"Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod" motivates Bulgarians in Serbia to write in their native language

published on 6/28/25 3:05 PM

Photo: Ivan Gergov

Earlier this week the parliamentary Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad examined the case of the association "Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod" - a Bulgarian organization in the Serbian town of Tsaribrod (or Dimitrovgrad), which publishes a cultural magazine in Bulgarian, publishing both Bulgarian authors from the Bulgarian minority in Serbia and translating Serbian authors into Bulgarian. ‎

‎"We invited the representatives of the "Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod" association because I believe that there should be more and more such initiatives of Bulgarian communities abroad. Because Bulgarian culture abroad is slowly dying out and the Bulgarian state is not doing enough. We can do this as a commission, and I expect a more serious initiative from the executive branch," Stoyan Taslakov, chairman of the Commission for Policies for Bulgarians Abroad, told Radio Bulgaria. ‎

The idea is to have funding for cultural activities and for the National Assembly to vote on a budget for such initiatives annually, and not to have uncertainty until the last moment, as is the case now, the MP added. ‎

"It is important to have the support of the Bulgarian state so that we can work on the cause of preserving our identity. The language is the most important - and how to preserve and promote it," Taslakov added. ‎

The chairperson of the Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod Association Iva Simeonova (in the middle)

‎"It is very important that Bulgarians in Serbia have such a platform through our magazine, so that they can publish their works in Bulgarian. This also motivates them to write in their mother tongue. Because otherwise they would turn to the Serbian language, which was a process that is still ongoing. Now there are already young authors writing in Bulgarian, which is a very good trend," Iva Simeonov, the chairman of the "Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod" association, told Radio Bulgaria.

Photos: Ivan Gergov, BGNES
English version: R. Petkova

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"Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod" motivates Bulgarians in Serbia to write in their native language

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