When the roots speak – sincere children’s reflections on Bulgaria

It is summer and many children of Bulgarians living abroad have happily returned to Bulgaria to spend time with their relatives and to travel across the country. The beginning of August is also the most appropriate time to receive awards in Sofia – traditionally, the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad presented its awards to the winners of the Agency’s three competitions, which encourage Bulgarian children abroad to draw, write and sing in Bulgarian. All children’s creativity is an expression of the common inspiration of love and connection with Bulgaria. It is not the awards that are the most valuable, but the participation itself, because even coming to Sofia and being present in the hall is already a reward for all participants in the competitions, the agency’s head, Raina Mandzhukova, says.

Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad honours winners of youth competitions

The hearts of the children and young people who were visiting Bulgaria for the first time in their lives were beating with the greatest excitement. This trip was a true gift from fate and a dream come true for Joaquin Ruarte from Argentina. He is 18 years old and has heard a lot about Bulgaria from his grandfather, who emigrated more than 70 years ago. For Joaquin, Bulgaria is the homeland of his relative. Now the country is gaining a face and has provided experiences for him. He says that he came to Bulgaria especially for this great award from the Argentine city of Comodoro Rivadavia and tells what he presented in his drawing with the theme "The Dream of Bulgaria":

"I am happy to be in Bulgaria and Europe for the first time. I am happy to represent my country here. The task was to draw on the theme ‘Bulgaria of my dreams’ and my idea for this is the city of Veliko Tarnovo, which I have placed on the Bulgarian rose. I was very excited, I did not know how to come up with this drawing. But when I started doing it, it turned out to be very successful. I did not expect that I would win first prize and it was very exciting."

For some, the exciting moments continue, because the first prize winners of the competitions are invited to participate in a children's summer camp in the Strandzha village of Brodilovo (Southeastern Bulgaria). There, for ten days, children and young people can socialize, make friends and get to know this beautiful corner of the Black Sea coast.

For most Bulgarian children born abroad, Bulgarian language remains a big challenge. Some can write and speak Bulgarian well, but there are also children who are afraid to show what they have learned in Sunday school and prefer not to stand in front of a microphone, even though they certainly have something to share with their peers. Anna-Maria Atanasova is among the participants in the competition and in previous years she was also among the winners, so she has already been to a camp in the village of Brodilovo. She is 12 years old and studies at the Bulgarian school "Dora Gabe" in Munich. She says that she also goes to a German school, but everyone in the family speaks Bulgarian, so she speaks the language very well:

"I presented a drawing about the April Uprising, where on one side is the sun, everything is good, and on the other half is Vasil Levski with the flag that says ‘Freedom or Death’. I drew this because the theme was about Bulgaria and about the April Uprising. This is the third or fourth time I have participated in the competitions, together with my brother Todor. Last year it was with a song about the Apostle. Then we won third place, but there was no prize for it. Before that, however, we were at a camp in Brodilovo and went to the beach by the sea. It was very nice. We won the first place then with a song.”

"She drew Rayna Knyaginya in front of the Bulgarian flag, on which is written ‘Freedom or Death’. The theme was on the occasion of the 170th anniversary of the birth of Rayna Knyaginya and 150 years of the April Uprising. Her teacher Anna Peron encouraged her the most to participate in the competition. We in the family are very proud and I think she is also very pleased with herself. What the children born in England miss the most there is actually more time spent in Bulgaria, since they only come back during the holidays. They also miss the connections with Bulgarian children and relatives, they miss communicating with Bulgarian children and speaking Bulgarian."

Among the young participants in the EABA children's competitions is Ksenia Mitu. She came from the Bessarabian village of Chiyshia in Odesa Oblast of Ukraine. There are not many children in the village, but it is entirely Bulgarian, Ksenia Mitu says.

"In the family, only Bulgarian is spoken, as well as at school. At school we learn Bulgarian. Evgenia Dmitrievna prepared me to sing this song - ‘Chereshko, le’. This is my first time in Bulgaria," the girl tells us.

Ksenia also has difficulties speaking Bulgarian with us but the reason is simple – where she lives an old version of the language is preserved. However, Ksenia really likes Bulgaria and Bulgarian folk songs and has always wanted to visit Sofia and the country, so for her this award is a dream come true. She says that she really wants to study Bulgarian and get to know Bulgaria better. The girl has already felt the spirit of the country precisely through the folk songs, which she performs with great diligence and always goes on stage in traditional Bulgarian costume – a fact that once again reminds us of the preserved traditions among a community that keeps Bulgaria as a precious memory from the stories of its ancestors.