We share the city equally with them, yet we can hardly name or recognize even a few of the birds that live in or migrate through the places we call home. It’s even harder to say anything about them. In Bucharest alone, over 200 species of birds live almost invisibly among us. All it takes is to slow down, look closely at the tree branches in front of your building, and listen beyond the noise of the city. There is an entire world of chirping right next to us, as birds have adapted more and more to urban life in recent years.
The swift, the blackbird, the goldfinch, the crow, and the sparrow will soon come to life through stories, thanks to five contemporary authors — Victoria Pătrașcu, Iulia Iordan, Andreea Iatagan, Laura Grünberg, and Carmen Tiderle — as part of the newest project by the De Basm Association, “Stories in Flight,” aimed at helping children befriend the birds living in their city.
Starting with the observation of birds cohabiting with people in Bucharest and its surroundings, the planned activities include guided tours in the Bucharest Botanical Garden based on stories written specially for the project by the five authors and illustrated by Alexia Udriște Olteanu, biodiversity workshops led by Radu Modan, founder of 1111 Birds, modeling workshops, a creative writing competition for children from Romania and the diaspora, and three exhibitions in Bucharest.
Introducing children to birdwatching at an early age is part of shaping the responsible adults of tomorrow. Protecting the environment will naturally become a priority for those who learn from an early age how beautiful and yet fragile nature is. By discovering the wonders of nature through storytelling, children will realize that they are an integral part of the ecosystem, not beings arrogantly detached and sitting atop the food chain.
Through stories and visual arts, we aim to raise children’s awareness of the importance of a healthy urban ecosystem, where birds and green spaces play an essential role. With the project’s activities, we encourage children, parents, and educators to protect nature, take a stand, and come up with their own solutions to preserve the biodiversity of their living spaces.
Also starting today, children from across Romania and abroad can sign up for the “Chirps” Literary Competition. The goal of the competition is to inspire respect for nature, raise awareness of the importance of urban birds and their vital role in the ecosystem, stimulate creativity, and develop observation skills and patience.
Each participant must write and send an original story in Romanian to the email address: concurs.debasm@gmail.com, starting from a bird they observe nearby — from their window, on their way to school, or at the playground. At the end of the competition, five winning stories, selected by a jury of five writers, will be published on the website debasm.ro and awarded with books and monthly subscriptions to the Dimitrie Brândză Botanical Garden in Bucharest. Full participation details can be found in the Competition Rules.
“Stories in Flight” is a cultural intervention project carried out by the De Basm Association, co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund, in partnership with the University of Bucharest, the D. Brândză Botanical Garden, Seneca Anticafe, Arthur Publishing House, Cărturești, and the Prichindeilor Library.