EXHIBITION HALL "SREDETZ" - SOFIA, Bulgaria

With the participation of 15 Young Roma photographers from Greece , and their teacher Stelios Efstathopoulos and the photographers : Coskun Asar and Timurtas Onan - Turkey, Nina Nikolova, Ljubcho and Bobi Marinov - Bulgaria, Rolf Bauerdick - Germany, Tomislav Georgiev - Macedonia, David Dare Parker - Australia as well as the film directors Ima Garmendia and Kike del Olmo - Spain, Zlatina Rousseva and Valentin Simeonov -Bulgaria.

The project "Focus on the life of Roma in Europe" was successfully realized by Photo Information Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the Instituto Cervantes- Sofia, the IFD - Turkey, the Municipality of Pernik and with the financial support of the Commission of the E.U. - Office to Bulgaria.

The event was opened on the 6th April 2006 at the exhibition hall "Sredetz" - Sofia by the Minister of Culture, prof. Stefan Danailov, greeted by the representative of the Commission of the E.U. - Office to Bulgaria- Mr. Fernando Ponz, by the deputy of the Parliament - Mr. Toma Tomov , by representative of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and other officials, where the photography exhibitions "Young Roma - Photographers" with the participation of Greek and Bulgarian Roma photographers was presented .

On behalf of the Photo Information Center, Mr. Boyko Yordanov - President of the P.I.C. welcomed the invited foreigner guests - the photographers from Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, and Spain and thanked all participants, institutions, journalists, etc. who took part in the organization and the opening of the event.

On 7 April 2006 the exhibition "Journey to the spring" of Mr. Coscun Asar - a Turkish photographer was opened, followed by the projection of Slide shows and Documentary films on the subject "The life of Roma in Europe".

A Round table and discussion were organized on the same day where experts, representatives of NGOs and political authorities and institutions, journalists and others discussed on the problems of Roma living in Bulgaria as well as on projects and programs supported by the European Union to improve the life conditions and the education of Roma in Bulgaria during the following "Decade of including of Roma".

The photographers who took part in the event stressed that the role of social photography is to focus on the life of people living at the margin of the modern European society as well as to inform and educate the audience and visitors.

This photography event, which was dedicated to the World Day of Roma - 8.April, expressed in its own way the meaning of the culture, education and cooperation as matters which could give possibilities to different social groups to cross the "red line" in their minds dividing Roma and non-Roma people and minorities in general.

The conclusion of the event and the meetings between the artists from different countries from Australia to Spain, working on the same subject, was that the only way to improve our consciences and to change the way of thinking and understanding each other is the way of cooperation and exchanging of experiences.

The influence to the audience at the opening of the event on 6 and 7April 2006, where more then 300 people took part, was also very important to understand that Roma people are part of our society who could create and be very good artists and photographers when the proper conditions exist as it was shown by the project of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture for education of young Roma in photography.

Finally, the project "Focus on the life of Roma in Europe" gave the possibility to Roma people to express their point of view on their problems and life and to non-Roma people to be informed about the life of Roma in most of the European countries, as seen by the eyes of different photographers and film directors of Roma and non-Roma origin.

Magda Michailidou
Manager
Photo Information Center