STUDIO90S

Juci Csík is rolling a cigarette in front of the old headquarter of the Hungarian National Television. She used to be the most sought after Roma journalist. While we were doing the photo shoot, she mentioned, she would work in a small grocery shop. She hadn't been employed for months.

View from the windows of Radio Tilos - a blurred future

Gyula Csak was standing in the Teleki Square marketplace. There was terrible lighting when I took the pictures in that infamous neighbourhood. 'In the old marketplace, they used to cook the frankfurters for you even if you bought them in the shops' - said Gyula with some nostalgia in his tone. On the other side of Teleki Square, it used to be the HQ of RadioC, where currently a casino operates. The market has been demolished.

Marietta Forgacs was posing for a shot in front of the buildings of the National Roma Council. 'I used to come here so many times to take interviews that at one point the leader of the council asked me to represent them on an official government meeting'- remembered Marietta and laughed. She was teaching Romani language at the time of the photoshoot.

Ferenc Papinot used to do interviews with superstars in the National Stadium

'I used to like coming here, but now nothing left from it. It has been destroyed just like the RadioC'- he said with sadness in his voice. He works as a civil servant for the government.

For the first time in five years, Elza Lakatos was standing in front of the door of her previous flat. The flat where she worked and lived for 12 years. To see her old flat sturred up many feelings. She found it difficult to say anything. Her flat served as the main office for the Roma Presscentre, one of the most prestigious ethnic journalist centres in Central Europe.

We met in the afternoon because she needed to sleep in the morning. She just had a 12 hours long night shift. She works for a money-counting and accountancy firm, where she counts and packs cash every night. She commented – 'it is a good job, I can finally pay my bills' She was unemployed for years, and when the Roma Presscentre was forced to close down, she lost her flat.

She was quiet during the shooting, quickly apologised and waved goodbye; 'God bless you, my dear!' As she walked down the stairways, I was suddenly left with a feeling of emptiness.

Robert Báthory was shooting an investigatory report for one of the opposition TV channels.

It was there at 6. Nagymezo Street, where the idea of RadioC came to György Kerényi’s mind.

It was still a secret at the time of the shooting, but he told me that one of the biggest opposition parties offered him a political advisor position. 'The time we are living in is such that I need to give up the impartiality of journalism to achieve any changes'- said.

Budapest meant a lot to me; I worked there for 12 years as a journalist. I live in London now, and I only visit Budapest once or twice a year. These rare visits made me wonder whether this makes me a tourist now? I don't know.

After five years, I decided to find out what had happened with old my co-workers, the Roma journalists, and Roma journalism. It was also a good opportunity to use this project and reflect on my own journey. Am I still a journalist, or just a tourist in the middle of the city?

Gyula Csak is one of the few Hungarian professionals who believed in the importance of Roma representation in mainstream Hungarian media. He used to do journalism courses for Roma youth in the Independent Media centre, and he was my editor in the RadioC. In 2004 he was invited to work in the BBC Hungarian programme. 'Imagine how hard it was for me to accommodate myself from the Teleki Square to Oxford street '– he laughed.

Attila Hidvegi B. became a well-known Roma journalist and activist after he organised a mock reunion party for the foremost Roma politician of the government. The politician claimed to have an A-level, but no one attended his mock reunion party, questioning the validity of his claims. Attila previously worked for the National News Agency, specialising in Roma politics. He had to resign after the Fidesz gained power.

The owner of the HirTv Channel used to be a close friend of Prime Minister Orban. They fell out of each other, and he turned his TV to support the opposition. Robert Báthory worked as a reporter in an investigative magazine programme on this TV channel. At the time of the photoshoot, he was making a report on an oligarch's farm. Since then, HirTv has changed owners and works as one of the main vessels of the government propaganda. Robert works for an online newspaper.

Márk József Radics is successful. He kept himself away from politics. I met with Mark by the central MP's office building. We used to come here regularly when we used to work together at RadioC. The MP's always got discounts for their meals, so it was a heaven for journalists, too. Mark works as an editor of tabloid newspapers. He also sings and hosts a TV pop show.

Szilvia S. Kálla was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She now works as a carer.

Szilvia said that her earnings had been so low that she struggled to afford a bread roll and needed to bake it herself. She did not complain and tried to stay positive. 'I am not sure I could cope otherwise' – she said.

The entrance of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee

Eva Klára Galyas was the last reporter of the RadioC.

She was standing by the entrance of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, where she meant to do her last interview. However, the battery of her recorder ran flat, and she didn't have enough money to buy a new one. She was in a desperate situation, she had not been paid for months by then, and the unsuccessful interview was the last straw in her career at RadioC. Three days after the interview, she emigrated to Canada. Her (unfinished) report was the very last report which was aired on RadioC. She is a poet now and runs some artistic projects.

Jozsef Ignacz was the last chief editor of the RadioC. He fought for years to keep the radio on-air, but no one needed a medium where critical ethnic voices could be heard. Jozsef works for a government-friendly online newspaper now.

Juci Csik was having a cigarette break while she was working on her radio program at Radio Tilos. Her show was the only radio program for years that specialised in presenting Roma topics.