Chachipe Map is an international contest, held for the first time in October 2011, organized by the Open Society Foundation and OSA Archivum.
On April 5th 2013, the Embassy of Hungary in Skopje and the Open Society Foundation organized an exhibition of photographs in the gallery OSTEN, which will mark the April 8th – International Roma Day. The exhibition goes under the name Chachipe Map and is the third Chachipe contest in photographs. Chachipe Map is an international contest, held for the first time in October 2011, organized by the Open Society Foundation and OSA Archivum. For the interested, Chachipe means “truth”, “right” or “reality” in Roma.
The exhibition was opened by Dr. Jozsef Bencze, the Ambassador of Hungary in Macedonia. Nezdet Mustafa, the Minister without portfolio.
Asmet Elezovski, National Roma Centrum, jury member for the Chachipe Youth contest was also invited to give a speech in which he greeted and congratulated on the day of 8th April – Roma International Day. Mr. Elezovski made a reference on the beginning of this positive activity in 2011 until now, which gives an opportunity to the Roma photograph to demonstrate their view on the beauty and the weight present in the lives of the Roma, closely connected to the process of the Decade of Roma and their inclusion 2005 – 2015. Elezovski pointed out that many known fighters for human rights used different forms to fight against prejudices, discrimination and racism and that this exhibition today is a solid instrument for stopping the manipulations with the Roma in every field in everyday life. He referenced a photograph on which a parent is showing the wideness and beauty of the sea to its child. The parents directs the child to its right for solid education, solid life, a right to movement, a right for property, a right for participation and making decisions in the country in which it is born or wants to continue its life. Elezovski wished that this initiative would continue, but with more transparency and with bigger presence in more cities, and also Roma and non-roma districts. He noted:
“I am Roma, I am Macedonian, but I am also a European and I doo not want my rights and the rights of the future generations to be taken away for someone’s political, economical and other interests. Chachipe, the truth or the reality, are values which should be possessed by everyone”
Mr. Elezovski also thanked the Roma Initiatives Office and OSF whose representative Anita Czinkoczi organized this event.
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