sixties, at the time of sexual freedom. The women
who wore them fully assumed their status as a
sexual object.”
Should we then conclude that the boot perpetuates the woman-as-an-object status yet, at the
same time, gives the illusion of being involved
in the emancipation of women? I’m not so sure.
As says Joel Faure, fetishist and chief author of
the fanzine A Propos de Bottes, “Women are parading: they wear high boots over jeans, which
avoids the openly teasing look of boots with a
very short skirt.” So the boot becomes “at the
same time a sexual signal and one of protection,
an invitation and a prohibition.” Carolina would
never wear high-heeled boots with a short skirt.
“That would give the impression of being something that I am not.” It doesn’t stop her stuffing
her jeans in her boots, though that’s “only for
special occasions.” For Frederic Monneyron, the
thigh boot today may even be about representing
the “conquering woman: it is leather, animal skin,
and it is an animal and a warrior.”
In brief, boots are maintaining their seductive
power and their sexual dimension. They give
the person who wears them a feeling of power
or authority. They form some kind of protection
that makes you feel part of the game. “Men love
the more virile woman, more liberated and selfassured,” thinks Marc-Alain Descamps. Franca
Tildach, a 28-year-old arts student from Salzburg
summarises it well. “I think the sexy aspect of the
boot prevails, but the tight sensation, the heat
and protection that you feel from the foot to the
calf, and higher, makes you feel a bit at home,
even in the street.”
31
www.anomolo.it • www.lastfrog.com • www.silenziotv.it • www.ogredung.com • www.microlabel.it
free movers of European culture. This enables
music lovers from all over to conglomerate and
get to know people from other countries who
share their passion along with foreign music
trends. The last few years has seen much movement in European incentives supporting online
labels. Two of the most important events are the
Netlabelfestival in Zurich and the itinerant Netaudio Festival, one of the leading showcases for
this movement, this year taking place on one of
the world’s electronic music capitals, Berlin.
MICROPUPAZZO
Click ‘n‘ Roll
32
Foot
Author:
Arianna Sgammotta
Illustration:
Gabriel Berretta Aka
Translation: Irene Sacchi
Adam Chrambach
Playlist:
· tebo _ blue in you
www.monocromatica.com
· the winter quarters _ direction east
www.mirakelmusik.se
· the royal horse gala _ 01 avalyn4
www.aerotone.net
· do _ erdian
www.alg-a.com
· tisane _ fromage
www.frozenelephantsmusic.com
· markus broesel _ point zero
www.monohm.com
· loscil _ subaquatic
www.one.dot9.ca
· huw roberts _ odate in harmonics
www.serein.co.uk
· navarro - land.mp3
www.standard-music.net
· palac_ hello
www.frozenelephantsmusic.com
· d‘incise _ des aulnes
www.mirakelmusik.se
· ibakusha _ fripèes
www.zymogen.net
· egotopia _ princesse meringue
www.legoego.de
· letna _ morn 45
www.navarro.eu.com/eko
· masaya sasaki _ motion8
www.minusn.com
· Kanja Tieffer -Let‘s get funky
Free music, free spirit: Net Labels are
forging a niche in the post-Napster
music business.
Many music labels were long stuck in the
illusion of returning to the monopoly of the CD
market. Enter MP3: everyone realized that musical reality would never be same. The community
of those musicians that somehow differ from the
group, those sound fetishists, and those maniacal collectors have begun to see the web as a
more and more interesting marketing-- a place to
create a new perception of reality, in which they
could spread a lifestyle.
a ‘propulsion centre of subculture,’ incorporated
into everything from the website graphics to the
selection of artists to which concerts are supported
and broadcast. Most importantly, people of every
music taste can find something, from indie rock
by Belgian band Sunday in Spring to videogame
tracks for the 8bit crowd, to the neural centre of
dirty and minimalistic electronic music.
These virtual cyber-spaces have become famous
by word of mouth and the creativity of their
founders thanks to the phenomenon of Myspace,
the new bible for clubbers and niche-music fans
from teen years upwards. It is right here, on Myspace, that you have access to the full breadth of
copyleft sites, which, in the case of Italy at least,
are linked and thus create an interesting parallel
reality of a musical free state of mind.
The reproduction and distribution of the music
is then guaranteed by the licence’s legal framework. The artist’s only obligation is that he/she
enters in no other relationship with other record
labels or other group that can stake a claim to the
copyright.
Originally small, homemade projects, Net Labels
are now known for the communities they create
around peoples’ favourite musical genres and
their ability to house underground movements,
in particular in the electronic music scene. The
choice of electronic is not random, but is based
in the history of the web as the favourite media of
nerds the world over, them having been raised on
cornflakes, Nintendo, and that electronic music
directly derived from video game jingles. Two of
the first in this field were the Kosmik Free Music
Foundation founded in 1991 and Monotonik in
1996. Meanwhile, these have been overtaken by
the current leaders, the Italian Anomolo and Japanese Lostfrog (www.lostfrog.net), who offer the
widest possible variety of artists and genres. Apart
from these, which represent the VIP of free music
download, many more operate in smaller dimensions, but are no less interesting from the point
of view of creativity and graphic implementation.
Just some of these are Silenziotv , Ogredung, and
Microlabel .
But more than that, the Net Labels represent an
attempt to copy and paste this lifestyle from the
web to everyday life. Their mission is to create
In Europe, this fad has turned phenomenon, but
it is also the focal point of concerts that, thanks
to the luxury of low cost flying, attract the
Thus Net Labels were born, a special type of music label with all its workings online. Their target:
spread free music to the largest possible audience.
Their philosophy: the use of legal licences linked
to the Creative Commons idea (CC), the so-called ‘copyleft.’ This is a legal form that permits
the limitless distribution of the artworks, albeit a
form that prevents you from earning anything, as
the content is free. The author has full freedom
in how to employ the Creative Commons licence,
without the usual restrictions and exclusive relationships that come with working with record
labels.
*For those good souls who never erred in this
direction: Napster was once the premier music
sharing platform, has since been closed down
and reopened as a ‘for-pay’ platform.
A Case that I know very well: Selva Elettrica
To know Net Labels doesn’t just mean one can
list them or know which artists they carry. Or put
better: it doesn’t mean only this. Moreover, you
have to look at them case by case, from taste to
taste, and immerge yourself in their particular
world with its values, its slang, and its perceptions. What comes to my mind is an Italian Net
Label, Selva Elettrica (www.selvaelettrica.com),
translating to ‘Electric Forest,’ born as a project of
a few friends from a city near Rome in 2005. The
metaphor used by its creator, administrator, and
musician Kudu, is to see the website as a sort of
forest. You turn around on your walk through the
web, a savage place. You’re completely free and
looking for your animal side. This is the spirit of
the Net Label. Kudu and his friends have founded a true musical ‘tree nursery,’ in which they
not only host the music that they enjoy, but also
a huge world of fonts and ways of speaking. The
program varies from the electronic in all different guises to psychedelic rock. They experiment
with non-conforming sound, which seemingly is
a secret to their success, along with them usually
hosting two releases per month, ensuring a broad
selection of artists to their audience.
In reality, the web site is only the façade for what
goes on behind the scenes. Concerts, events, and
installations allow the label to escape its virtual
confines and make a mark on the real world. But,
most importantly, they allow creative explosions
in all forms to reach the viewer/hearer. Characteristically for a Net Label, they open up the possibility to interact with the public, which is encouraged to copy the maxim of the website and
emulate the lifestyle already existing in pixels.
For example, in the case of Selva Elettrica, big
green telephones in the middle of a festival were
used to publicise the latest releases.
The question remains out there on whether Net
Labels can compete in a world of for-profit P2P.*
At the moment, Net Labels in their most pure
form don’t produce vinyls or albums and don’t
earn any money. This leaves them unable to,
without outside help, fulfil their basic mission,
to be heard on a broad scale, turn up their own
volume, so to say. Not that this changes their reality: they still strive to continue existing, continue
evolving, and finding a new approach to music.
Some countries such as Holland and Brazil are
studying ways to let copyright and copyleft cohabit. The question remains whether Net Labels
will be able to survive in this forest or will they,
like many who have come before them, end up
eaten by the market.
*For those good souls who’ve not yet erred in this
direction, P2P (Peer to Peer) is the technology
generally used to sell your soul, i.e. share music
illegally over the internet, but can also be used to
transfer files completely within the law.
33
sies, or Tzigane, who travelled from India towards
Europe, adopting parts of each culture that they
EIGHT BALKAN MUSIC LEGENDS
Gadjo Dilo: A big hit in 1997, this
Tony Gatlif movie showcased Gypsy
music on a wider stage with dances,
concerts and the actors spontaneously bursting into a song throughout
the film.
Goran Bregovic: Following pop suc-
34
Foot
Realisation: Friso Wiersum
Balkanise!
DJ Dubcovsky on the growing influence
of Balkan sounds on the dance floors
of Europe and why this trend is here to
stay.
It is my memories of Balkan music concerts
that fuel my love for the genre, particularly one
memory - a performance by Mahala Raï Banda. It
had everything, from the two young trumpeters
wildly flirting with ecstatic girls next to the stage
to the elderly violinist who was visibly attached
to the small bottle of alcohol beneath his chair.
This age range was mirrored by the audience: a
mix of elder, folk music lovers and younger clubbers united in their appreciation right until the
end.
Not that there was really a formal end, though,
as just when everybody thought the concert was
over the band started the play again in the lobby.
Here, face-to-face with the (now far louder) trumpets, the sound was overwhelming, with the beat
of the drum forcing our legs to twist and our
smiles to reignite. In fact, while I was dancing
with my girl, I even saw her mother trying out
some of her old moves with the trumpet player!
Furthermore, the elderly violinist was no longer
trying to shield his bottle from the audience, but
drank openly in the spirit of the moment. Banknotes were being thrown in the direction of the
band, everyone was applauding and, yes, the bartenders were working their arses off.
To digress, we should get into the history of Balkan music, which is an extremely old style and
can be traced back through generations of Gyp-
passed on their journey. From the deserts of Rajahstan to the plains around the Danube, the travellers adapted the sound of each region into their
own style. Indeed, in Balkan music you can hear
the trumpets of the Turkish army, the cymbals
of Romanian artists, violins by Hungarian musicians and more trumpets from Serbian ‘blowers’.
Over centuries this mix was the soundtrack to
many marriages, baptisms and village feasts in
the Balkan regions, but unlikely to be heard further afield. Yet these days, crowds all over Europe are ‘freaking out’ to the same traditional folk
Gypsy brass bands, with DJs utilising the excitement created by the high-speed brass sounds of
Balkan music by mixing it with more electronic elements. Out of this experimentation came
Balkan pop and Balkan beats, which fuelled the
hype surrounding Balkan music by emphasising
the authenticity and tradition synonymous with
it. To quote the sociologist Weber: “Our world
is disenchanted and therefore we are doomed
to look for something ‘real’”. The ‘real’ we were
searching for could be Balkan music.
It’s not just authenticity and ‘realness’ that has
popularised Balkan music though, as for western
Europeans in particular it seems that part of the
attraction to the genre is that it represents a life
and culture that many of them are longing for
– a life with freedom of travel, no fixed work,
a proud heritage and the ability to live by your
own rules.
Of course, new musical trends seem to come
every five years or so, which means that the hype
around Balkan music is likely to be relatively
short-lived on a mass scale. But what’s significant
is that it’s one of the first trends to have come
from eastern Europe to the ‘West’. And for me
in particular, even when all the other trends are
forgotten, as soon as that trumpet calls me I’ll be
straight there to sing along: “Mesecina mesecina….Poh joh”.
cess in Yugoslavia with his band Bijelo Dugme, Bregovic turned his hand
to producing music, mostly 1980s
soundtracks. And after achieving success with the record ‘Underground’ it
didn’t take him long to found another musical group, The Wedding and
Funeral Orchestra, who are known for
playing with around 150 other musicians at any one time.
Fanfare Ciocarlia: Probably the world’s
fastest brass band, Fanfare Ciocarlia’s
formed when a German fan became
so infatuated with a Romanian musician that she convinced them to form
a band. The rest, as they say, is history.
Shantel: Shantel ploughed an unsuccessful career as a lounge music
producer until he ‘discovered’ Balkan
music while travelling across land his
ancestors once owned in Bucovina,
a region on the border of Romania,
Moldova and Ukraine. Combining
the Balkan sound with electronic
beats he has released two popular
albums called ‘Bucovina Club 1’ and
‘2’. His third long-player is expected
before the end of the year.
Besh o Drom: Besh o Drom are a
Hungarian band that began as a traditional brass outfit only to mix up
Balkan sounds with jazz and electro.
Besh O Drom are one of the more
popular Balkan-influenced groups.
Balkan Beat Box: Balkan Beat Box
comprises of two Israeli boys from
Brooklyn that make club music with
Mediterranean and Balkan influences. Technically masterful with their
instruments, their live performances
are often compared to circus shows
and are widely revered.
Gogol Bordello: Perhaps the most
popular of all the Balkan-influenced
acts, Gogol Bordello were trawling
Europe’s festival circuit again this
summer, establishing their tag as everyone’s favourite Gypsy punks. Mixing their Ukrainian heritage with the
spirit of ramshackle bands like The
Pogues, critics have claimed that lead
singer Eugene Hutz is faking his accent – not that crowds seem to care.
Fatima Spar & the Freedom Fries:
Lesser-known than some of their contemporaries, this band are still one of
the best examples of Balkan beats.
Blending the various musical traditions of south eastern Europe, Fatima
herself has roots in Turkey while her
band have roots in the former Ottoman Empire. Voted the best Austrian band of 2006, they look likely
to become heroes of non-electronic
Balkan sounds.
THE FESTIVAL
The Guca festival in Serbia is the yearly celebration of all things Balkan, bringing thousands of
fans to a small village in the southern region of
the country for an entire week. There, they can
experience everything a European festival should
be, with non-stop music, belly dancing beauties,
litres of Slivovitz (the local brandy) and campsite
parties that continue way past the end of the live
performances each night. Obviously it’s the festival itself that’s the real attraction though, with
the contest for best foreign band being one of
the more serious elements. Winners can double,
even triple, their subsequent earnings; though
one artist, Boban Markovic, has been excluded
after winning for so many years in succession.
With this rising popularity the festival’s reputation is recovering from the bad press it received
during the period of Serbian isolation. Indeed, it
is now returning to how it should be known, as
the ‘Woodstock of trumpets’. However, if you can’t
make it there in person, get the record ‘Golden
Brass Summit: Fanfares en delire’ to get an idea
of the sort of musical richness available at Guca.
35
Beware
of the
Australian!
Am I organised or clumsy? An overview of the backpacker crowd.
36
Foot
Staying in a hostel is a fantastic accommodation option for those that travel often and
have little money. It satisfies all the basic human
needs: a bed to sleep in, a shower, a toilet, and
use the bathroom. In one of these instances, he
will forget his key (or magnetic card) inside and
will knock on the door in order to be let in. For a
while, the others will try to go back to sleep and
ignore him, but some poor soul (usually me) will
finally get up, usually so that the knocking will
cease and sleep can resume, and let him in.
The Organised Type
In theory, the organised type would be the ideal
companion to share a room with, but, in reality,
this is not always the case. The organised type
switches off his telephone but wakes to an alarm
clock, and keeps his things in a locker (with a
padlock) and inside his suitcase (again with a
padlock). After finishing his morning prayers, he
makes his bed and then demonstratively places
his pyjamas on top of it – this is to prevent any
tralians usually travel in groups of 2 or 3 and are
known for telling salacious jokes that only they
understand, to then proceed to burst into thunderous laughter, again in the middle of the night.
The Sociable Type
shower. But no worry, the manager of the hostel,
familiar with this type of client, sells everything
at the reception at double the usual price.
He is the one who, upon arrival, introduces himself to everyone, even those who are lazing on the
top of a bunk bed. He remembers everybody’s
name and, after 10 minutes, everybody knows the
main events in his life and the reasons for his
journey. The sociable one expects to receive just
as much information about the others and will
proceed to spread it to everyone else in the hostel. The abilities of the sociable one are not just
confined to the dormitory. He obtains his best
results in the hostel common room, where he will
transfix a group of half-asleep individuals sitting
in front of a television. He’ll even stick around to
These types are of various walks of life, nationality, and age. The noisy type characterises himself
by a series of sounds that he emits during sleeptime. Snoring is their speciality, sometimes in
extreme forms damaging to the mental stability
of the other guests. The noisy type can, however,
also abandon this for other, flatulent sounds created while he twists and turns in his bed, shaking
the entire structure. He always has an alarm clock
or a telephone, which begins to ring suddenly,
continuing for 10 minutes due to the trouble he
has finding it or making it stop.
The Noisy Type
Author: Nicola Pizzolato
Illustration: Joseph Hanopol
even, in the 21st Century; the company of others.
This camaraderie and community spirit derives
from having to wake in the same squalid room
every morning, usually with 4 to 12 other people.
After 18 years of frequenting hostels of varying
standards, particularly in Anglo-Saxon regions, I
have been able to ascertain a typology of people
that one is most likely to meet in a hostel dormitory.
new arrival from coming along and, without realising that the bed is already in use, begin to
occupy it. This behaviour is naturally very annoying for the other, more untidy members of
the dorm room, making them feel somewhat inadequate. Words are rarely exchanged with this
individual, although some, thinking that he is
German, accept him for who he is.
The Australian
The Clumsy Type
The clumsy type always arrives in his room in the
middle of the night while the others are sleeping.
He comes in with his big suitcases, which he unsuccessfully tries to force into his locker. He then
proceeds to trip over all the beds and luggage
in the dark, making a mess everywhere. After a
while, he decides to switch the light on – murmurs and insulting whispers can be heard from
under the other covers. Despite this, the clumsy
character will continue to disturb, opening zippers, noisily rummaging through plastic bags,
exiting and entering the room several times to
In every large dormitory in every hostel, there
is always an Australian. I have come to the conclusion that, in his confined land of birth, the
education of an Australian has prepared him to
overcome great enemies and hostile atmospheres.
The Australian doesn’t realise that the hostel is a
place where sleep is fragile and one needs to do
everything to respect it; maybe he considers it a
place that is just convenient for him, one where
there is no need to be particularly considerate. It’s
a given fact, however, that 9 people out of 10 who,
in the middle of the night, nonchalantly switch
on the light are guaranteed to be Australian. Aus-
look them cheerfully in the eye. The sociable one
also organises walks around the city, visits to the
best pubs, and the Saturday evening at the disco.
Regardless of how much he surpasses the boundaries of reservation with abounding boldness,
such an individual is essential in the hostel environment in order to break the ice between people who would otherwise not speak to each other.
The night before leaving, the sociable one will
distribute a piece of paper to everyone with his
email address or likewise an invitation to visit him.
The Rookie
Not to be confused with the clumsy one, the rookie is simply the type that has no idea what a hostel actually is and how the system actually works.
Often of a young age, he will spend the first 5
minutes trying to open the door. He will then
enter the dormitory and, at this point, realise that
he actually has to sleep in a room with other people. The rookie doesn’t understand which one of
the beds has been allocated to him. He hasn’t
brought a lock for his safe nor flip-flops for the
The Corrupted Type
I have noted that such an individual is often
from the USA and often quite young. Coming
from a country where drugs, alcohol, and sex are
looked down upon makes him think that, in a
liberal Europe, everything is permitted. Trying
to experiment with these practices in a hostel
should make him understand that this notion
is wrong. The other guests can smell smoke of
any variety and witness the alcohol consumption. These things are generally banned in the
rooms because they smell and lead to vomiting
in the communal bathroom. At the same time,
these shady individuals convince girls to follow
them into their dormitories in the obscurity of
the night. Again, he should know that he will
not meet that legendary masculine solidarity on
this one. He will instead be out voiced by endless insults – some authoritative, others sarcastic
in nature – all in a medley of languages. These
will accompany him to the heights of his noisy
climax.
37
Happy Greetings from...
lies in myriads of pictures circulating the web
and the testimony of so-called ‘cataphiles,’ who
meet there for strange, nocturnal practices. Seek
it out the day you would, for instance, want to rid
yourself of a cumbersome partner: no one would
ever get to the bottom of her disappearance in
the meandering of a labyrinth in which exits are
periodically blocked.
38
Foot
Realisation: Marianne Baisnée
Translation: Adam Chrambach
Down-Town
Are you into underground movements?
How about a Paris travel tip you can’t
help passing by.
How do you get there?
Catacombes de Paris
1. place Denfert-Rochereau
75014 Paris
Access: Métro et RER B
Denfert-Rochereau
Price:
Full fare: 7, 00 € Reduced
Fare: 5, 50 €
Youth Fare (14 -26): 3, 50 €
Le musée des égouts de
Paris Pont de l‘Alma, rive
gauche, face au 93 quai d‘Orsay
75007 Paris
Access:
Métro: ligne 9, station Alma-Marceau
RER: ligne C, station Pont de l’Alma
Price:
Full fare: 4, 20 €
Reduced Fare: 3, 40 € for students
You’ve dreamt up the perfect seduction
plan: you’ll take her on an original, subtly poetic tour of Paris. Ok, abandon the touristy Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur, Louvre, and other hotspots. Move from the trite surface into unknown
depths, penetrate Paris’ mysteries, and plunge
into its profundities.
You could commence your exploration of the
underground city with an organised tour of the
Catacombs. These ancient quarries where remodelled in 1785, when millions of skeletons were
transferred here to ease congestion in Parisian
cemeteries. The shivery fright coursing through
your friend’s veins will definitely throw her into
your arms and everyone knows that the fantasy
of death can‘t hurt when it comes to erotic verve.
Once the first shock has passed, you’ll probably
find the endless piles of skulls and tibias a tad
monotonous or maybe even recoil at the perversity of your morbid curiosity.
If you want a less trodden path, remember that
it comes at your own risk. It is forbidden by
law but completely possible to wander among
the numerous crypts and disused quarries that
riddle the subterranean French capital. There are
sculptures to discover, aqueducts, castles, and
thousands of other subterranean marvels. Proof
www.paris.fr
Not every stroll need be so adventurous or sepulchral. If you feel you need to put your friend
to the test, fathom whether she is ready to follow
you to the other side of hell-- in this case, near
the elegant Pont de l‘Alma, on the left bank of
the Seine, snub the humdrum of tourists heading
tritely towards the Quai Branly (Ethnographic
Museum). You’ll soon reach an old fashioned
kiosk, at a glance to be confused with a public
toilet, and follow the guide stationed there. He’ll
take you to a network, constituting the underbelly of the city, as each street has its corresponding,
subterranean channel, twisting and turning before you, bearing the same name, marked by the
same street signs. Oh shit. You’re in the Parisian
sewer system.
Unfortunately, you will only see an infinitesimal
part of the 2,400 km of canals that, if straightened, would tunnel all the way to Istanbul. Yet,
the museum shares plenty of serious albeit sordid stories of the history of sanitation and graphic tales of hydrography, finding its highlight
in underground construction of the 19th century.
It reminds somewhat, perhaps involuntarily, of
the torture equipment on display at London’s
famous Tower Museum. Along a double gallery
with oozing walls, signs warn of the possibility of
unspecified liquids dripping onto your head. At
the end of the corridor, behind bars, you notice
somewhat worrying, oversized, ownerless black
boots. From behind glass, post-taxidermy rats
stare at you with a frightened gaze. In the meanwhile, your guide, a professional sewer worker, relates the most horrible stories his profession can
produce. A putrefying smell slowly takes hold
your throat. The most impassioned visitors are
even able to purchase a toy stuffed rat in the gift
shop afterwards, as if to make sure one doesn’t
forget this romantic stroll. They can even take it
a step further and threaten their girlfriends with
the organizing – for a mere 255 Euros an hour
– of her birthday party in one of the sewers with
the guaranteed presence of at least one authentic
sewer worker. Any reader not yet convinced by
these evocative offers has one route left to him to
discover the charms of Paris underground: take
the metro, like the rest of the world.
The Visual
Kidnapper
40
Iris
Author: Éloïse Bouton
Photos: Zevs, JP
Translation:
Sarah Nowakowska
Kidnapping Facts
Highest Ransom
Around € 15 million were paid in
Germany for Jan-Philipp Reemtsma in March, 1996. The highest ransom in Great Britain was
a mere € 1.5 million, whereas
ransoms in Hong Kong and South
America have already reached
more than $ 100 million.
Disappearances
God almighty of urban art, Zevs uses the
city as a platform. He tags, writes graffs,
paints, bombs, climbs, cuts, turns, diverts, turns over and strikes down walls
and billboards with his mark. In 2002,
the artist kidnapped the silhouette of a
Lavazza poster in Berlin and claimed a
$500,000 ransom. For Zeus’ sake!
Berlin, Alexanderplatz, April 2nd, 2002,
5.37am. Zevs, wearing a yellow outfit adorned
with a flash of lightning surrounded by a cloud,
climbs the front of a hotel. The mysterious masked avenger cuts out the feminine silhouette
from a Lavazza poster with a scalpel, leaving a
gaping hole in the 17-metre-high billboard where
the slogan “Espress yourself” can be read. An
hour and a half later, the face of the coffee brand,
a tanned bimbo with a blank expression, is at
his mercy. Before coming down the artist writes
on the hollowed poster: “Visual kidnapping-Pay
now!” and leaves the scene with the tied-up hostage under his arm. He gets in touch with the
Lavazza management and demands a €500,000
ransom as a symbolic price representing the cost
of a publicity campaign. The hostage will be executed in Paris if the Italian company does not
pay. He then takes his captive on the run around
Europe. He takes her to Sweden, to Berlin, and
confines her inside the catacombs of Paris.
In the French capital, he shows her off during
exhibitions and invites visitors to decide her fate.
In contributing one euro, they demonstrate their
willingness to see her perish, and in buying the
work of art, they save her life. The artist’s goal
is simple: to provoke and maintain an interactive game with the public. “The target takes the
public’s attention hostage against consumption
demand and I reverse the process by kidnapping
the effigy in the poster and claiming payment
from the owner of the image.”
While Amnesty International
counts “disappeared people” in
28 countries as human rights violations, some people disappear
in every state. Most disappearances are rediscovered after
a few days, yet some remain
Paris, April 2nd, 2005. During an event organised
missing forever.
by the marketing director of Lavazza France at the
Tokyo Palace, the French cultural liaison officer
in Italy and the museum management announce
the ransom publicly. In doing so, the giant coffee
company wishes to demonstrate its support for
contemporary art.
This project of visual kidnapping, undertaken three years ago, constantly developed and
reshaped, represents Zevs’ masterpiece. The
young French artist from the graff scene made
his debut in Paris, creating his first pieces in the
1990s. Zevs uses an art of diversion and reversal by subtly playing with apparition and disappearance, shadow and light, cleanliness and dirt.
Between dispute and publicity strategy, his tactics
are at the crossroad of street art of which Paris
and New York are the two poles. Inspired by the
hip-hop movement and urban art, he prevails in
the abandoned areas of the close suburbs of Paris, the derelict railway lines and waste grounds
of the 20th district of the town. At that time tags
saturate the walls of the capital, no longer offering any visibility. Zevs then creates his logo, the
cloud and the flash of lightning painted in swollen letters, mixing tag and graff styles.
In 1992, he almost got run over by a regional
R.E.R train while writing in a Parisian suburban
tunnel. On the wild train he reads “Zeus”. “That
really marked me, as if it got imprinted on my
retina. So I reversed the situation by using that
name to write all over the town. It was a very
good tag to flaunt in public spaces.”
Zevs’ interest in art springs from painters and
graff writers in books such as Spraycan Art, Subway Art and films Beat Street, Break Street, and
Stylewars. Fascinated by stencils, silhouettes and
writings covering the walls of his neighbourhood,
he followed a peculiar path and took hold of the
urban codes. During one of his strolls he discovered the Georges Pompidou National Centre for
Art and Culture. To him, the poly-cultural establishment incarnates the neuralgic apex of Paris.
He then discovered modern and contemporary
art and developed techniques just as subversive,
but far more insidious, than those. One night, he
made a visual attack on the front of the building.
Armed with a blood-red spray can, he sprays Alfred Hitchcock’s face on an advertisement banner
of the museum, leaving a red dot trickling down
the film-maker’s forehead.
Although some features of his work recall Thomas Hirschhorn and Marcel Duchamp, the Parisian artist doesn’t acknowledge any influence. He
separates his work from all political projects and
focuses on the art. He claims that
his actions aren’t about wanting to pass on a
message or to denounce anything. “I’m neither
anti-ads nor anti anti-ads. I try to unveil the mechanisms at work in advertising communication
so that it becomes a source of inspiration and
motivation. I use it in my work as a platform for
expression.” Despite a growing interest from
European galleries, France remains somewhat reserved towards his works. Is he too avant-garde an
artist or misunderstood by his own country? The
visual kidnapper explains the French caution
with derision. “Some say that you need to stand
back to see things better. Maybe if I move abroad
I will receive invitations to exhibit in France!”
Encarts
Kidnapped Animals
It has been known that dogs are
kidnapped for ransom. But did
you know that about 600 animals
were stolen from 80 zoos in the
European Association of Zoos
and Aquaria between 2001 and
2004.
Shadow sprayer
Zevs imposed himself by marking the town with
his name and manifesting his invisible presence
through his logo. His work also lies on a representation of his town. Thus, this urban divinity can
strike in different ways. In the early 2000s, he
painted the outlines of urban fixtures. Under the
artificial light of night, he marked street lamps
and buildings with white road paint. During the
daytime, these forms and images remain and take
on a new dimension.
The clean graffiti
Zevs began what he calls “clean graffiti”. Faced
with walls darkened by pollution, weathering and
general wear and tear, the artist undertakes the
task of artistically cleaning their surfaces using
Kärcher cleaning equipment. A flash of lightning
and a cloud remain in his wake. He thus avoids
illegality and any accusation of vandalism! By taking these codes back, he turns them to his advantage and puts those responsible for the town’s
cleanliness in an embarrassing position.
The invisible graff
This technique is close to the principle of “clean
graffiti”. Zevs uses phosphorescent paints, which
allow him to work all day in tranquillity. He can
thus operate without the risk of being caught or
being censured by the authorities. He writes on
the walls of the town by day and puts a filter on
street lamps and the bateaux mouches. At night,
his works of art are revealed by the effect of the
sunless light.
Until the 4th of May, Zevs is holding his exhibit ‚ELECTROSHOCK‘ in Copenhagen‘s NY Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum. The
exhibit is the most comprehensive ever by the artist.
41
Britflicks
Teenagers, drugs and violence: the
debuts of young British directors‘ such
as Shane Meadows and Paul Andrew
Williams, whose excellent films are
now available on DVD.
42
Iris
Author: Sascha Keilholz
Photos: Warp Films
Steel Mill Pictures
1983: the documentary clips at the beginning of Shane Meadows’ This is England depict a
Royal Empire ready to implode. He covers issues
from the way prime minister Margaret Thatcher
split the nation with her decision to go to war
with Argentina over control of the Falkland Islands to the rise of white nationalism in the UK
in the early-1980s.
Shaun, a 12-year-old misfit, finds comfort and a
replacement family in a gang of skinheads. The
term ‘nation’ is far from his mind. A speech by
the National Front is shown: the usual rhetoric of
racists distancing themselves from nationalists as
well as the ever-present topic of national pride.
Personal pride is a central theme for Shaun, who
wants to make his father, a soldier who died
in the Falklands War, proud of him. Opportunity knocks in the form of a nationalist gang
called the “Band of Brothers.” Cheers break out
amongst the members whenever the motto “it’s
time to take it back” is recited, cheers that accompany the boy on his first racist escapades. Shaun’s
first victims are “Pakis,” from ball-toting youths
to shop owners. It is a surprise to the viewer that
Shaun’s actions remain non-violent; he merely
frightens his victims.
Indeed, at the beginning the gang is often a very
friendly bunch and at others simply youngsters
without direction, neither particularly malicious
nor violent. Shaun’s mother acknowledges this
and initially has the same perspective as the audience. She is shocked when she sees her son’s
new look for the first time: rolled up jeans, Doc
Martens, a Ben Sherman shirt and braces. She
confronts the boys and ends up making the surprising assertion that, although Shaun should
have asked her about his shaven head, she accepts that the clothes are perfectly fine. This
naïve treatment of what looks like a transformation into neo-nationalism shocks the viewer.
However, director Shane Meadows quickly makes
it clear that these juveniles are not right-wing
In cooperation with:
radicals – they are just a gang of skinheads following a fashionable movement and looking for
an opportunity to distinguish themselves. Political beliefs or interests only arise when someone
opts to leave the group. But, when the enigmatic,
hateful Combo returns to remind the group of its
past, all members are forced to realise that being
a skinhead is not a mere game.
After his debut film, Twenty Four Seven (1997),
Meadows disappeared from the spotlight for a few
years before coming back with Dead Man’s Shoes
(2004), one of the most complex, puzzling and
stylistically confident films in years. With stoic
composure, returning soldier Paddy Considine,
who was also the scriptwriter, launches a merciless and cold-blooded revenge campaign against
the thugs who brutalised his mentally handicapped brother during the time before he left.
In unusual and innovative scenes, the film heads
towards an uncompromising and impressive ending, as events from the past come to light.
Like Meadows, there is also cause for celebration
for Scottish director Gillies MacKinnon, who
celebrated his international breakthrough with a
drama about adolescence. Six years after Small
Faces (1996), he exchanges Glasgow for London
as the setting for his new flick, Pure, and introduces younger actors as the main protagonists.
At the forefront of this excellent cast is Harry
Eden.
At the sensitive age of ten, Paul (Eden) tries his
best to look after his mother and the daughter of
his mother’s best friend, both of whom are unreliable when they are high on drugs. Whilst most
British films depicting drug abuse tend to follow
the path of Trainspotting (1996) by focusing on
youngsters flipping out, here it is the portrayal of
the mother’s addiction and the approach of her
bright and obdurately pragmatic son. As she decides that she wants to go cold turkey by herself,
he stands by her and says: “We’ll do it together”.
This scene is one of the best in an utterly intense
film.
Both the director and the young protagonist were
acknowledged at the Berlinale Talent Campus
and at the Emden Film Festival. Although this
festival success did not help the film achieve an
official cinema premier in Germany, it has been
well-received across the rest of Europe. The film
is available on DVD under the name “Pure”, a
title that reflects the content of the film. On the
cover of the disc, Harry Eden’s picture has been
replaced by that of Hollywood star Keira Knightley and the Canadian actress Molly
The author is the representative chief editor of
the online film magazine critic.de.
43
London to
Brighton
2006
DVD available:
Parker (who plays Eden’s mother). However, Eden
is always at the centre of the action and his performance matches that of his excellent co-stars.
The generic trend for focusing on young children living in a brutal world of adults has also
been adopted in the film London to Brighton
by Paul Andrew Williams. His excellent feature
film debut depicts the story of two girls who decide to run away from home after making each
other’s acquaintance on a London street. Kelly
makes her way as a cheap prostitute and Joanna
spends her time as a dropout. With the prospect
of earning a quick 100 quid, she was tempted to
spend an evening with paedophile tycoon, Duncan Allen. This chance encounter leads to Allen’s
murder, an event gradually revealed in flashback.
Now the girls must escape from Kelly’s pimp and
Allen’s unscrupulous son, Stuart. Although the
sequence of events is somewhat predictable, the
film fascinates us with its transparency.
Sidney Lumet’s new, conditioned version of Gloria (1999) is the story of a child in a maelstrom of
violence that, unlike London to Brighton, always
stays away from social kitsch. What makes Gloria especially worth watching, and this is equally
true of Pure and This is England, is the excellent
performance of the young actresses.
Pure
2002
DVD available:
Dead Man’s
Shoes
2004
DVD available:
This is
England
2004
DVD available:
Director: Paul Andrew Williams
Script: Paul Andrew Williams
Cast: Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome,
Sam Spruell, Johnny Harris, Alexander Morton,
Nathan Constance
Length: 85 Min.
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Script: Alison Hume
Cast: Harry Eden, Molly Parker, David
Wenham, Vinnie Hunter, Keira Knightley,
Gary Lewis
Length: 96 Min.
Director: Shane Meadows
Script: Paddy Considine
Cast: Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby
Kebbell, Jo Hartley, Seamus O’ Neill
Length: 90 Min.
Director: Shane Meadows
Script: Paddy Considine
Cast: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham,
Joseph Gilgun, Andrew Shim, Jo Hartley
Length: 101 Min.
Fortune Fish
Even if fairy tales are told in different
tongues, sometimes their stories lead
to the same conclusion.
44
Ear
Author: Adam Chrambach
Illustration: Danny Reinecke
They pull glistening creatures from the sea
in the hope that they land the big fish and become rich. It is no wonder that fishermen often
get caught in fairy tales’ nets. One, in particular,
has been retold all across Europe—here are four
versions from all over. The first would have to be
told in Plattdeutsch, a dialect found in Germany
wherever the air is tinged with salt. Why here?
Because these shores adjoin Europe’s only sea.
The Baltic never breaks over anyone else’s beach.
Mecklenburg – Northern Germany: The Fisherman and his Wife
A poor fisherman goes out to sea one day and
catches nothing. Just as he is pulling in his last
nets, a flounder flops in the bottom of his boat
and speaks to him: “Please, throw me back. I am
really an enchanted prince.” The fisherman, amazed that the fish can speak, throws him back into
the water.
When he gets home, he tells his wife the fantastic story. She is furious: “You should have wished for something! Go to the water and see if
you can find him.” So the fisherman walks to the
beach and shouts across the waves. Suddenly,
the flounder appears. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, our hut is falling apart. Could we have a
small house?” “Go home and it is done.” And so
it was: instead of the ramshackle hut, they now
had a small house and garden. After a few days,
the wife wasn’t happy anymore. “Why don’t you
go back and ask if I can be made king?” And so
it was: every time the fisherman returned more
fearful than before and every time the sea was
more rough, but once she was king, she wanted
emperor, and once that, Pope was next on the list.
But even the castles, servants, and feasts weren’t
enough. “Go back and ask if I can be God.” To
this question, the fish changed his answer: “Go
home and see what you find.” So, the fisherman
returned to find the ramshackle hut and his wife
back in rags. That is where they are still sitting
today.
Siberia – The Old Man and the Cat in the Tree
This time, there is an old man and no wife. While trying to cut down a hollow tree one day, he
surprised by a cat who asks him not to. He takes
pity on the animal and goes home, falls asleep,
and wakes as a rich man! He goes back to the tree
and subsequently wakes up an emperor. When
he asks to be God, he too is reverted to his original state, but naked and sick this time. He dies
slobbering onto the frozen ground.
Spain – Franciskita
Now it’s Franciskita, a little girl, and Christ who
meet. He asks if she’s happy and she answers:
“Yes, but I’d like a new house.” He keeps visiting
to ask if she’s happy and by and by bequeaths
on her a dress, a few chickens, a cow, and then a
worthy husband. When he then comes and asks:
“Are you happy, Franciskita?,” she answers: “I’m
not Franciskita, I’m the Mrs. Mayor!”
France – The Honest Man and the Beanstalk
In France, it’s God and St. Peter who meet an old
beggar asking for alms by the wayside. They give
him a single bean and continue on their journey.
When he goes home, his wife scolds him for not
having brought any proper food and throws the
bean out of the window. The next morning, even
the priest with his spectacles can’t see the top
of the beanstalk. His wife tells him to at least
go pick some beans. He climbs so high until the
earth looks like a mustard seed and arrives at
the pearly gates. When St. Peter opens, the man
asks him for a meal to replace the beans he never
found. A richly laid table awaits him when he
returns.
The next day, his wife sends him to ask for a new
house and, after much resistance, he climbs to
make the request. St. Peter is annoyed but creates
a lavish mansion. His wife’s next wish is to have
them made king and queen. To her dismay, she
discovers that even kings and queens have wrinkles and one day must die, so her husband has to
climb with her next wish: again, to be God. And,
as in the other tales, all that was left to the couple
was what they had owned before.
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Out of Juice
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Germany
Greece
Hungary
Malta
Ireland
Latvia
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Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
UK
Poland
France
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As mobile phones take over
out-of-house-communication,
the phoneboxes that used to
dot the landscape are dying
out. Just in time, indigo caught
them on film. Do you recognize
what phonebox is in which
country? Happy searching!
We are working on further photo collections showing small cultural differences all over Europe. You can help.
Read details about the photos we are
looking for at:
www.indigomag.eu/join/photoseries
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Photos:
Joeri Oudshoorn
Culture needs open space
and a partner to create it.
www.allianz-kulturstiftung.de