cristiano berti

  • Lety documents an action which took place in May 2009 involving František Ďuďa and Martina Ďuďová, two Slovak Roma singers. The action consisted in visiting a commemoration for the victims of the concentration camp at Lety, in the Czech Republic.
    During the Nazi occupation Lety was the prison for 1,309 Roma, most of whom were later transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Since the 1970’s the site of the Lety camp has been used as an industrial pig farm. For this reason, the commemoration is held in a nearby woodland clearing.

Lety (2009) Video 19:40. Still - WATCH

Lety (2009) Video 19:40. Still

Lety #1 (2009) Photography, cm 150x100

Lety #2 (2009) Photography, cm 100x150

Lety #3 (2009) Photography, cm 100x210

Lety #4 (2009) Photography, cm 100x210

Lety (2009) Ten songs (here: Bucharest, 2014)

 

One video, four photographs, ten songs and two texts, as documentation of an action which took place in days 11-13 May 2009. The texts are: a short descriptive text and the transcription of the conversation between Jana Ondiková, František Ďuďa and Martina Ďuďová, registered on May 12 2009 during the trip from the Slovak village of Sol’ to Lety in the Czech Republic.
The photographs all have the title Lety, and a number from 1 to 4.


LETY (2009)
Four photographs, ten songs and two written texts.
Lety #1, Lambda print, cm 150x100
Lety #2, Lambda print, cm 100x150
Lety #3, Lambda print, cm 100x210
Lety #4, Lambda print, cm 100x210
Edition of 5 + 1 PA
Lety, Video, 19:40
Lety, 10 songs on audio CD

Photographs by Piero Ottaviano

Video credits
With: František Ďuďa, Martina Ďuďová
Camera: Cristiano Berti, Jana Ondiková
Sound: Sonia Portoghese
Editing: Antonio Lucarini
Directed and produced by Cristiano Berti

Songs:
Joj, mamo, miri mamo [Oh, mum, my mum]
Amari partija [With our gang]
Slzy ja v očiach mám [I have tears in my eyes]
Bari brana phundraven [The big gate is open]
Sulachardžom la romňake [I swore to my wife]
Cindžom pochtanoro [I bought some linen]
Devla tu, sascardžal man [God, you healed me]
Sar odi rači avela [When the night comes]
Adadžives o bijav amaro Ernis kerel [Today our Erni is getting married]
Džav pal tute, džav [I follow you, follow you]

Acknowledgements:
Výbor pro Odškodnění Romského Holocaustu [Committee for the Compensation of the Romani Holocaust]
The conversation registered on May 12 2009, was transcribed and translated in English by Jana Ondiková. Monica Glebocki then edited the English text.
My heartfelt thanks go to Jana and Monica for the enthusiasm and help which they put into all this work.
Made possibile by:
The Sompan Foundation, Hampton Hill, United Kingdom
Ideadonna Onlus, Turin, Italy