Unlock the soul

On Art and Culture in Craiova

And how is important to leave the doors open

When I first arrived in Craiova, I didn’t expect to find such an environment, full of art and culture and, more in general, events of any kind (such as the Medieval Festival that took place last May).

Sometimes can seem a very quiet place, but the life of the city is rich of opportunities for people who seek for cultural events, between concert of classical music (the last, organized by Craiova’s Filarmonica, was directed by an Italian musician), folkloristic shows, such as ‘Craiova se îmbracă în ie[1]’ , and activities organized by international volunteers like us.

You just have to keep your eyes open and to attend some key places.

One of this places is the Aman Library, in the city centre.

It was during my last visit there, that I received an invitation to take part to the exhibit of the works of the Romanian artist and writer Tatiana Jilavu, and the presentation of her last book.

So, on a windy Saturday morning of June, I got up earlier than usual and walked until the Library, were I found myself surrounded by people attending the event.

I was looking around, trying to spot the author of the exhibit, with no success.

Everyone around me just spoke Romanian, of course, but I also start to notice that, for the first time during my EVS, I could at least grasp the general sense of what they were saying.

After ten minutes of waiting, a man invited us to go upstairs to attend the opening of the exhibit.

The hall of the second floor was filled with paintings, all very colorful and full of a special sensibility, in which figures of young women wondered in enchanted worlds, a Fairytale land that, under the surface, was painfully real, as if under every joyful brushstroke was hidden a subtle stream of pinkish melancholy, bittersweet to the eyes.

In general, I felt my soul full of a warm feeling, similar to happiness, a happiness that was originated and reflected by the painted bottles hanging from the walls, the powerful colors of the brushstrokes, quick and alive, the vibration of the graphic lines tangling in the space.

I felt a connection with these artworks, I felt reflected something of me in them.

And this was true, indeed.

There was something that me and the artist Jilavu had in common.

During the presentation of her last book, just after the exhibit, she talked about a feeling that I carry in my heart often these days : homesickness.

This longing for our Countries, is very common between travelers, and is inevitable during EVS, something that every volunteer experience at least once in a while.

Jilavu is a woman who travelled quite a lot, who lived and still lives abroad, and who understands very well what this feeling is.

She miss Romania as much as I will miss this Country myself, and as much as I already miss Italy.

Unluckily, my Country is becoming more and more close.

While I was here in Romania, our government changed drastically, and parties of the right wing took the power.

It was a true shock for me, because they based all their political campaign speaking to the guts of Italian lower classes, spreading xenophobia, homophobia, racism and fear for the different.

It’s hard to hope for a bright future in these circumstances, but still I learnt something staying here.

Traveling is the cure.

It can seem trivial, but is simple: to overcome the diffidence, to look beyond the stereotypes, it its necessary to be in contact with other cultures, to speak with foreigners and listen to their stories, to learn from them.

I lived with people from all over the world, we shared our food, we learnt how to accept and respect each other’s differences and to laugh on stereotypes, we worked together to achieve our goals and spoke about politics, music, gossip, and everything else.

We took care of each other, as good friends do.

I will never be the same after this EVS, because it gave me the tools to react to all the racism that will surround me once I’ll go back home, and the strength and the power of will to fight against it with all my possibilities, through the spreading of awareness and knowledge.

Sitting on my chair in that room of the library, in that windy day of Craiova, I realized that, keeping my heart open, I’ve received a lot in terms of culture and knowledge, and eventually I grew as a person.

Looking at the woman who stood in front of us, I felt a strong empathy.

We came from different Countries, had different ages and cultural backgrounds, traditions and stories, but still we shared the same feelings, the same love of art.

We had the possibility of looking at each other’s artworks.

This is the thing I missed the most while studying the works of Romanian artists in museums and galleries: the direct confront with another artist.

This time, there was an actual dialogue, something has been shared and it was definitely enriching and precious.

I’d never been able to have all these experiences if I’d keep the gates of my soul closed, as our politicians want to do with our harbors.

It’s easy to be pray of fears when you ignore the reality that surrounds you, and live all your life closed in your little town, in a closed Country.

That’s why, in my opinion, this EVS programs are so important, because they give to youths the concrete possibility, through these experiences, to become not only better people, but better citizens of the world.

[1] ‘Craiova wears ie’, being ie a traditional kind of Romanian blouse

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