Zsazsika,

this is your new home!

I am fascinated by the youngsters who think that the sky is the limit.
I admire them and they give me strength. Zsazsa Demeter is one of
these people. In the dreams of this beautiful, earnest girl Brazil
capoeira players with dreadlocks and white-stockinged Hungarian
folk dancers are rotating intertwined with each other. According to
Zsazsa, these two cultures can inspire each other despite the 10
000 kilometers of distance.
Can the elements and instruments of the two folk cultures come
together? They did in this warm June night in one of Budapests
downtown clubs. First, the Hungarian Csillagszemek folk dancer
group performs a traditional Szkely (Hungarian minority group
living in Erdly, Romania) dance, than the Brazilian capoeira players
start their performance. The traditional Brazilian musical instrument
made of halved calabash starts to resonate and with the sound of
the drums, two willowy capoeirist are twirling to the center. At this
point, one of the Hungarian musicians playing the tekerlant steps
in and starts playing with the Brazilian musicians. The sounds and
rhythms of the two cultures alternate imperceptibly. Zsazsas dream
comes true!
The next day, we meet at a coffeehouse in Buda. She arrives on a
bicycle wearing business clothes, only her long curly hair is a
reminder of her yesterday self.
Are you looking at my outfit? she is showing her white teeth
while laughing I am coming from a meeting with my boss, the
head of the Ashoka office in Vienna. We were talking about the
inauguration of the new Ashoka fellow in Hungary. The last exam will
be
in
Madrid;
we
are
flying
there
next
week.
Ashoka is an international non-profit organization, which aims to
support individuals working towards making our society better. This
job gave me a lot among other things it made me dare to dream
big. I am surrounded with enthusiastic and creative people, who
just to show an example work on health education or the
integration of underprivileged people. They inspire me not to be
satisfied with just living an average life, but to find a real purpose.
But the real change came a few years age when my mother got a
serious illness. That was the time when I had to face some tough
questions: Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? It can all
end tomorrow

The Chain Bridge is calling me

Zsazsa started the path of self-knowledge at a very young age. She

was born in Kolozsvr at the winter of 1980. That night was
extremely dark and cold and not just because of the weather. Her
father was taken away by the Secutitate. This happened repeatedly
during the time her family lived in Romania ruled by Ceauescu. The
anti-Hungarian sentiment was widespread in Erdly, soon Zsazsa
had to experience it on the own skin. For example one time she won
a ski competition, and not her but a Romanian girl with worse
performance was announced as the winner. This was a huge
disappointment to her, and she had a hard time understanding the
situation.
On the other hand, life is never as black and white as politics. At
school a Romanian girl became her best friend. It even occurred,
that they made fun of their Hungarian classmate together. She
never forgets her mothers words scolding her: But you are
Hungarian, too! But before she was able to find her inner identity,
her family escaped from Romania. They said that they are going to
Zsazsas grandfathers funeral to Hungary, but they left their life in
Kolozsvr forever. However, when the yellow Skoda rolled away with
them inside, she did not know that they would never return to
Erdly again.
In Hungary, she was amazed by many things. The Coca-Cola
billboards on the walls, the parizer (Hungarian cold cut) and
chocolate in the stores lots of heavenly treats that she never knew
about back home in Romania. Zsazsika, this is your new home! his fathers words were echoing in her head, but years passed until
understood what these words truly meant. So far, there was only the
empty apartment in Gyr, where they slept on the floor with their
mourning clothes on. And the school, where the girl from Erdly was
often bullied and scorned: For shame, you Romanian! In the head
of Zsazsa, question marks started to rally. She decided one thing
quickly: Hungary is not the place for her, after she graduates from
high school, she will move to France where her older sister lived and
worked as a pianist.
Paris is the city of wonders Zsazsa enthuses it certainly
vitalized me because my grandfather was a university teacher here
before the war. I decided that I would like to follow his footsteps and
I started my university years at Sorbonne. I was accepted even
though I did not speak French. My major was European Studies and I
spent 8 years at this university. Afterwards, I worked in Rome for half
a year. A business trip from the Italian company I worked at changed
my life. I had to travel to Budapest, where I had a wonderful view of
the Bazilika from my hotel room at the Marriott. At night I was
walking around at the Dunakorz and the Chain Bridge. I was
enchanted by this strange but weirdly familiar city. I was sitting next
to Attila Jzsef (the statue of a Hungarian poet) on the stairs at the

banks of the Danube and I was watching the seagulls and the Buda
hills. I just felt that I wanted to live here! I packed my suitcases in
Rome and I moved to Budapest.

Im in Rio!
Leaving Rome for this poor country? she was asked by her shocked
friends and colleagues. The Chain Bridge is calling me! was her
answer. Zsazsa found a job as a headhunter, but it wasnt clear for
her what she wanted to do in Budapest. Her current life started with
capoeira, when at the winter of 2009 a friend invited her to go to a
capoeira class. Come Zsazsa, youll see how much energy it gives
you! During the first class she felt very insecure, but she did not
shy away from the difficulties, she practiced the moves in front of
the mirror until she found real joy in them.
Her first trip to Rio de Janeiro in 2010 was a unique experience. Her
master found accommodation for the capoeira students at homes of
Brazilian families, Zsazsa slept on the floor with five children. Few
days later she wrote to her diary:
I have a hard time believing that I am really in Rio it is just the
beginning but I already love it! It feels like Ive been here before. So
many children are running around, mangos are falling from the
trees, the sun is shining, the smell of barbecue is filling the air, and I
am happy because I watched my first movie in Portuguese. I pretty
much understood it It is evening time, people are filling the
streets, I hear the sounds id samba and people are selling acai from
small stalls. I hear gunshots from time to time, but for some reason
I am not afraid. My thoughts are flying! I am facing some pure
indigenous energy all the time. Kids are playing capoeira under the
palm trees at the big square, life is buzzing, people are laughing,
they are simple and happy here. When I ask something their answer
is se Deus quiser which means, if God wants so. Brazilians let
life happen and they live in the moment. I am thinking about how
could this feeling be adopted in Hungary.

The addict of Berimbau

Zsazsa never woke up from the dream of Rio. She cannot stop
thinking about the questions in her diary. How can the Hungarian
and Brazilian rhythms be combined? According to her, the
Hungarian folklore needs some fresh blood, so the dances and the
music would become part of everyday life, not just performed during
national holidays. It needs to be something young people can be
proud of, like Brazilians are proud of their folk culture. What if we let
the two energies unite and see what happens?
Zsazsa took the leap of faith; she contacted Bske Tmr, the head
of the Hungarian folk dance group Csillagszemek, who was very

open to her ides. This January they travelled to Rio de Janeiro

together to see if Zsazsas vision is viable. The berimbaus sounded
amazing, the drums rolled, and suddenly a Hungarian dancer
appeared in the center with traditional folk clothes on. She danced
like if it was the most natural thing in the world. Zsazsa felt proud, it
seemed like the fusion was possible after all! Today she leads a
foundation in Budapest named Berimbau. The next step is the
establishment of the Berimbau house, which will welcome not only
Brazilians but other nationalities as well to mix cultures and ideas.
But Zsazsa is not going to stop here: she is working towards
involving the representatives of the Kodly methodology to the work
of the foundation while continuously educating herself as well. She
even enrolled in a master program focusing on cultural
anthropology. As her life purpose is being outlined, Zsazsa realized
why the combat dance of the Afro-American slaves was the thing
that inspired her.
It is not hard to figure out she smiles Just think about it! Both
the bitterness and invincibility of the ridden minority comes
together in this passionate dance, as a Hungarian living in Erdly I
lived through the same thing years ago. I am only healing wounds
with it. Not just mine but also the wounds of my ancestors. Probably
is the thing that helped me to find my identity as a Hungarian.