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My life will begin in another century

Writer Mihail Hazin took an interview from Mrs. Renata Verejanu, the president of Cultural Association „Pro Basarabia şi Bucovina”, Chişinău branch.

M.H. After the hard days of fighting the putsch, several Romanian journalists convinced me that politics in Basarabia is done mostly by women. Does Renata Verejanu sees herself as one of the political leaders?
R.V. In a terrible weak moment, when I admitted that I’m in love, I was told: „a political leader must be more serious….”. From that moment I don’t agree with the expression „political leader”.

M.H. The great history theatre… How did you feel when you realized that you are on the stage of that theater?
R.V. The curtain hasn’t been lifted yet, when I saw the humanity face, dumbfounded and full of premonitions. I sensed the surreptitiously walking of “diplomatic directors” and I got sad. But my inner freedom has helped me a lot.

M.H. This inner freedom has never betrayed you?
R.V. Yes, actually, when its sight lowered, like a black sun, into my painful heart. But I was running into poetry and great loneliness.

M.H. It is really the time of poetry when all around people are being killed?
R.V. The people do poetry for understanding each other, as Călinescu once said. I don’t try to understand the people who are looking for fighting Eminescu with Puşkin. They are too late for that.

M.H. We see that there are some professionals in the halls of disastrous politics. What can save us from them?
R.V. Anything but fear. Each can save himself through his own talent given by God – the poet, the teacher, and the business man… At the age of five, my son wanted to be a street cleaner, explaining: in the dawn of day, you are eating shelling, you’re spitting them… and you clean them by yourself. After only one year at school he wanted to be a king. That is. All of us want to be politicians, rulers. Each of us has forgotten what job does he has.

M.H. You are the woman of 1001 ideas on day. Give us an idea of reconciliation of spirits from Basarabia…
R.V. By ideas I don’t mean the images that sees the eye, or, if you want, in the middle of the brain, but the concepts of thinking. It is known that a fixed idea can bring oneself to a heroic gesture, but also can lead to madness. The ideas are goods that need to be taken care of.

M.H. Have you had some wrong ideas too? Have you forgiven yourself for them?
R.V. I was wrong more than once. But a mistake that I can not forgive it’s that I admitted that I’m in love. What a pitty that you can’t pay taxes for each word, but I hope I’m not the only woman in Moldova with the gift of falling in love to sacrifice. After all, I’m not doing anything else than taking notes of my fate. When I see my metaphores in other people’s creation, I think: you can’t steel my destiny.

M.H. Having intuition, you are aware that you have enemies without moral sense. Why?
R.V. Me – enemies ?… As Dostoievski said once: if you started a journey, you mustn’t stop every time and throw a stone to dogs that are barking at you from the either sides of the road, otherwise you will never reach the destination. You don’t need to be poet, political leader, or woman – it is enough to be from a nation of proud people.

M.H. The 5 books with poems, delayed for over ten years, who finally appeared in the anthology „Offering to humanity” are a moral will for your share of Earth and country, fighting without stopping for truth. This anthology is an example of a true disident. It was so called time of stagnation, where you really suffered. And why your books were delayed?
R.V. Unfortunately, the book „Offering to humanity” is not in any of the school libraries from Moldova. All the copies were distributed in 3-5 public libraries from Chisinau. In 1986 I have presented at the publishing house the SF novel for children „Steaua ABC” (ABC Star), in 1988 – a new manuscript of poems and a novel, „Salci Dor”. Not even today have any of these books been published, more than that, they have been eliminated from the editorial plan… May be one of the reasons is that they can not humiliate me, can’t ask me… And what’s interesting, if I had a high position in Parliament of Government, it wouldn’t been the need to ask…

M.H. Where the poetess Renata Verejanu comes from?
R.V. Someone claimed that all smart people come from the north of Basarabia. I was born in the northest point near Naslaucea. I also spent nights near Baikal, I climed to Poiana Brasov, I have „kissed” the white nights of Petrodvoretsk castle… but I have never betrayed the beauty of the 7 hills that rise above the waves of Nistru river and open themselves as a blossom tulip. Very high, on the top of these hills, which I am afraid that soon will go down in Nistru, it is located the village Verejeni from the former Soroca county, today Ocniţa district. So many people has selled the grounds of my village and got rich on the benefit of my villagers work. On these independent hills I was trying to earn my piece of bread since I was five… From these hills I learned to have a strong will.

M.H. What can you tell us about Cultural Association „Pro Basarabia and Bucovina” from Moldova, that you lead?
R.V. This association is a world non profit organization that works over 15 years; the Basarabia branch, that I lead, was created over a year ago but is already very active. Celebrating for the first time in Republic of Moldova the Union Day – 27 March, taking the celebration to an official level and uniting the broken history strings. The Association itself has entered into history, about this was spoken in entire Great Romania, but also at Moscow. Unfortunately, the newspaper „Komsomolskaia pravda” has named our association as the worst non profit organization; I hope that only for Moscow. Maybe because our Association has given to many libraries thousands of books. We have independence, but the supreme aim of our Association is reuniting the country. Here is the reason that I am in the Cultural Association „Pro Basarabia and Bucovina”. Our association doesn’t serve to any political party or movement, but only the people, the nation. The Association doesn’t fight for power, maybe that’s why it doesn’t have until now an office, or cars.

M.H. Do you believe in fate?
R.V. I believe in fate, in the lines of fate from my palm, in dreams and in Venus planet that protects me.
M.H. …and the poet…would read us some of her most recent poems?
R.V. I will try…
Nu mă interesează dacă mai sunt vie
Şi cui îi răspund la salut…
În noaptea această târzie
Cum mă cerţi te ascult…

…no, something else…
Ba nu, am greşit, la tribună-i un mort
Ce vorbeşte nici el nu pricepe.
Nu insist c-aş putea să-l suport:
Viaţa mea în alt veac va începe.
I don’t care if I’m still alive
And to whom I say: Hi
In this late night
As you argue, so I listen…

No, I was wrong, there’s a dead man speaking
He doesn’t understand what he is speaking
I don’t insist that I could tolerate him:
My life will begin in another century.

M.H. Are you able to talk bad things about you?
R.V. As one saying says: don’t talk bad things about yourself, as your friends will say enough about you.

M.H. Thank you.
September 1991,
The evening Courrier, Chisinau

…And their life was like ours…
Interview with poetess Renata Verejanu,the president of the cultural association „Pro Basarabia şi Bucovina”from Chişinău

Graduated the Polytechnik Institute, Faculty economic engineers and also Literature Institute Maxim Gorki. She debuted in 1969. Only after 10 years publishes first „Până la dragoste”. The book „Ofranda omeniei” is presented at the publishing house on 8 January 1980, but is available in the bookstores only at the beginning of 1990. „Science fiction novel for children” and other books wait the passing of the period when was lack of paper, in order to be published. She is the winner of the Union Award M. Gorki.

President of the Association „Pro Basarabia şi Bucovina” from Chişinău, adviser of MP Mihai Cimpoi, chief editor at State Theater Ion Creangă from Chisinau, member of the Writers Union of Moldova, poetess Renata Verejanu has time to be also a mother.

D.C. Mrs. Renata Verejanu, you are the soul of the events dedicated to 27 March 1918 anniversary of Basarabia uniting with România. As president of the cultural association „Pro Basarabia şi Bucovina”, after the event concluded more beautiful than expected, please tell me how did you managed to succeed?
R.V. In organizing the actions developed at Chişinău I was helped by many people. First of all the President Mircea Ion Snegur, gave his consent and promised to participate. Then the Minister of Culture, Mr. Ion Ungureanu… From România attended many personalities of the spiritual world, such as: Iulia Scutaru, Mihai Ionescu, Tatiana Halipa, Liviu Dandara, Victor Spinei, Antoaneta Apostol, Dan Anghelescu and of course a lot of journalists.

D.C. Why do you think that People’s Front from Moldova didn’t participated at your event, nor it organized a similar one?
R.V. I think first of all that they are tired. Also, many leaders are sitting very comfortable in their chairs and forgot what their duties are. May be they are afraid of the failure of the event because of small number of participants. It’s a shame that something like this happened. This is not about „Pro Basarabia şi Bucovina”, or about Renata Verejanu, it’s about history. We don’t have the right to forget it or to avoid it.

D.C. How many members does the association has?
R.V. Active members, over a thousands. As you can imagine, there a a lot more supporters and they count to achieving our ideals.
D.C. Please tell us about Moldavian writers and their fight…
R.V. The Revolution from Moldova has started at Chişinău, in the festivities hall of the Writers Union, when the Communist Party still had the power. At the party sessions came people from all over the country to say their needs. Second in charge of the Communist Party from Moldova was Mr. Smirnov, from Moscow, and in fact, he is the one that ruled the country, the rest of the officials were puppets. Meanwhile, the writers were very united. At our meetings joined Russians, Bulgarians, Gagauz writers, although central authorities requested that our association to be closed. As in 1985 people requested the resignation of the government, at the same Writers Union we started the thoughts about the 3 colors flag, writing in latin alphabet, historical monuments and not last – human dignity. These ideals were moved to the streets. In 1986, 2 weeks after our congress, the assemblies became daily. The people from secret police guarded the dors in order to stop more people to come in, or to hear what we are talking about. In their opinion, the country shouldn’t find out about our fight.

D.C. How do you see adopting latin alphabet and how do you think it will be implemented?
R.V. It’s wonderful. A few years ago we didn’t even dream about this… At the beginning we collected funds from writers and other citizens who wished to be involved, for helping the state budget on expenses of learning Romanian language. All of us contributed with what we could at that time. It’s not enough that the Russians came and occuppied our country, taking all leading positions and all privileges: now we have to pay them so they would learn our language and to keep their positions. What’s even most outrageous is that they were the ones raising questions about the great expenses on returning to previous state, because the population was poor… Then we proposed to pay each of its own pockets and to leave the population alone.
After obtaining our rightful rights – national language and flag – the people that stood in the shade when we were active, they try to impose themselves as they have merits, in order to keep the power. Anyway, this phase will be a difficult and long one.

D.C. How many writers were elected in the Parliament of Moldova?
R.V. I don’t know the exact numbers, but I’m glad for: Mihai Cimpoi (that I promoted myself, with the literary circle „Grai Matern”), Grigore Vieru, Dumitru Matcovschi, Nicolae Dabija, Ion Hadârcă…

D.C. The freedom of the media and the freedom of expression of the writers is a real one?

R.V. Yes, it is. But the people that once spoke without fear, now are cornered. The ones who stood in the shadows, now are coming over them. About media I don’t have anything bad to say. Our newspaper, „Literatura şi arta”, which was the most progressive newspaper under the communist regime, has reached a number of 40,000 copies, descending from 200,000 copies. On the other hand, the newspapers „Moldova Suverană” and „Sfatul Ţării” began an ascending path.

D.C. A last question, which I asked several personalities from here. With all the people whom I talked, they gave me the feeling that no one is willing to make statements or to furnish me information. Do you think that the people are still afraid?
R.V. Some of them, maybe yes. But people as Minister Ungureanu, or like writers Matcovschi and Malarciuc are not afraid now, like they weren’t afraid before. Maybe many of them, contacted by you, were truly in a hurry. But why should be anyone afraid, of what? I say, we have beautiful people, especially as long their ideals are sacred.

Dan Coste, Newspaper „Dreptatea”,
Issue no.335, 1 May 1991, Bucharest, Romania

“Micul Prinţ”, in Romania
Interview with Mrs. Renata Verejanu,
poetess and journalist from Basarabia

„Micul Prinţ” Magazine was founded on 23 September 1992 by poetess Renata Verejanu from Chişinău, first issue was published in March 1993. The originality of the publication consist in the fact that it is written by and for talented children from all over the world. At this time, the magazine is involved in International Festival-Contest of the World Talents, event that I asked Mrs. Verejanu about.

R.L. Dear Mrs. Verejanu, what is and where does it come from this festival?
R.V. The International Festival-Contest „Micul Prinţ” is one of my projects, achieved by the World Organization of Talented Children (WOTC), an institution created as an expression to democracy development in Eastern Europe countries and expanding relations between cultures and people, a NGO created in the honor of the 50th Anniversary of UN. The main WOTC objective is discovering, promotion and support for talented children.

R.L. Where is located the headquarters of this institution?
R.V. The coordinating center is in Republic of Moldova. Although is a very young organization, WOTC has several projects, already well known in the world. Here they are: publication of a magazine for children, „Micul Prinţ”, edited by talented children from Romania, Republic of Moldova, Germany, Slovakia, Canada, Bulgaria, Ukraine etc.; developing of an International Conference of Children Journalists. First conference of this kind was carried out at Chişinău in October 1995 and became, we hope, the debute of a tradition. At 1996 Conference participated also 30 young men from Romanian Journalism School.

R.L. Let’s get back to the festival…
R.V. The International Festival-Contest of the World Talents „Micul Prinţ” is a competition of the most difficult and most interesting age, passing from childhood to youth…

R.L. What does its unicity consists of?
R.V. The Contest is unique in several areas: age of the contestants, different tests, mandatory for each of them etc. Then: the jury of this festival is composed of representatives of all embassies from the country, and also great personalities of the European culture. Another, consultative jury, is composed of talented children, winners of the Great Prize at previous editions. So that the „Micul Prinţ” could involve as many talented children as it is possible, the organization of each edition is transmitted to the country of origin of the winner of Great Prize. At previous edition, this title was conquered by a young man from Romania, Tiberiu Coconeţ. In this way, the festival will go from one country to another, all over Europe, as an ambassador of beauty, talent and creativity.

R.L. What brings you at Cotroceni Pallace?
R.V. In order to organize the festival at the highest artistic and professional level, according to our Regulations, the festival takes place under the aegis / patronage of the President.

R.L. Have you received the accept of Mr. Emil Constantinescu?
R.V. Of course.

R.L. Which is the value of the awards?
R.V. As the contest is organized only with financial support of local sponsors, for the Bucharest edition of „Micul Prinţ” also joined Education Ministry, Culture Ministry, Youth Ministry, Embassy of Moldova at Bucharest, Romanian Television, Youth Palace and newspaper „Romania Libera”… We hope that soon will join another prestigious organizations and generous business men. I want to believe that all participants at „Micul Prinţ” will soon realize that through this international festival-contest is fully expressed their talent, imagination and their creative sprit.

R.L. Good luck!
(Reporter – Mihai Creanga)
Free Romania, Tuesday, 22 April 1997

In the riot’s metaphora

VEREJANU RENATA, president of the World Organization of Talented Children Talentaţi vis-a-vis RENATA VEREJANU, the poetess.
(published in Magic Flashlight, no.2, January 1993).

V.R. I know that from 24 hours a day – you are working for 25 hours. You may feel one with your life, like a newborn feels one with his mother. Why ? To distinguish yourself?
R.V. To distinguish the Life. I don’t feed with the substance which is Life, but I clone it. Imagine a man that would forget, for an instance, who is he and where is he… At the end of the 20th century to live like in the Medieval Age…

V.R. But the people from the dawn of Medieval Age knew : the culture comes from the self discipline, from the way you’re holding your sword, how you face the people and how you surpass yourself. He knew: how much culture you have, that many reality and power you have.
R.V. But he, the man, knew that there is no God…

V.R. With your openiness to people you want to be desirable. But what about external clashes? How about enemies?
R.V. You want to know me as a hero who sees only him on the battlefield, even if he is a part of the same army with other heroes and they all fight side by side… But I don’t want to pose as the Master who will carry on further the man. Like one philosopher said once, history is nothing but a slow death of masters, by losing self conscience. Because in their personality is laziness, tyranny and ineptness. That is happening every now and then in history, every time men rule other men and people rule other people.

V.R. I think you have detached yourself, as a single, of « us » , in order to become « «me » … opposing to…
R.V. … with the human delirium. I can’t afford to lose my good mood, like I did before, when high officials are selling the country to anyone, not even when the parliamentarians are having a good time, or when in our capital there are newspapers, so called Ltds, on the work and money of poor villager… I am not bored not by the new show – the new history. After I had the chance of seeing the dignitaries from the inside, I have nothing left to do but to…

V.R. …write poems?
R.V. Hm… poems, novels… letters… They won’t put in order their mess. They can afford to live anyway, but are asking that in projecting their chaos on the screen of the day to be order. Paradox…

V.R. What is a human being, to think of it? What is human-poet, if he depends of a kg of paper for publishing?
R.V. No, you will not succeed to intimidate me… Only the human can remember the future.

V.R. But the freedom, one can remember freedom?
R.V. It depends, if for someone the freedom is money – he has them, for somebody for which the freedom is power – he has it…

V.R. Don’t talk like a philosopher. You, the poetess who wasn’t published tens of years, and without a salary – do you have it, the freedom?
R.V. You read Emil Gârleanu. You can remember: „You don’t have to be great as a mountain in order to make decisions. Even if you would be as dust, if you have in your had the God’s particle that covers the world, it is enough for you: you know what you are, where are you coming from and where are you going. This thought was said to a small insect by another insect”.
So, where were we… About great Liberty, which is in fact the freethinking.
V.R. If in this hard times you are living from metaphoras, you stay in them… What can I say? May be the metaphora can bring someone to its measure…
R.V. No. It simply defends me.

Reporter
AMP-Internaţional