PAPI, the Internet and children save Lozova folklore

05.08.2010

The strategy of RECL manager Mircea Cristian Dima and IT administrator Cristian Dragomir was created at a time when folkloric traditions and popular crafts are making a spectacular comeback in the villages around Galaţi. In a way, it’s surprising, since the communes were called „suburbs” and their residents considered „semi-city-dwellers” (villagers commuting to work in the city), who seem not to have the time – or mood! – for tradition.

This tendency is strengthening an essential component of the spiritual identity of villagers in Lunca Prutului and Lunca Siretului, an identity lost during forces cooperativisation and industrialisation, when the villagers were turned into commuters for the construction sites and factories in Galaţi. Now, the residents, young and old alike, remember the traditions proudly. The pillars of this return to roots are the elderly, keepers of local folklore, as well as children in the „Florile Lozovei” (“Flowers of Lozova”) ensemble in Schela. There is also another group of pupils from the school in Schela, called “Micii artişti” (“Little artists”).

A busy schedule

The PAPI centre in Schela started initiating and organising community events in December 2009. That’s when Mircea Dima, who had taken over as RECL manager in August, started a community programme to help elderly residents who have financial difficulties. They received food for their Christmas meal, and the light of the holiday reached them through folkloric shows put together by children. The programme was organised again for Easter.

The agenda of pupils in “Florile Lozovei” became even more crowded, afterwards. The RECL manager puts them in contact with nearby villages, so the little artists in Schela have a show almost every weekend. For instance, on August 14th, they performed in the nearby village of Smârdan, where a football mini-championship was organised between teams of AS Schela, Premium Galaţi and the local team. The duel on the pitch was followed by a picnic and the show of Schela artists. After just a week, on August 21st, they put on another show of dances, folk songs and riddles on the stage in Schela. These shows bring together on stage the generation of Moş Petrache, an experienced interpreter of the popular “doina” songs, with the generation of little folklorists in “Florile Lozovei”.

Showcasing local folklore is not just about shows; an equally important part is collecting the authentic folkloric values lest they become lost. In the past years, with the help of teacher Pantelimon Gavriliu and artistic instructor Eugenia Uşurelu from the CERC Association in Schela, an impressive number of such items were gathered. They now have popular costumes as well as a collection of ballads, dances and traditions. It was at first a local project, whose deadline was reached, but is still continued nowadays.

Searching online for authentic folklore

The RECL manager, psychologist Mircea Cristian Dima, thinks the internet is very useful when it comes to collecting and capitalising folklore, by becoming an engine of local growth. The internet is a tool for the implementation of local community projects that are developed, discussed and established with LPC Maria Jerlăeanu and coordinated by RECL. “It’s also very useful in studies, because we can easily browse pages with traditions from other KEP communities, generously being offered by the Ecomunitate.ro portal. This is very important to us as mediators and local facilitators of community development events, which also include activities of searching for folkloric values and capitalising them”, Dima explains.

An artist learns how to create stained glass works on the Internet

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