euro|topics - Costi Rogozanu

09/01/2009

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Rogozanu, Costi

5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Cotidianul - Romania | 04/11/2008

The desecration of over 100 Jewish graves

The daily newspaper Cotidianul accuses the Romanian Police of indifference for so far failing to classify the desecration of Bucharest's Jewish cemetery as an anti-Semitic incident. "All the stuttering of the police is just the tip of an iceberg of indifference that is paired with a fear of our own past (we still have great problems recognising the role Romania played in the Holocaust) and a fear above all of anything that has to do with Romanian anti-Semitism (the fanaticism of certain Romanian intellectuals of the inter-war period was promptly dismissed as 'errors of youth' and that was the end of it). The destruction of over 100 graves can't simply be dismissed - this was an act of aggression of such import that it cannot be put down to the antics of a few drunken youths. Why does something like this happen? No one seems interested in the motives. In a gesture that was more symbolic than anything else, the prime minister and the justice minister ordered a cursory investigation. Since then ten days have passed and there are still no answers."

Cotidianul - Romania | 13/06/2008

Hysteria over burning of books

Romanian newspapers recently reported that an avant-gardist burned a book written by the renowned author Mircea Cartarescu. Although the report turned out to be false, the writers' association threatened the artist with immediate expulsion from the association. The Romanian daily Cotidianul writes: "This is a classic example of how for the past twenty years Romanian intellectuals have been creating hysteria for foolish reasons. They have always enjoyed doing battle against weak opponents like this writer, who immediately denied everything. ... It is one thing to burn all the books of an author; that is indeed abuse. But it is quite another to demonstratively burn a single copy. ... This is not an incitement to burn books. I feel an urgent need to escape this totally destructive form of provincial lassitude. ... I declare my solidarity with any true avant-gardist who burns a book in an act of intelligent protest."

Cotidianul - Romania | 25/01/2008

A museum to combat the Ceausescu cult?

Saturday marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, who was executed in 1989. This prompts Costi Rogozanu to ask: "Why not open a museum about the Ceausescu clan? It would be Romania's most profitable cultural attraction. Why not show the costumes from the communist song competition, why not collect film documents and eyewitness reports? This would be a challenge for historians and artists; it would bring to life a commercial museum with an accurate presentation of history, which visitors will leave laughing or crying. It would not be an institution paying homage to dictators, but rather a dissection of the Ceauşescu myth that obsessed millions of people. Such a museum would be a wonderful place to discover the ridiculous."

Cotidianul - Romania | 24/05/2007

The Romanian president gets abusive

Romania's President Traian Basescu has referred to a female journalist as a "stinking gypsy". She recorded the president's remark on her cell phone while he was travelling in his private car. Now the country's press association plans to bring charges against Basescu. Costi Rogozanu sees this as hypocritical: "Even a president has the right to make silly and rude comments during a private conversation in his own car. What bothers me is the outburst of hypocrisy his remark has caused - as if cultured people and intellectuals never use the word 'gypsy' pejoratively in texts and discussions. As if the word used by Basescu isn't constantly being used in public, in businesses and even in institutions... This hypocrisy is only intensifying the fear that one must constantly behave correctly towards minorities. The correct attitude towards minorities can only be taught through better education in schools."

Cotidianul - Romania | 31/01/2007

An EU smoking ban?

Romania is still considered a smokers' paradise. Up to now, smoking has been restricted only in public buildings there. Costi Rogozanu can't see any point in the anti-smoking campaign – apart from the fact that he finds the warnings on cigarette packs funny: "I recently heard someone in a shop asking for a 'pack of Kent – the ones that damage your sperm'. At least the warnings have provided a new subject for jokes. Europe has now commissioned shock photos aimed at putting people off smoking for good – pictures of lungs destroyed by cancer and the like... This is tougher than any of the campaigns against drugs, alcohol, gluttony, corruption or human trafficking that I've seen. I know you can't compare apples with pears, or cigarettes with alcohol (although they go well together), but the anti-smoking campaign is taking on absurdly aggressive dimensions. It's a classic case – happy feelings are being banned."

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