Geert Mak - In Europa

Dansing bears (3x10)

: 23, 2020

Liberated dancing bears dancing for food, a metaphor for how many people died after the fall of communism? After Bulgaria's accession to the EU in 2007, the old tradition of keeping dancing bears was banned by law. The bears went to a brand new bear park, but were not happy with their freedom. They kept dancing in front of the visitors, hoping for a piece of bread. The Polish writer Witold Szablowski saw in the fate of the bears a metaphor for how many people died after the fall of communism. And Roman Janiszak used to be a proud Polish miner. Since the closing of the mines in the nineties he had little left but a longing for the past. The money that Radi, an old Bulgarian bear tamer, got for his bear was quickly depleted. Now he misses the beast. His wife has died, his five children have gone abroad, his grandchildren don't speak his language.