Serious Musings On Moldova
My mind can’t get around the differences between the Moldova of 2005 and the Moldova of 2007. We’ve come to the country as they experience their worst drought in years. Our economist friend tells us that $1 billion of the GDP has been dried up (literally) as a result of the heat and lack of rain. That is $1 billion in a country whose GDP is only $3 billion. In August 2005, the sunflower fields were bright and shining, beautiful. Now, the fields are withered almost beyond recognition. The cornfields are similar, instead of green and thick with ears of corn, the stalks are brown and dry.
There is a renewed interest in preserving the power of Orthodox religion. From the people I speak to, in 2005 there was hope the communists would be ousted in 2009. Now, there is little hope they won’t be re-elected, thanks to a smart series of moves to win over this largely Orthodox nation. In addition to a law that will likely be passed that outlaws non-Orthodox religious gatherings of 100 people or less, the state is courting the Orthodox church in practical ways. On Saturday we visited two churches, including one monastery, and both were being renovated. For villages without any means of employment, a state-run renovation of the village church means a chance to earn money, a nicer church in which to worship, and maybe even more tourism. Of course, the fact that the state mandated the renovation will be remembered come election time.
Politics seem to be on people’s minds much more than two years ago for other reasons, too. The Russian influence is growing more important, for practical reasons like needing affordable natural gas to heat homes as well has other, less-altruistic reasons, I’m sure. Romania recently joined the EU, and that has impacted this Romanian-speaking country. Moldovans can no longer travel into Romania freely. They are required to have a visa to enter Romania, and with only one embassy (as well as Eastern European bureaucracy one just needs to experience to understand), the time it takes to obtain a visa makes it impractical to visit. The Ukraine is still open to Moldovans, but I’m hearing very often how Moldovans feel trapped now that Romania is closed to them.
Finally, the voice of the youth is more visible to me this year. I have spoken to several teenagers, many of whom have grown up without a parent in the home because that parent had to leave Moldova to find work. One 19-year old told me yesterday, “I don’t want to leave Moldova. My mother had to leave, so I have only seen her for a total of 1 year over the last 7 years. I want to find a way I can stay here.” With 1 in 4 Moldovans working abroad today, one can imagine how many children were raised by older siblings, grandparents, or in single-parent homes. As these youth enter adulthood, it will be interesting to see how they right the wrongs they perceive were done to them.
There is a renewed interest in preserving the power of Orthodox religion. From the people I speak to, in 2005 there was hope the communists would be ousted in 2009. Now, there is little hope they won’t be re-elected, thanks to a smart series of moves to win over this largely Orthodox nation. In addition to a law that will likely be passed that outlaws non-Orthodox religious gatherings of 100 people or less, the state is courting the Orthodox church in practical ways. On Saturday we visited two churches, including one monastery, and both were being renovated. For villages without any means of employment, a state-run renovation of the village church means a chance to earn money, a nicer church in which to worship, and maybe even more tourism. Of course, the fact that the state mandated the renovation will be remembered come election time.
Politics seem to be on people’s minds much more than two years ago for other reasons, too. The Russian influence is growing more important, for practical reasons like needing affordable natural gas to heat homes as well has other, less-altruistic reasons, I’m sure. Romania recently joined the EU, and that has impacted this Romanian-speaking country. Moldovans can no longer travel into Romania freely. They are required to have a visa to enter Romania, and with only one embassy (as well as Eastern European bureaucracy one just needs to experience to understand), the time it takes to obtain a visa makes it impractical to visit. The Ukraine is still open to Moldovans, but I’m hearing very often how Moldovans feel trapped now that Romania is closed to them.
Finally, the voice of the youth is more visible to me this year. I have spoken to several teenagers, many of whom have grown up without a parent in the home because that parent had to leave Moldova to find work. One 19-year old told me yesterday, “I don’t want to leave Moldova. My mother had to leave, so I have only seen her for a total of 1 year over the last 7 years. I want to find a way I can stay here.” With 1 in 4 Moldovans working abroad today, one can imagine how many children were raised by older siblings, grandparents, or in single-parent homes. As these youth enter adulthood, it will be interesting to see how they right the wrongs they perceive were done to them.
posted by Beth at 8:53 AM
2 Comments:
Wow. What a great post. Moldova sounds like it's in the throes of major changes. How is your work there different this time around, on account of these other differences?
Hey Dan and Beth, we've linked you up!
I read an official stat yesterday that 1 in 9 Moldovan children will grow up without at least 1 parent, mainly due to emigration. I haven't yet compared that number to other countries.
One of the newspapers here did a poll last week that said if the elections were to be held today, the Communists would still hold a majority (though slightly smaller). I think, however, that much of the popularity comes from a still-growing economy, and the President increasingly saying the right things about moving toward the EU. The elderly also still want their pensions protected, a plank of the Communist platform.
Here's a link to a television interview he gave on Independence Day. He says and does a lot of non-Communist things.
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