From October 20th to November 20th 2015, the Bucharest Municipality Museum is hosting the event-exhibition “Breastfeeding is Love” by Cristina Nichituș Roncea, a photographer we have had the pleasure to host before with her “As it is in Heaven – Journey through the Romanian orthodox world”. This time “Breastfeeding is Love” will be exhibited outside, on the museum’s fences, and through its 70 photographs offers the public a specter of motherly love. “It’s a wonder-exhibition” says Mariana Nicolesco, great figure of the Romanian cultural scene. “The photos of Cristina Nichituș Roncea managed to prove a hidden truth: that children are angels!”, says Professor Ilie Bădescu, director of the “Dimitrie Gusti” Institute of Sociology of the Romanian Academy. The opening of the exhibition, which will take place at the Suțu Palace (University Square, 2 I.C. Brătianu Street) on Tuesday, October 20th, 18:00, will be attended among others by Peter Hurley, the well-known Irishman inlove with Romanian traditions, by Virgiliu Gheorghe biophysicist and doctor of bioethics, and Mara Popescu, breatsfeeding consultant and also a protagonist of the exhibition together with her children.
The exhibition and photography project “Breastfeeding is Love”, created by Cristina Nichituș Roncea together with „Photography Studio” (www.photo-graphy.ro) and in partnership with the Pediatric and Breastfeeding Consultancy Association, „Dimitrie Gusti” Village Museum, „IA Sibiu” and the Bucharest Municipality Museum – the Suțu Palace, are part of a national campaign that aims to remind Romanians of a tradition that represents a source of health for Romania’s children.
The campaign „Breastfeeding is Love” contains the photographs of tens of mothers and their breastfed babies in Romania and gives information for preagnant women and other mothers regarding the advice of the World Health Organisation to breastfeed exclusivelly for the first 6 months and to carry on breastfeeding for at least two more years. „In 2011 statistics showed that exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months old was practiced in a proportion of only 12.6% when 98% of women can breastfeed if they are given the proper information, have the support of their families and medics and if they ask for guidance from certified nursing specialist to help them prevent or overcome difficult moments during breastfeeding. Unfortunately, this low rate of breastfeeding in Romania is directly linked with high rates of child death”, says Mara Popescu, founding member of the partner Association. „Breastfeeding is a journey, a beautiful story that starts right after birth – but one that you get prepared for long before – and which needs to carry on as long as the protagonists are happy”, claims Dr. Roxana Hristianovici and Dr. Iulia Cristiana balint-Boia, pediatricians, breatsfeeding consultants and members of Mother’s Academy and the Pediatric and Breastfeeding Consultancy Association.
„Until recently, breastfeeding was the most natural thing, but now, after so many alienations of the human conditions, it has become more of an event. An exhibition of this kind is a hope-giving event!” says Solunca-Moise, well-known essay writer at Lumina Newspaper, the Romanian Orthodox Church Patriarchate newspaper, and editor at Academica magazine of the Romanian Academy. The project, created in partnership with the Pediatric and Breastfeeding Consultancy Association, is co-financed by the European Social Fund through the 2007-2013 District Human Resources Development Programme – „Invest in people!”.
We welcome you all at the Bucharest Municipality Museum – the Suțu Palace, beginning with Tuesday October 20th, 18:00, until November 20th 2015, to enjoy the photographs of Cristina Nichituș Roncea.