Sistem ca pe Ferentari (Ferentari Soundsystem) is a series of events and concerts that highlight Ferentari’s positive traits- its unusually productive music scene, its strong sense of community and the notion that isolation only aggravates its social problems.


In the absence of any institutional cultural involvement, and under the influence of its large Roma population, Ferentari has developed its own musical subculture - a vibrant manele music scene. Sistem ca pe Ferentari validates this neighorhood’s cultural output as a significant part of Romanian pop music.


The second edition that we organised on the 17th of September 2017 consisted in arts&crafts workshops, one outdoor concert and an after party held in a local car wash.


The 5 arts and crafts workshops were hosted by Matka, a group of contemporary artists that worked in different media, and they were attended by around 80 local children.


As in the previous year, the main event was a concert that took place in the park on Livezilor Street. It included 2 local theatre and dance acts formed by local teenagers, 2 local bands: Taraful lui Gicu Petrache and Formația Frații Cobzaru, a Lebanese dabke band lead by Rabih Karam, a Bulgarian Turkish band lead by Edvin Eddy and the headliner, the famous manele artist Marius Babanu and his band.


The after party took place at a local car wash, and it showcased the result of a week long collaboration between Patric Catani, a German producer, and a group of talented young amateur rappers from the neighborhood.


Sistem ca pe Ferentari 2017 was organised by PARADAIZ and EasyEco, a local NGO that has a sustained activity in education and harm reduction.


All photographs by  Adi Tudose.



© Copyright PARADAIZ 2018