#magyarakac

Photo: Krisztina Csányi

The spread of invasive alien species is one of the burning issues of ecology. These plants and animals are introduced into a new territory as a consequence of human intervention and they can spread easily in weakened ecosystems. People’s reactions to this phenomenon often follow the patterns of xenophobic hate. In 2014 the EU created a regulation on extermination and prevention of the introduction of invasive alien species. The species list was made based on costs and benefits analysis. This practice have many similarities with the EU-s migration policy, but it can be considered as a more violent version, because plants and animals have no inalienable rights. The black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is native in the US and it was introduced to Hungary only three hundred years ago. Nowadays it became the most common tree in Hungary and it has a huge importance both in economy and in culture. As a counteraction for the EU regulation, the Hungarian government elected the tree as a Hungaricum (a brand for traditional national values). This decision is the complete opposite of the government's migration policy. To point this out we are using the plant’s story as a fable in the documentary theater piece.