“I think it is difficult to identify with this country; there has been so much pain in our history. My family suffered and it is hard to identify yourself with your country when you have suffered.”
Balti is the largest city in Northern Moldova with over 140,000 residents. It is the site of several food manufacturing plants and a large university, but it has lost part of the industrial prominence it had under the Soviet Union. Up to 40% of the inhabitants recognise themselves as either Russians or Ukrainians. It is therefore common to hear both Romanian and Russian languages in the streets and shops of the centre.
Many people in the city agree that Balti has a rather bleak appearance, mostly due to the ubiquitous presence of the so-called Khrushchyovki and Brezhnevki, cheap apartment blocks built with prefabricated concrete panels during the Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras.
Most of the local students we meet at the Alecu Russo State University share similar feelings of love and hate towards their city.
Alla Topan, a student at the Department of Languages, argues that there is a relation between the disaffection that some Moldovans have towards their national architectural heritage and their own identity. “I think a part of our identity was lost when the Soviet Union came and most of the buildings were built by them, according to their rules. As Moldovans, we didn’t do much for the country. Today young people think: ‘Since this is not mine, I don’t care.’”
Alla thinks that many like her struggle to develop a sense of pride towards their country because of Moldova’s complex and often troubled history: “I think it is difficult to identify with this country; there has been so much pain in our history. My family suffered and it is hard to identify yourself with your country when you have suffered.”
Irina Gancear, Alla’s classmate, has different views on Balti. She was born here but her family has Ukrainian origins. She spent part of her childhood in Ukraine but she really likes Balti’s cultural diversity and would never change it for anything else.
Nevertheless, Irina thinks that Moldovan identity has often been overlooked, especially in the local school curricula. “I studied in a Russian-speaking school. We studied some Moldovan and Romanian writers, but not as much as Russian literature. Russian literature is well preserved, developed and encouraged. I do think that Moldovan literature should be encouraged as well, because you learn a lot from it and it is part of our national heritage. We should start to value literature more.”
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- Brezhnevki buildings, Balti.
According to Unicef, the UN organisation protecting and advocating for child rights, at least 136,200 children in Moldova have one or both parents who migrated, leaving them behind.
Many people in Balti are also worried about the economic crisis that heavily struck the city and the seeming unwillingness of the political establishment to tackle the real problems of Moldovan citizens that struggle to make ends meet.
Irina Mutruc, a teacher at a local school, is one of them. She is from Soroca, where she returns every summer to spend her holidays. “Our people are still optimistic and hardworking but unfortunately our expectations are not often fulfilled by the politicians. Despite the several fair elections we had in the past, throughout the years the disappointment towards the political establishment we have chosen has grown and this is really depressing and disappointing.”
Irina is concerned about the rise of house prices that is fuelling the migration process in the country. It is becoming increasingly difficult to afford a house in the city and pay for the bills due to the low salaries. Many are therefore moving abroad, where they earn money only to be able to return home after several years and buy a house. Doing so, they frequently leave their children with relatives who are taking care of them.
According to Unicef, the UN organisation protecting and advocating for child rights, at least 136,200 children in Moldova have one or both parents who migrated, leaving them behind. Growing up without parents has caused distress and trauma amongst many of these young people. Irina feels that this aspect of migration is heavily contributing to the disintegration of the social tissue of the country.
It is estimated that up to one-fourth of the total population of Moldova has emigrated abroad since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
