Cultural Memory, Bucuresti 1989 (6)

In 1989, Nicolae Ceausescu's dictatorship reached a point of no return when the Romanian people suddenly turned against him. It seemed to come as a surprise to him during his last speech. Inside the television studio, a space the demonstrators called "vital for democracy", Ceausescu's son Nicu was placed in front of the camera with the words: "We shall treat him as a prisoner." In between explosions in the streets people shouted: "Ceausescu won't live to see the New Year!" "Ceausescu won't live to see the New Year!" They were right. On Christmas day 1989 Nicolae Ceausescu was shot dead, days after the turning point. After his death, actor Florin Piersic and a group of artists delivered an emotional speech in the television studio. Finally, art could break away again from the straitjacket of propaganda and dictatorship. 

These unique images represent the tension and fear at the very moment of the revolution and the emotional relief after the turning point. They show the core of mankind: the striving for endless power and the struggle for freedom. 

YouTube links: 

Ceausescu last speech: https://youtu.be/TcRWiz1PhKU (English narration)

Arrest Nicu Ceausescu: https://youtu.be/lu2PTP27Gvg (Romanian)

Speech Florin Piersic: https://youtu.be/xK-6d5RDY5o (Romanian)