A quarter of Romania’s population, or some six million people, now lives outside the country's borders. The vast majority of these migrants come from the countryside, and the money they send back home has irreversibly changed their villages. Even though they have supported the Romanian economy for over 30 years and sent billions of euros in remittances, they are still known by a disparaging term recalling an early wave of emigrants who went to work in Spain: căpșunari, or “strawberry pickers”.

In August and during major holidays, Oaș people make their ritualistic return home, and their villages become an open stage for social competition. They proudly spend thousands of euros on weddings, luxury cars, and high-end clothing. In a single generation, they have turned their villages of origin into concrete châteaux, a testament to their success abroad.

2010 - 2022, Romania/France