The settlement of Colosova near to the Ukrain border.
Preparing for the ceremony of the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland. The parades, songs, dances and tokens from the Soviet era have turned to today’s memorabilia.
Youngsters often hesitate to start a relationship in their own community. If you bind yourself locally, it is much harder to leave.
Bridesmaids at the shore of the Dniestr river. October is a popular period to get married; still warm like summer and full of beautiful fall colors.
Construction backlog at 25 October street, Tiraspol’s main street.
Photobook at the public library. The parades, songs, dances and tokens from the Soviet era have turned to today’s memorabilia.
Children rehearse at the House of Culture. Every village in Transnistria has still its own House of Culture as an important anchor point for the community. The Houses of Culture were introduced in the early days of the Soviet Union, to aid the "cultural leisure" of Soviet workers and children
Children prepare for 1 May celebration.
Children prepare for 1 May celebration.
Photo of schoolclass of 1972-1973 at a countryside school. Due to migration, tthis school only has 33 pupils.
Growing up in Transnistria is challenging. The opportunities are unequal. Due to continued economic hardship many parents have migrated (in 2015 15 per cent of the working population left the region permanently).
Doing homework. Rural schools are running empty. Some classes only have 2 students.
Mother and son get off the bus at a local village shop. The countryside depopulates the fastest.
Countryside family.
Farewell in the youth disco at the House of Culture. Youngsters are leaving their hometown massively to study in Chisinau, Moscow, Bucharest or Kiev. Living standards abroad act as a pull factor.
On the way to Chisinau.
Crossing the Moldovan River Djnéstr brings you into Transnistria, a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. Over the past two centuries, Transnistria changed rulers six times. Ottomans, Germans, Romanians, Russians and, lastly, Moldovans: all have left deep traces there.
When Romanian-speaking Moldova became independent in 1991, Russian-speaking Transnistria declared its independence for fear of language discrimination. A bloody civil war followed, ending with a cease-fire and a frozen conflict. Now, with the war in neighboring Ukraine, the geopolitical cards are being reshuffled. Will the fragile Transnistria end up in the geopolitical east or west?
In 2018, I was there for the first time. What I found was an unrecognized state with a pro-Russian government that displayed hard-hitting propaganda. During the many trips that followed, I saw just about every corner and regularly ended up at the kitchen table. I began to notice other things, such as the strong inner freedom of the Transnistrians. I also saw a young generation, hopeful about the future.
In the book This Bittersweet Life, I combine in documentary photography and compelling narrative nonfiction the results of my six years of travel to Transnistria. The book will be published in March 2025 by Slowdocs Publishers in a Dutch and English edition.
The Dutch Fund Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten (FBJP) provided a project grant for research, stay in Transnistria and writing the text. I will start a crowdfunding campaign at voordekunst.nl in October 2024 to finance the printing of the book. Sign up for the newsletter for updates on this project.
PRODUCTION
| Production details: | The book This Bittersweet Life will be published in March 2025 and will be a combination of documentary photography and narrative non-fiction. |
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| Special thanks to: | Team Tiraspol |