UNORTHODOX

Unorthodox aims to show the modern-day interpretation of spirituality in the ex Soviet block. Religion and spirituality have been a major part of the region's everyday life and culture ever since people started living here. First it was the Thracians, then the Slavs, then Christianity became the norm. In the 14th and 15th centuries a significant part of the region was conquered by the Ottomans who imposed Islam and tried to push even further and set Sheriah law.
Eventually the region was liberated but not for long.
Towards the end of World War 2, the Soviet Army conquered nearly the whole of Eastern Europe.
Communism is known around the world for its lack of respect for human life and basic freedoms. Religion is one of these freedoms.
Churches were destroyed, bibles burnt, priests sent to concentration camp and major religious holidays like Christmas and Easter banned.
This was the case for nearly 50 years. That was one of the things that made the population lose its identity.
Now the whole region seems lost between the East and West. A big part of it is extremely corrupt to the extent that corruption takes people's lives. All of this after just 50 years of dicatorship.
Now a mess of Catholic, Apostholic and Orthodox Christianity and a whole bunch of Pagan rituals, Eastern Europe is still struggling to find its cultural identity and a way to a brighter future. It's stuck in its "Unorthodox" struggle for identity and spiritual growth.