Middle Ages among us

There is no need for us to look for the Romanian Middle Ages inside a museum. Nor do we need to climb on top of the mountains to find remote, isolated communities. The Middle Ages is among us, and Romania is calmly and firmly experiencing it.

The witchcraft is flourishing, the people are expecting Vlad the Impeller to come back to life and do justice for them, the political leaders hit their heads against icons, justice is shared according to the people’s ranks and the barons rule the roost. There are hundreds of villages and small towns where there are neither citizens nor public opinion. All we’ve got is masters and servants, and nobody dares to change a thing.

One gets terrified by the news that a man was sentenced to death in the name of a faith that praises life more than anything. But there is also another shocking fact about what happened in Tanacu: the absence of a denouncing attitude from the local community. A few villagers even defended the priest.

As for the others, a rough silence, probably caused by fear, indifference, or the belief that what happened was the right thing to do.

We are looking towards Europe, we are trying to work and live our lives by the Western patterns, we are learning new words, such as “tolerance”, “diversity”, “minority”. And, from time to time, we see the other face of Romania: traditionalist, culturally insulated.

Those looking for a definition around which to build a national brand should not forget that this is a country of parallel worlds, where the Middle Ages still survives, constantly fueled by inner energies. It is one of the thousands of Romania’s faces, which we should take responsibility for, before being able to change it. And this could be downright fascinating, each time when it is not dramatic.

Translated by Laura Muresanu