Lithuanian photojournalist Arturas Morozovas: “Lithuanians were ready for change, they demanded it”
Lithuanian photojournalist Arturas Morozovas was born in Lithuania’s second biggest city Kaunas in 1984. Together with Moldovan journalist Lina Vdovĭi he forms Beyond 91’s Team Moldova. The two are reporting on the clashes between different political groups in Moldova — among them unionists — and the destabilization these clashes produce in a country struggling to find its identity and caught in an unprecedented political, social and economic crisis.
Read more about what Arturas remembers of Lithuania’s independence day in 1990.
Which subjects and issues are you the most interested in?
As I am a documentary photographer, I take great interest in social and political issues, war and post-conflict stories.
Do you have any precise memories of Perestroika? What was it like?
I was too young to have factual memories from that period, but I do remember the emotional intensity of that moment. Lithuanians were ready for change, they demanded it. There was hope that everything would be different now. I have a clear memory of me, sitting on my grandmother’s shoulders in a huge crowd of people celebrating our restoration of independence on March 11 1990. I also recall the tension everybody in my family felt on the night of January 13 1991: It was the day Lithuania lost men and women who became victims of Soviet aggression (in the aftermath of the re-establishment of the State of Lithuania, 14 civilians were killed and 702 injured because of Soviet military actions, Ed.)
What makes the “Perestroika generation” so special?
I think this generation especially values human rights, national independence and the European way of life. They value these things because they remember what it was like before: no rights, no freedom of travelling, harsh censorship etc. I do remember the taste of my first Kinder Surprise or a sip from a can of Coca-Cola.
Do you ever have nostalgic feelings towards the communist period in Eastern Europe?
No, I can’t think of anything that would make me feel nostalgic about that period.
What do you think the Western media gets wrong when reporting about the former communist East?
I often do notice that Western media is not fully grasping the mentality of a post-Soviet personality. It’s important to understand our context. For 50 years we lived under a totalitarian regime, most of our intellectuals were deported to Siberia or ran away from the Soviets.
Why did you want to become part of Beyond 91?
I was curious and intrigued by the possibility to work with a journalist from another post-Soviet country. I believe these types of collaborations are very powerful, they unite people. I am eager to travel to Moldova and photograph there.
If you would have to describe Eastern Europa today in three words — what would they be?
Changing, diverse, intriguing.
