Title: “Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.”
Author: Petruț Călinescu
How to cite this article:
Călinescu, Petruț. 2011. “Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.”. Martor 16: 96‐125.Published by: Editura MARTOR (MARTOR Publishing House), Muzeul Țăranului Român (The Museum of the Romanian Peasant)
URL: http://martor.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro/archive/martor‐16‐2011/
Martor (The Museum of the Romanian Peasant Anthropology Review) is a peer‐reviewed academic journal established in 1996, with a focus on cultural and visual anthropology, ethnology, museum studies and the dialogue among these disciplines. Martor review is published by the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Its aim is to provide, as widely as possible, a rich content at the highest academic and editorial standards for scientific, educational and (in)formational goals. Any use aside from these purposes and without mentioning the source of the article(s) is prohibited and will be considered an infringement of copyright.
Martor (Revue d’Anthropologie du Musée du Paysan Roumain) est un journal académique en système peer‐review fondé en 1996, qui se concentre sur l’anthropologie visuelle et culturelle, l’ethnologie, la muséologie et sur le dialogue entre ces disciplines. La revue Martor est publiée par le Musée du Paysan Roumain. Son aspiration est de généraliser l’accès vers un riche contenu au plus haut niveau du point de vue académique et éditorial pour des objectifs scientifiques, éducatifs et informationnels. Toute utilisation au‐delà de ces buts et sans mentionner la source des articles est interdite et sera considérée une violation des droits de l’auteur.
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Petruț Călinescu
Petruț Călinescu is a freelance photo- journalist (www.petrut-calinescu.com) with reportages published in National Geographic, Esquire, New York Times, Courrier International, The Times, Bussines Week, Paris Match, Financial Times. He is the two times winner of the title for the Best Romanian Photojour- nalist, the 2007 Award of Excellence in POYi – Picture of the Year International and the 2011 Humanity Documentary Award, HPA–Unesco.
It is estimated, as there are no recent oicial statistics whatsoever, that over 20% of Romania’s population works abroad. For this project, I have followed and photographed Țara Oașului, a region in Northern Transylvania and their community in Paris. The village of Certeze has managed to impose itself as a model of success via the irst people who went to France in 1994, displaying their richness through the villas which gave it the name ‘the village of billion- aires’. One cannot state the same about the surrounding villages. Blinded by envy, forced by social pressure, many immigrants who had left later to work abroad, in order to save even on the rent money, are now sleeping in aban- doned houses or even shacks of Paris hoping to make up for the lost time.
This project was inancially supported by the World Press Photo, Robert Bosch Stiftung, National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN Romania) and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris.
A B O U T T H E P R O J E C T
Paris–Negrești.
Work migrants in
between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
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We, from Oașul Country, are idiots.his is simply how we are and we cannot help ourselves. If a neighbor has a three- storey house, I have to build one with four levels.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
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My house is so large…there’s enough space in there to turn an eighteen wheel- er around.
Petruț Călinescu
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he secret is to scrimp and save every penny. I, for ex- ample, during the 15 years I lived in Paris, took my wife out to dinner only once. Yet even to this day, she wants to scratch out my eyes for spending so much money that one time.Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
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In 1994, I led the country. My boy was 18 months old. Next time I saw him he was 7 years old.Petruț Călinescu
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I lived in abandoned homes, slept under bridges, and drank water from the Seine.I worked 14 hours per day and saved every cent. Now, however, I have a house that is larger than a church.
Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
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hose from Certeze (the irst villagers who let for Paris in 1994) acquired the cream, the unskimmed milk.Now the milk is mostly water.
Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
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I would die of shame if I owned a Logan…Here, in Negrești, if one drives a Dacia one does not exist.
Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
Petruț Călinescu
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Paris–Negrești. Work migrants in between homes.
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I was born here in this wooden house.We were nine chil- dren. his is where I lived all my life. Now my nephew has let to France. I gave him permission to build himself this big house in my yard. his is good for me as well.
I sleep there during summers because the concrete keeps cool the inside tempera- ture.
