A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Written by Liz Greenhalgh
For the past 8 weeks we have had David Hedges a Photography student from Plymouth University, who is hoping, through his work, to demonstrate what Roma culture is like; its traditions, values and lifestyle.
The project had a lot of thought and planning put into it, to make sure that it was both successful for David, and very importantly that we were sensitive towards the people in the communities we work with. Therefore, it was decided that the best way for David to be able to go into the villages to take his photos would be for him to link up through our staff and to visit their families and friends and see their lifestyle as well as visit the school in Garcin, which we work with mainly through the Education Project.
David initially visited the school in Garcin and took various shots of the children in the classroom and the playground and at the Saturday morning dance class. In return David used his talents to produce a bright, colourful display that reflects the positive aspects of the school and the children’s enjoyment as they take part in various activities. This can now be viewed in the Kindergarten area of the school and is a pleasure to view.
David has also spent a lot of time with our Better Homes Worker George and his wife Simona as well as the rest of his family and friends. George’s father was happy to take David into the mountains surrounding Zizin on his typical work day as a shepard and show him what he would normally do and where he would normally go. David was able to take photos of him as he worked. He also stayed at George’s house overnight one weekend, in the room above their house that has been specially made for volunteers/guests who wish to spend a night in the village. The room isn’t quite finished yet, but George and Simona, as always, were very hospitable and made sure that the room was comfortable and warm for him.
He has also visited Anca Medias’s family and was allowed to take some shots as the family went about their daily life and he also recently attended the church in Zizin to take photos of Avram and Alina’s blessing for their new baby Sara.
All of the families and friends have been very kind and willing to help David to be able to complete his project. In return and to say thank you he is providing the family with prints of the photos taken, something they have very few of and will no doubt treasure, as well as a framed photo for each of them.
At Ziurel, David has produced two very interesting displays, one being a black and white showing the school life in Garcin and another one demonstrating ‘village life.’ Both displays can now be viewed upstairs in our centre and they will definitely hold your attention for some time as you discover more about Roma life on a deeper level through each image. They say that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ and David has really captured something to reflect this and we thank him for the work he has put into them to produce such wonderful displays for us.
If you are volunteering at FAST in the coming months, you will be able to enjoy viewing his work here at Ziurel and if not, you can see some of David’s photos below.
