Siklósnagyfalu

“The project became real for me when the first partner meeting in Lampedusa brought us together, from different European countries, both NGOs and local authorities. It was a defining experience to meet people who were all looking for solutions to a common challenge across Europe. We were all united by the goal of spreading solidarity and understanding as the common goal of the project,” says Zsofia Tornoczi, from Cromo Foundation.

“Cromo Foundation was created in 2002 to contribute to local and regional cooperation of non-governmental, commercial and governmental actors and thus to strengthen a participatory, active and democratic society in Hungary and Europe,” explains Zsofia. “We believe in active citizenship and local democracy and give young people the opportunity to mobilize in their communities. We want to see well-run and effective local organizations; local citizens who are active and engaged in participation; vibrant and sustainable local communities; and an inclusive and tolerant society.”

“It was important for us in Hungary to learn about best practices from abroad on how other countries deal with migration and how they communicate about it,” says Zsofia, “and to feel the support of the network, also to share simple messages for all Hungarian citizens. The headquarters of Cromo Foundation is in Budapest, but it works all over the country and has collaborated as a partner with the municipality of Siklósnagyfalu, a village of about 400 inhabitants on the border with Croatia, so that the Croatian minority is very large and the exchanges between the two countries are continuous.

“Unfortunately, because it was difficult to share good news from Hungary and have a dialogue about migration due to propaganda and anti-migration regulations in the country, it became important to learn about and share best practices from abroad,” Zsofia explains. “Our goal was for the average Hungarian to know the positive practices on the topic, as opposed to the negative ones in Hungary. Being at the Gateway to Europe in Lampedusa and seeing how other nations remember and stand in solidarity with people with difficult fates gave me hope and strengthened me.”

Speaking of Siklósnagyfalu and the border, how might we tell the story? “Baranya County is a disadvantaged area, where earning a daily livelihood is a challenge and people do not have access to independent media, so they can be easily deceived,” Zsofia says. “Currently there is no migration flow to Hungary. People don’t meet refugees or asylum seekers, so they don’t have personal experience; they are only informed by government-dominated media and intimidation. That is why it is very important to share fact-based messages to strengthen solidarity in this region.”

n this process of information and awareness, as well as in the telling of good practices, how much has Snapshots worked? “We hope that our messages have reached as many people as possible, who are thus better informed and able to think critically when it comes to the issue of migration – Zsofia answers – Cognition through images and films has a very strong effect when there is no possibility of personal experience. The most important tool to form the attitude is the personal encounter and learning of real human stories. However, this was not always possible during the Snapshots project, in part because of the pandemic. Focusing on international photo and film competitions and exhibitions for amateur photographers and filmmakers and bringing these exhibitions with supporting workshops to disadvantaged regions could be a valuable action.”