Ion Caramitru
Encyclopedia
Ion Caramitru is a Romania
n stage and film actor, stage director, as well as a political figure. He was Minister of Culture between 1996 and 2000, in the Romanian Democratic Convention
(CDR) cabinets of Victor Ciorbea
, Gavril Dejeu
, Radu Vasile
, Alexandru Athanasiu
, and Mugur Isărescu
.
family in Bucharest
, he graduated from the I. L. Caragiale Institute for Theater and Film Arts in 1964, having debuted on the stage a year earlier — with the title role in an acclaimed production of William Shakespeare
's Hamlet
for the Bulandra Theater
. He continued his engagement for Bulandra while starring in plays at the National Theatre Bucharest
and various other theaters.
Caramitru was a protagonist in a series of theatrical productions by directors such as Liviu Ciulei
, Moni Ghelerter, Andrei Şerban
, Liviu Purcărete, Sandra Manu, Cătălina Buzoianu, Alexandru Tocilescu, and Sică Alexandrescu (acting in plays such as Mihail Sebastian
's Steaua fără nume, Georg Büchner
's Danton's Death
, Aeschylus
' The Oresteia
, Tennessee Williams
's A Streetcar Named Desire
, Carlo Goldoni
's Il bugiardo
, and in many of Shakespeare's works). As a director of theater, opera
, and operetta
productions, Caramitru notably staged works by Frederick Loewe (My Fair Lady
), Marin Sorescu
(The Third Stake), Benjamin Britten
(The Little Sweep), Aleksei Nikolaevich Arbuzov (The Lie), and Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice
); his adaptations of Peter Brook
's La Tragédie de Carmen and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
's Eugene Onegin
were hosted by the Grand Opera House
in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
.
Caramitru starred in over 30 feature films, making his debut with a supporting role in Ciulei's Forest of the Hanged
(1964
). Among his best-known roles are Vive in Dimineţile unui băiat cuminte (1966
), Gheorghidiu in Între oglinzi parallele (1978
), Ştefan Luchian
in Luchian (1981
), and Socrate in the Liceenii series (1985–1987). Later in life, Caramitru has had minor roles in foreign films: he was an anarchist
in the 1991
Kafka
, Tatevsky in Citizen X
(1995
), Zozimov in Mission: Impossible
(1996
), Count Fontana in Amen. (2002
), and the Bulgarian man in Adam and Paul
(2004
).
For his work in establishing British-Romanian cultural links, Caramitru was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
. In 1997, the French Ministry of Culture
awarded him the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
.
In May 2005, he won the competition for the head office of the National Theatre Bucharest
, replacing Dinu Săraru.
in the Romanian Revolution of 1989
. On December 22, 1989, after President
Nicolae Ceauşescu
had fled Bucharest, Caramitru and the known dissident
writer Mircea Dinescu
joined the crowd occupying the Romanian Television building, and were prominent among the numerous speakers who were proclaiming revolutionary victory.
A popular rumor circulating soon after the episode alleged that, unaware of being filmed, Caramitru had addressed Dinescu, saying, "Mircea, fă-te că lucrezi!" ("Mircea, pretend you are working!"); this version of events may have started as defamation
by political adversaries, with the purpose of indicating that the Revolution was a carefully staged front for a coup d'état
. According to Alex Mihai Stoenescu
's research, despite its passing into contemporary folklore, such a phrase was never uttered; instead, the words used were "Mircea, arăţi că lucrezi" ("Mircea, show that you are working on something" — while holding Dinescu's booklet in front of camera), to which Dinescu replied "La un apel" ("[I'm working] on an appeal [to the people]") — pointing rather to their ill-preparedness and their preoccupation in quickly drafting a proper document.
, where he was in charge of Culture. After the elections of 1990
, as the FSN become a political party, he withdrew from the body in protest, arguing that the Iliescu grouping was attempting to use executive power and prestige in order to monopolize power (the gesture was preceded by the resignation of other intellectual
s present in the FSN Council, including Doina Cornea
and Ana Blandiana
). Already a member of the Civic Alliance Foundation
, he joined the National Peasants' Party
, which engaged in opposition to the FSN, and became Minister of Culture after the CDR coalition won the elections of 1996
.
Following the defeat in the 2000 elections
and the party's breakup, he remained a member of the main PNŢ wing, the Christian-Democratic People's Party (PPCD). Caramitru opposed the PPCD leader Gheorghe Ciuhandu
on several grounds, including the merger with the Union for Romanian Reconstruction
; he advocated a reconciliation with former president Constantinescu, and was among the PPCD members to declare themselves alarmed by the possibility of Ioan Talpeş
joining the party (Talpeş, who had left the PSD, had served as head of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service
in 1992-1997). In February 2006, he handed in his resignation as vice-president of the PPCD.
, Caramitru, together with other revolutionaries and dissidents (Victor Rebengiuc
, Dan Pavel
, Radu Filipescu
, and Costică Canacheu
), formed the non-governmental organization
Asociaţia Revoluţionarilor fără Privilegii (the Association of Non-Privileged Revolutionaries).
Caramitru leads Societatea de Cultură Macedo-Română, currently involved in a debate with Comunitatea Aromână din România (CARo): Caramitru and his supporters argue that Aromanians are Romanians, whereas CARo campaigns for their recognition as an ethnic minority
.
In 2006, during a visit in Moldova
, Caramitru claimed that Moldova is still a part of Romania, leading to a diplomatic row between Romania and Moldova and Caramitru being declared a "persona non grata" in Moldova.
, February 24, 2006
} "Disidenţă, revoluţie, GDS" ("Dissidence, Revolution, GDS"), interview with Radu Filipescu, in 22, January 2004
} "Ţărănistul Ioan Talpeş" ("The PNŢ-ist Ioan Talpeş"), in 22, March 2006
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n stage and film actor, stage director, as well as a political figure. He was Minister of Culture between 1996 and 2000, in the Romanian Democratic Convention
Romanian Democratic Convention
The Romanian Democratic Convention was an electoral alliance of several political parties of Romania, active from early 1992 until 2000....
(CDR) cabinets of Victor Ciorbea
Victor Ciorbea
Victor Ciorbea is a Romanian politician. He was the Mayor of Bucharest in 1996-1997 and, after his resignation from office, Prime Minister of Romania from 12 December 1996 to 30 March 1998.-Biography:...
, Gavril Dejeu
Gavril Dejeu
Gavril Dejeu is a Romanian politician who served as Minister of Interior in Victor Ciorbea's cabinet. He was also ad interim Prime Minister of Romania from 30 March to 17 April 1998....
, Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile is a Romanian politician, historian and poet.-Education and Professional Activity:*1967 - Graduate, with exceptional results, of the Faculty of History - University of Bucharest...
, Alexandru Athanasiu
Alexandru Athanasiu
Alexandru Athanasiu is a Romanian politician and jurist. A former leader of the Romanian Social Democratic Party , he is a member of the Social Democratic Party since 2001...
, and Mugur Isărescu
Mugur Isarescu
Mugur Isărescu is the Governor of the National Bank of Romania. From 22 December 1999 to 28 November 2000 he served as Prime Minister. He is a member of the Romanian Academy....
.
Early life and acting career
Born to an AromanianAromanians
Aromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...
family in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, he graduated from the I. L. Caragiale Institute for Theater and Film Arts in 1964, having debuted on the stage a year earlier — with the title role in an acclaimed production of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
for the Bulandra Theater
Bulandra Theatre
The Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest, Romania was founded in 1947 as Teatrul Municipal; its first director was Lucia Sturdza Bulandra, one of the leading Romanian stage actresses of her generation...
. He continued his engagement for Bulandra while starring in plays at the National Theatre Bucharest
National Theatre Bucharest
The National Theatre Bucharest is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest.-Founding:It was founded as the Teatrul cel Mare din Bucureşti in 1852, its first director being Costache Caragiale...
and various other theaters.
Caramitru was a protagonist in a series of theatrical productions by directors such as Liviu Ciulei
Liviu Ciulei
Liviu Ciulei was a Romanian theater and film director, film writer, actor, architect, educator, costume and set designer. During a career spanning over 50 years, he was described by Newsweek as "one of the boldest and most challenging figures on the international scene".-Biography:Born in...
, Moni Ghelerter, Andrei Şerban
Andrei Serban
Andrei Șerban is a Romanian-born American theater director. A major name in twentieth-century theater, he is renowned for his innovative and iconoclastic interpretations and stagings...
, Liviu Purcărete, Sandra Manu, Cătălina Buzoianu, Alexandru Tocilescu, and Sică Alexandrescu (acting in plays such as Mihail Sebastian
Mihail Sebastian
-Life:Sebastian was born to a Jewish family in Brăila. After finishing his secondary studies, Sebastian went on to study law in Bucharest, but was soon attracted to the literary life and the exciting ideas of the new generation of Romanian intellectuals, as epitomized by the literary group...
's Steaua fără nume, Georg Büchner
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
's Danton's Death
Danton's Death
Danton's Death was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution.-History:Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German history and literature...
, Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
' The Oresteia
The Oresteia
The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus which concerns the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. When originally performed it was accompanied by Proteus, a satyr play that would have been performed following the trilogy; it has not survived...
, Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
's A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
, Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
's Il bugiardo
Il bugiardo
The Liar is a comedy by Carlo Goldoni. It was written as part of Goldoni's fulfilment of a boast that he had inserted into the epilogue to one of his plays that for the next season he would write sixteen comedies. The Liar, along with the fifteen other comedies, was staged in the 1750-51 season at...
, and in many of Shakespeare's works). As a director of theater, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
productions, Caramitru notably staged works by Frederick Loewe (My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
), Marin Sorescu
Marin Sorescu
- Biography :Born to a family of farmworkers in Bulzeşti, Dolj County, Sorescu graduated from the primary school in his home village. After that he went to the Buzesti Brothers High School in Craiova, after which he was transferred to the Predeal Military School. His final education was at the...
(The Third Stake), Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
(The Little Sweep), Aleksei Nikolaevich Arbuzov (The Lie), and Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
); his adaptations of Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
's La Tragédie de Carmen and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin (opera)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
were hosted by the Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House (Belfast)
The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period, Frank Matcham. It opened on 23 December 1895....
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Caramitru starred in over 30 feature films, making his debut with a supporting role in Ciulei's Forest of the Hanged
Forest of the Hanged
Forest of the Hanged is a 1964 Romanian drama film directed by Liviu Ciulei, and based on the eponymous novel by Liviu Rebreanu. Ciulei won the award for Best Director at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival...
(1964
1964 in film
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
). Among his best-known roles are Vive in Dimineţile unui băiat cuminte (1966
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
), Gheorghidiu in Între oglinzi parallele (1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
), Ştefan Luchian
Stefan Luchian
Ștefan Luchian or Lukian was a Romanian painter, famous for his landscapes and still life works.-Early life:He was born in Ștefănești, a village of Botoșani County, as the son of Major Dumitru Luchian and of Elena Chiriacescu. The Luchian family moved to Bucharest in 1873 and his mother desired...
in Luchian (1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
), and Socrate in the Liceenii series (1985–1987). Later in life, Caramitru has had minor roles in foreign films: he was an anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
in the 1991
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
Kafka
Kafka (film)
Kafka is a 1991 mystery thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Ostensibly a biopic, based on the life of Franz Kafka, the film blurs the lines between fact and Kafka's fiction , creating a Kafkaesque atmosphere...
, Tatevsky in Citizen X
Citizen X
Citizen X is a made-for-TV film, released in 1995, which covers the investigation of the Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted in 1992 of killing 53 women and children between 1978 and 1990, and the efforts of detectives in the Soviet Union to capture him.-Synopsis:The film...
(1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
), Zozimov in Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible (film)
Mission: Impossible is a 1996 action thriller directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise. Following on from the television series of the same name, the plot follows a new agent, Ethan Hunt and his mission to uncover the mole within the CIA who has framed him for the murders of his entire...
(1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
), Count Fontana in Amen. (2002
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
), and the Bulgarian man in Adam and Paul
Adam and Paul
Adam and Paul is a 2004 Irish film centred around a day in the life of two Dublin drug addicts, Adam and Paul. Adam is the taller and slightly smarter of the two while Paul is his sidekick...
(2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
).
For his work in establishing British-Romanian cultural links, Caramitru was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. In 1997, the French Ministry of Culture
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
awarded him the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
.
In May 2005, he won the competition for the head office of the National Theatre Bucharest
National Theatre Bucharest
The National Theatre Bucharest is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest.-Founding:It was founded as the Teatrul cel Mare din Bucureşti in 1852, its first director being Costache Caragiale...
, replacing Dinu Săraru.
Revolution
Caramitru entered political life as an opponent of the communist regimeCommunist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
in the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
. On December 22, 1989, after President
President of Romania
The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
had fled Bucharest, Caramitru and the known dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
writer Mircea Dinescu
Mircea Dinescu
Mircea Dinescu is a Romanian poet, journalist and editor.He was born in Slobozia, the son of Ştefan Dinescu, a metalworker and Aurelia . Dinescu studied at the Faculty of Journalism of the Ştefan Gheorghiu Academy, and was considered a gifted young poet during his youth, with several poetry...
joined the crowd occupying the Romanian Television building, and were prominent among the numerous speakers who were proclaiming revolutionary victory.
A popular rumor circulating soon after the episode alleged that, unaware of being filmed, Caramitru had addressed Dinescu, saying, "Mircea, fă-te că lucrezi!" ("Mircea, pretend you are working!"); this version of events may have started as defamation
Slander and libel
Defamation—also called calumny, vilification, traducement, slander , and libel —is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image...
by political adversaries, with the purpose of indicating that the Revolution was a carefully staged front for a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. According to Alex Mihai Stoenescu
Alex Mihai Stoenescu
Alex Mihai Stoenescu is a Romanian historian, writer, journalist and politician.-Biography:According to his own admission, Stoenescu collaborated with the Securitate in 1984, while he worked as an engineer at a factory in Băneasa...
's research, despite its passing into contemporary folklore, such a phrase was never uttered; instead, the words used were "Mircea, arăţi că lucrezi" ("Mircea, show that you are working on something" — while holding Dinescu's booklet in front of camera), to which Dinescu replied "La un apel" ("[I'm working] on an appeal [to the people]") — pointing rather to their ill-preparedness and their preoccupation in quickly drafting a proper document.
FSN and CDR
He was an early member of the National Salvation Front (FSN) Council, the government formed around Ion IliescuIon Iliescu
Ion Iliescu served as President of Romania from 1990 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004. From 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 until his retirement in 2008, Iliescu was a Senator for the Social Democratic Party , whose honorary president he remains....
, where he was in charge of Culture. After the elections of 1990
Romanian presidential election, 1990
These are the results of the Romanian presidential election of May 20, 1990:-Results:...
, as the FSN become a political party, he withdrew from the body in protest, arguing that the Iliescu grouping was attempting to use executive power and prestige in order to monopolize power (the gesture was preceded by the resignation of other intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
s present in the FSN Council, including Doina Cornea
Doina Cornea
Doina Cornea is a Romanian human rights activist and French professor. She was notable as a dissident during the communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu.-Dissidence under communism:...
and Ana Blandiana
Ana Blandiana
Ana Blandiana is a Romanian poet, essayist, and political figure. She took her name after Blandiana, near Vinţu de Jos, Alba County, her mother's home village.-Literary career:...
). Already a member of the Civic Alliance Foundation
Civic Alliance Foundation
The Civic Alliance Foundation is a Romanian non-governmental organization . It is one of the largest Romanian NGOs, working for the consolidation of a civil society in the aftermath of the 42-year long communist regime. The AC has subsidiaries in 36 of the 41 counties, overseen by a 27-member...
, he joined the National Peasants' Party
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party was a Romanian political party, formed in 1926 through the fusion of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and the Peasants' Party . It was in power between 1928 and 1933, with brief interruptions...
, which engaged in opposition to the FSN, and became Minister of Culture after the CDR coalition won the elections of 1996
Romanian presidential election, 1996
These are the results of the Romanian presidential elections of November 3, run-off held on November 17, 1996:-First round:-Run-off:...
.
Following the defeat in the 2000 elections
Romanian presidential election, 2000
These are the results of the Romanian presidential election of November 26, run-off held on December 10, 2000:-First round:-Run-off:...
and the party's breakup, he remained a member of the main PNŢ wing, the Christian-Democratic People's Party (PPCD). Caramitru opposed the PPCD leader Gheorghe Ciuhandu
Gheorghe Ciuhandu
Gheorghe Coriolan Ciuhandu is a Romanian politician.He has been the mayor of Timişoara since 1996 and was one of the losing candidates for president in the 2004 presidential elections, in which he represented the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party...
on several grounds, including the merger with the Union for Romanian Reconstruction
Union for Romanian Reconstruction
The Union for Romanian Reconstruction was a political party in Romania without parliamentary representation. It merged with the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party in December 2004....
; he advocated a reconciliation with former president Constantinescu, and was among the PPCD members to declare themselves alarmed by the possibility of Ioan Talpeş
Ioan Talpes
Ioan Talpeș is a Romanian Army general, military historian and politician. He served as head of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service from 1992 to 1997. In 1997-8, Talpeș served as Ambassador to Bulgaria and acted as an advisor to President Ion Iliescu from 1999 to 2000...
joining the party (Talpeş, who had left the PSD, had served as head of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service
Serviciul de Informatii Externe
The Foreign Intelligence Service, or Serviciul de Informaţii Externe in Romanian, is, under Law no. 1/1998, "the state body specialized in foreign intelligence concerning the national security and the safeguarding of Romania and its interests"....
in 1992-1997). In February 2006, he handed in his resignation as vice-president of the PPCD.
Other causes
In the early 1990s, arguing that the granting of revolutionary diplomas and privileges had become an instrument of corruptionPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, Caramitru, together with other revolutionaries and dissidents (Victor Rebengiuc
Victor Rebengiuc
Victor Rebengiuc is an award-winning Romanian film and stage actor, also known as a civil society activist. Since 1957, he has been a member of the Bulandra Theater company, acting in more than 200 roles on that stage alone...
, Dan Pavel
Dan Pavel
Dan Pavel is a Romanian political scientist, academic, politician, journalist and 1989 revolutionary. He was a consultant to Gigi Becali in 2003.-References:...
, Radu Filipescu
Radu Filipescu
Radu Filipescu is a former Romanian anti-Communist dissident. He is the youngest son of Zorel Filipescu and Carmelita-Ileana Filipescu. His elder brother is Doru Filipescu, a well known orthopedic surgeon on Sf. Ioan Hospital, in Bucharest...
, and Costică Canacheu
Costica Canacheu
Costică Canacheu is a Romanian politician and businessman. A participant in the 1989 Revolution, he has started his political career as a member of the National Salvation Front , representing its successor, the Democratic Party to the Chamber of Deputies...
), formed the non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
Asociaţia Revoluţionarilor fără Privilegii (the Association of Non-Privileged Revolutionaries).
Caramitru leads Societatea de Cultură Macedo-Română, currently involved in a debate with Comunitatea Aromână din România (CARo): Caramitru and his supporters argue that Aromanians are Romanians, whereas CARo campaigns for their recognition as an ethnic minority
Minorities of Romania
Officially, 10.5% of Romania's population is represented by minorities . The principal minorities in Romania are Hungarians and Roma people, with a declining German population and smaller numbers of Poles in Bucovina...
.
In 2006, during a visit in Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Caramitru claimed that Moldova is still a part of Romania, leading to a diplomatic row between Romania and Moldova and Caramitru being declared a "persona non grata" in Moldova.
Further reading
"Caramitru se cere afară din PPCD" ("Caramitru Demands to be Registered as out of the PPCD"), in Evenimentul ZileiEvenimentul Zilei
Evenimentul Zilei is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 110,000...
, February 24, 2006
- András BozókiAndrás BozókiAndrás Bozóki is a Hungarian sociologist and politician, who served as Minister of Culture between 2005 and 2006.-References:*...
, Intellectuals and Politics in Central Europe, Central European University PressCentral European University PressFollowing the founding of the Central European University by George Soros, Central European University Press was established in 1993. Its publishing program focuses on issues of Central and Eastern Europe, the past and present history, society, culture and economy of the countries of the former...
, Budapest, 1999 ISBN 963-9116-21-1 - Răzvan Brăileanu,
} "Disidenţă, revoluţie, GDS" ("Dissidence, Revolution, GDS"), interview with Radu Filipescu, in 22, January 2004
} "Ţărănistul Ioan Talpeş" ("The PNŢ-ist Ioan Talpeş"), in 22, March 2006
- Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe, Who's Who in Contemporary World Theatre, RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, London, 2000, p. 45 ISBN 0-415-14161-3 Cristian Preda, "«Mircea, fă-te că lucrezi!»" ("«Mircea, Pretend You're Working!»"), in Ziarul FinanciarZiarul FinanciarZiarul Financiar is a daily financial newspaper published in Bucharest, Romania. Aside from business information, it features sections focusing on careers and properties, as well as a special Sunday newspaper...
, April 25, 2005 Sorin Roşca Stănescu, Summary of Marea Provocare, Vol. I, Part I Alex Mihai StoenescuAlex Mihai StoenescuAlex Mihai Stoenescu is a Romanian historian, writer, journalist and politician.-Biography:According to his own admission, Stoenescu collaborated with the Securitate in 1984, while he worked as an engineer at a factory in Băneasa...
, "Decembrie '89 - Revoluţia română, în direct" ("December '89 - the Romanian revolution, live in front of cameras"), in Jurnalul NaţionalJurnalul NationalJurnalul Naţional is a Romanian newspaper, part of the Intact media group led by Dan Voiculescu, which also includes the popular TV station Antena 1....
, December 13, 2005
External links
Biography at the Bulandra Theater site Ion Caramitru at CineMagia- Vlachophiles.net: 2000 Interview with Ion Caramitru, Member of the Romanian Government and Minister of Culture, originally published in ZiuaZiuaZiua was a major Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It was published in Romanian with a fairly sizeable and often informative English section. Ziua was founded in 1994 by Sorin Roşca Stănescu, eventually becoming foreign-owned...
Asociaţia Revoluţionarilor fără Privilegii