Chororo – music of Europe beyond prejudices

Project facts

Project promoter:
ABI Fundation
Project Number:
RO13-0012
Target groups
Young adults,
Roma
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€217,634
Final project cost:
€213,774
From EEA Grants:
€ 162,629
The project is carried out in:
Romania

Description

Chororo – music of Europe beyond prejudices aims to present the general public cultural works with a significant educational message. These works are created as a result of international cooperation and bring an innovative approach to promoting cultural diversity. The project produces a 3D animated musical film as a result of European intercultural dialogue, in which the characters find a common language through music that allows them to accept diversity and to overcome prejudices. The film is distributed to reach the general public (especially young people) and raise their awareness, about Roma culture and history. In addition it provides Roma artists the opportunity to fulfill an educational role. The producer of the film comes from a Roma community and the musicians who collaborate to create the soundtrack are Roma artists. The project includes 8 international events where the film is shown, 2 international screenings through live streaming online, 2 distributions through TV stations in Romania and Norway, 42 events around the movie, 3 productions with and about Roma people and 15 events supporting Roma culture screening followed by concert of a Roma artist. Roma Rights Norway is the donor project partner in this project. The project will have an European dimension, the target audience is European and will be reached online through screenings and dissemination of cultural products at international film festivals. The main activities of the project will take place in Romania, Bucharest and Norway, Oslo.

Summary of project results

The European Network Against Racism report shows that in different countries of Europe, due ethnic segregation in schools, a new phenomena is registred: Roma children avoid declaring and accepting their ethnic origins. This behavior has impressive long-term cultural consequences by losing Roma traditions and history an immaterial heritage related to Roma culture, as part as the European cultural heritage. The PP produced an animated movie, because as a genre is by its nature an instrument of communication very appreciated by the public, regardless of age, sex or nationality and according to the report of the European Commission - 2014 (http://ec.europa.eu/culture/media/media-content/documents/audiovisual-a…) which states that movies have very large audience, 97 % of Europeans watch movies at least occasionally. The Production of a 3D animated musical film lasting approx. 40 minutes as a result of European intercultural dialogue, in which the characters find in the music a means to communicate, to accept diversity and to overcome prejudices, was achieved by producing a short animated movie with the same title, lasting 47:47 minutes. The organization and implementation of the distribution strategy of the film to the general public and promoting national and international cultural, was achieved thru the followings: registered the film to 8 international film festivals; organizing a launch event on 22.04.2016; events organized or participated: 12 in Oslo, 64 in Romania, a caravan in four cities (Braila, Corabia, Craiova and Brasov), two online screenings with 1086 plays from 26 countries worldwide. Educating the public, especially young people, about the Roma culture and history and taking educational role by artists belonging to Roma, achieved by making the documentations from the Romanian view and the Norwegian view in order to finalize the script, the „making of” in which PP presented the flow of the project, and by screening the film in various schools and colleges. Besides the animated film, PP produced soundtrack, making-of clip, documentation of the Roma People’s History and Culture for the 1940-1945 period in Romania, documentation of the Roma People’s History and Culture for the 1940-1945 period in Norway. PP screened the film to almost 3.000 people. The movie generate a change of perception of the Roma people musical culture by providing information about them, exposure and promotion of their cultural products and artists.

Summary of bilateral results

The Norwegian partner, Romers Rettigheter, has facilitated communication with the composer and musician jazz manouche Stian Vågen Nilsen who composed the music from the film. Romers Rettigheter has collaborated with the Holocaust Center in Oslo, Natalina Jansen from Romtiltake and Tone Cecilie Simensen Karlgård at the Museum of Cultural History, from which it collected information and testimonies for the research report. Romers Rettigheter organized a working visit to Norway and facilitated the meeting of the Applicant's representative, Valentin Urziceanu with Stian Vågen Nilsen, Natalina Jansen from Romtiltake, Tone Cecilie Simensen Karlgård at the Museum of Cultural History, Johanna Fraenkel of Prosjekt "Rom for fattige Tilreisende "and Gro Svosbru at the headquarters of the National Center for Multicultural Education - state office for education Nafo. Romers Rettigheter has disseminated the film in 12 events in Oslo.