The Regional Museum of History (RMH) in Sliven has donated a few of its publications to the Hristo Botev Library in Chisinau, Moldova. The library was founded in 1992 by the Bulgarian diaspora in Moldova and is a subsidiary of the city library there. The books in it feature classical works of Bulgarian literature with the most popular being books and publications related to the history of Bulgaria. This is the place that attracts the Bulgarian community on traditional holidays; it hosts a Bulgarian language course and an amateur group for Bulgarian folk dances: a place that ethnic Bulgarians in Moldova love to visit.

The Director of Sliven RMH Nikolay Sirakov told us more about the donation the museum made to the library:

“We have donated out publications not only to the Hristo Botev Library in Chisinau, but also to the Bolgrad High School in Ukraine. We should never forget that during the 1828-1829 Russo-Turkish War, following the withdrawal of the Russian troops, large communities from the regions of Sliven and Yambol, Southeastern Bulgaria, joined the troops and moved to Bessarabia. It is only normal that the museum in Sliven has special commitment to this topic. It is staffed with specialists who carry out research of this particular emigration wave. There have been several emigration waves, as well as remigration. Our idea was to donate to Bulgarian communities in Bessarabia publications that provide coverage of these issues. We have sent Sliven RMH publications with research of these processes since the topic is sensitive for the ethnic Bulgarians who live there. We have added some material on ethnography and archeology. Our goal is to popularize among Bessarabian Bulgarians the history of their land of origin and we also want to make them feel that we think and work for their sake. They have Bulgarian descent and we ought to acquaint younger people with their roots, with the lands and regions where their genes came from and where their ancestors lived.”

Are Bessarabian Bulgarian keen on looking for their roots?

“We keep active contacts with all organizations that express the interests of the Bessarabian Bulgarians in Moldova. We work actively with the Bessarabian Bulgarians in Ukraine as well. Sliven is a twin city of Melitopol in Eastern Ukraine. There are more than 33 Bulgarian villages in the region of that city. We keep in touch with Odesa too, the home of a large Bulgarian diaspora. We often have visits from Bessarabian university students. They take part in research. A few years ago they participated in the archeological excavations of the Tuida fortress (an archeological monument from the Late Antiquity).

Bessarabian Bulgarians from Moldova and Ukraine joined our team for the digs. Our idea is to attract them based on science and culture and also to show our firm support for them. I believe we successfully perform this mission of ours”, the Director of the Regional Museum of History in Sliven Nikolay Sirakov said in an interview for Radio Bulgaria.

English Daniela Konstantinova