Black Sea Arts Festival

The recent Ukrainian revolution and political protests in Romania have brought long-standing questions around the region’s identity and future to the forefront. Political tensions have resulted in a resurgence of civic-engagement by Romanians interested in shaping the country’s identity, pushing for more democratic values and further integration with Europe.

Against this backdrop, projects like the Black Sea Arts Festival are pioneering conversations around the shared histories, identities, and narratives of people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. The six day festival took place in Bucharest and featured a selection of exhibitions, films, and debates from artists around the Black Sea region. The displays were curated with the intention of familiarizing participants with parts of their history from the region.

“We know more about the United States and Europe than we do about the countries and the people around us. Why don’t people know more about each other?” asks Project Leader Karina Staicova from Pamanteni NGO, which organized the festival. The central goal of the festival was to allow people to engage with the beauty in the nature, the people and the cultures of their region. “Art can get to people’s hearts faster,” explains Staicova who views mutual understanding and a common set of shared values as key factors in the democratization process.

In addition to using art as a tool to help participants become more familiar with the Black Sea region, the festival also sought to highlight the intersection of art and protest. Using art as a means of political protest and discussion is not a new idea to the Black Sea region.

“In our history politics is always using art and art is always using politics,” says Staicova. While art may have a long history as a tool of political resistance, many still fear the consequences of critiquing the government. Art can help begin discussions around shared challenges and enemies to help spread awareness on why the Black Sea countries are stronger together.

But the task of getting more individual citizens involved in the process of calling for more open, transparent, and accountable government is a difficult one. “Many in my parent’s generation are still nostalgic for their youth and they confuse this with communism,” notes Staicova. The psychological aspect of social change and the gradual shift to more democratic societies can be a messy process, but Staicova sees the discussions around these generational divides as a good thing.

“People argued, but it is good to have this discourse. Some people came to the Russia Day and were really surprised to hear our debates about what is happening in Ukraine and Georgia—countries that are at war with Russia.” The hope is that if individuals can get to know the worries, concerns, and hopes of their fellow citizens then the process of finding a common way forward will become clearer. Events like the Black Arts Festival serve a vital role in offering opportunities for people to discuss potential conflicts in a creative and welcoming environment.

"Though different in many ways, the people of Black Sea countries share more things in common than it is believed," says Ana Aelenei, BST senior program officer. "To advance the cohesion of the region, Pamanteni NGO has organized the first edition of the Black Sea Arts Festival, using art as a medium to express the shared history, social and economic challenges as well as the possibilities for change in these societies." 

Staicova sees the role of art in the recent anti-corruption protests in Romania as a powerful example of the ability of creativity and art to challenge authority. “When some of my friends from Ukraine saw the protests in Romania they said, ‘hey, we need this kind of peaceful protest in our country.’ We can inspire each other and develop faster.”

The way that people engage with art can also influence ideas around progress and innovation. During the two-day Black Sea Arts Festival for Kids, which took place in Bucharest, cartoons were screened in replicas of traditional Moldavian, Romanian, and Ukrainian houses. The idea was borne out of necessity. A recent and highly-publicized fire in a theatre in Ukraine has severely limited the number of theatres that could actually host an event of this size and has made people more hesitant to go to theatres.

The introduction of the traditional houses into the festival changed the way that the participants interacted with the films. Instead of experiencing them through a purely visual format, the open air houses brought in a more engaging experience. Staicova has dreams of building an outdoor pavilion to screen movies, hold exhibitions, and host debates.

Creating a more engaging event can that challenges people in new and unexpected ways is just one more way that she sees art changing the Romanian political landscape. By combining art and politics the creators of the Black Sea Arts Festival hope to strengthen links between different cultures in the Black Sea region, with shared understandings of history and art as the common factor that unites them all and bring peace to the region.