Ensemble "Assorti" from Verkhnyaya Albota village
On the first day of the forum, a scientific and practical conference is traditionally held. This year it was dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the transfer of Northern Dobrudja to Romania. By virtue of the agreement concluded between Bulgaria and Romania in the Romanian town of Craiova in 1940, Bulgarians who had originally lived in this territory were forcibly resettled to South Dobrudja (Bulgaria). Only Bulgarians of mixed marriages remained in Romania. Their descendants took part in the forum.
The second conference with the permanent rubric “Ethnology of Bulgarians” is also usually devoted to the past, but with a projection to the present, the future and the connection of the Diaspora with its historical homeland. Since in Moldova today much attention is paid to the Moldovan diaspora, the experience of this forum seems interesting in terms of its organization, funding and emphasis.
The scale of the forum is impressive, while the support of the local authorities in organizing it is minimal and that of the central authorities is absent at all. “This is my initiative, which was supported by the Bjlgarsko Inheritance organization,” says Marusya Kostova, a descendant of those Bulgarians who moved here from Northern Dobrudja. – This year the municipality (mayor’s office) of Balchik gave us 10,000 leva (about 5,000 euros). The rest of the funds we raise through sponsorship. They are mostly generic owners of agrarian firms from Dobrudja. We initially planned to organize a festival, but as it turned out, the participants are important to be appreciated and recognized for their skills. That is why we hold a competition and select the winners”.
One of the winners is the folklore group “Assorti” together with its brass band from the commune of Upper Albota in Taraclia district, which has been participating in the forum since its first edition in 2014. For the trip, the commune mayor’s office provided 38 thousand lei to the artists. Besides, the state program “Asses la cultura” allocated 80 thousand lei to the group, while the Moldovan Embassy in Bulgaria contributed 15 thousand lei. Another 10 thousand lei were contributed by private sponsors.
As the head of the center of culture from the village of Upper Albota, Nellie Nellie Nollyvie, said. Upper Albota Nelly Novikova, “Assorti” was created in 1990. “We participate in several projects funded by Bulgaria,” she said. – There is a language learning program, as well as a project in which our artists were sewed national costumes”.
The young artists are housed in the neighboring Balchik resort of Kranevo, where in the evenings they give concerts for locals and vacationers. “These are invaluable trips for us, especially for children from low-income families,” says Nelly Novikova.
From Gagauzia, the ensemble “Sevda” from Cazaclia village, Ceadir Lunga district, participated in this year’s forum. It exists since 1979. Last year at this forum (it was the jubilee one) the ensemble won the competition in Balchik. Beautiful performance and colorful costumes delighted the audience. The hall gave them a standing ovation. This year quantitatively the participation of the ensemble was more modest, but no less professional, they again received awards.
“The first time we visited the forum in 2016,” said Maria Taka, director of the cultural center of the village. Kazaklia. – Such festivals develop. For us it is new contacts, knowledge and acquaintances. This year’s trip was supported by the Mayor’s Office, allocating funds for travel, as well as by the Department of Culture of Gagauzia. Our artists met with Gagauz people in Bulgaria, who live compactly there in the Black Sea villages. And Marusia Kostova herself came to our festival in Cazaclia more than once. We also invite groups from Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.
Chisinau – Balchik – Chisinau
