May 27, 2024June 20, 2024

The 19th Roma Children’s Festival “Open Heart” was held between 31 May and 1 June

The 19th Roma Children’s Festival “Open Heart”, which took place between 31 May and 1 June 2024 in Veliko Tarnovo, brought together thousands of children, teachers, parents and guests from all over the country. From the first chords of the Roma anthem “Djelem, Djelem”, performed during the opening ceremony, to the procession held under the motto “Together we create the future”, the city was immersed in colours, music and the spirit of unity. The two-day annual event brought together in Veliko Tarnovo more than 1,500 children from more than 100 schools, as well as young people from volunteer groups across the country.

The festival was opened by Deyan Kolev, chairman of Center Amalipe and Dr. Rumen Rashev, mayor of Veliko Tarnovo in the period 1999 – 2011.

The festival is unique not only for Veliko Tarnovo, but for the whole country, because it remained the only Roma festival that continues to take place regardless of the political situation, conditions and funding and because:

The team of Center Amalipe has managed for 19 years to make this event happen without having a special project within which to hold the Festival.

For all these 19 years Veliko Tarnovo Municipality has been a partner of the event and has provided a significant part of the funds that cover the organization (sound system, free broadcasting of Sound and Light for the participants, etc., including the Grand Prize of the Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Municipality, which each year receives a school with an overall contribution to support the processes of integration).

The history of the Festival over the years is an illustration of integration efforts and the place that Roma culture is beginning to occupy in educational processes and attitudes. If in the beginning and the first years everything was with manual means, with each passing year we see how the costumes of the children, the performances, the choreography improve. And this year the festival was not only songs and dances – there were poems in Romani, reenactment of customs, preservation and revival of old Romani crafts, dramatizations of Romani tales.

Over the years, the tradition of organizing an advocacy roundtable on topical and pressing issues as part of the side events has become established.

For all these 19 years it has achieved something very important – it has managed to establish itself as part of Veliko Tarnovo’s cultural calendar and to change attitudes towards Roma culture and the Roma community, despite the strong reactions with which its creation was met two decades ago. Thanks to the then mayor of Veliko Tarnovo, Dr. Rumen Rashev, who was not afraid to accept the challenge of Veliko Tarnovo becoming the host of the fledgling Roma Children’s Festival, the festival, although timid at the beginning, managed to establish itself and to this day it has managed to change attitudes. Turnovo residents and visitors know about the Festival, wait for it and are proud of it, as evidenced by the many comments in Turnovo groups: ‘The Open Heart Festival is a wonderful event, an emblem of tolerance, understanding and inclusion’ ‘The Festival has been held for years and is attended by children from different ethnicities and countries, all presenting their traditional songs and dances’…

The festival also changes the attitudes of the Roma community itself – the children who take part leave even more motivated by the meetings with their peers, by the attention and respect they have received, by the belief that they too can succeed – and most of all, with dreams of a better education and future. And he didn’t want to before. At the festival, he saw and talked to many intelligent young people and started to get interested in majors.”

Not only does the festival bring hundreds of participants on stage, but it would not be possible without the dozens of volunteers who come from all over the country and who get involved in the organization – active students, young people, our alumni, students, mediators, activists. It has become an attractive event for the undying Roma intelligentsia and for the fresh forces in the Roma movement (who are not only Roma and not only Roma-speaking Roma, but also many young people and mediators Bulgarians, Turks, Armenians, from the millet groups, rudars, etc. ), who continue to be interested in topics such as Roma pride, Roma identity, unity between ethnicities and how to find our place in the contemporary global identity without losing ourselves.

Marno Pole Park became a stage of colorful performances, showing the beauty of Roma culture and its connection with Bulgarian, Turkish culture… Unique dances and songs transported the audience into the magical world of folklore and reminded how close we all are in our traditions, while workshops and craft products demonstrated the skills and talents of the participants, creating an unforgettable atmosphere.

From the aroma of delicious mekitsa and kachamak, to hand-holding and coffee from Madame Cassandra, to the many workshops of schools showing what their graduates create every day, there was something happening everywhere in the park. Several youth volunteer campaigns were also sparking interest. The tinkerers from the volunteer group in Etropole again showed live the now dying craft and helped the children to see how the dry theory from chemistry and physics classes can be put into practice. Amalipe Center received a special award for its long-standing contribution to the development of Roma culture from one of the few Roma community centers in Bulgaria “Romano drom” – Dobrich.

During this year’s edition of the Children’s Roma Festival “Open Heart” in Veliko Tarnovo, volunteers actively participated in the “A vote for You” campaign. The initiative aims to increase young people’s motivation to participate in the upcoming European Parliament elections. During the festival, volunteers distributed specially prepared flyers containing information about the importance of the European elections and the role of young voters in them. The flyers also included guidelines on why it is important to make every voice heard. The “A Voice for You” campaign attracted the attention of many citizens who showed interest and asked questions about the voting process and its importance. The volunteers’ initiative received positive feedback from festival-goers. Many young people expressed their willingness to participate in the elections and to be active citizens of the European Union. In this way, the Open Heart Festival not only created a space for cultural and social sharing, but also became a platform for promoting civic engagement and democratic participation.

The workshop “True Stories from the Community” or “Fake News” workshop, as the students called it, took place during the festival day in Marno Pole Park. Young volunteers, united around the initiative, explained how to recognize fake news. Through practical examples and interactive lessons, participants learned more about the signs that signal fake news, misinformation and content generated by artificial intelligence. This workshop not only helped increase media literacy, but also highlighted the importance of tolerance and mutual understanding between different ethnicities.

The Youth Civic Campaign “The Youth Ask: The Future We Create Together” was part of the project “Intercultural Academy for Citizenship and Tolerance”, which is implemented by the Center “Amalipe” with the support of the US Department of State through the US Embassy in Bulgaria. During the Festival, active students participating in the project conducted interviews and collected messages from children and adults, answering questions related to active citizenship. They asked citizens what they thought were the obstacles for young people in Bulgaria; what were the things that prevented them from developing, what they thought about hate speech, etc.

Part of the Festival was also the Bulgarian Platform to the European Women’s Lobby, of which Center Amalipe has been a member since its inception. Here is what they told us. In Veliko Tarnovo we saw talented children with big dreams. One of the girls, in grade 11 from Sliven, came to our table and said she knew me (she follows the Platform’s posts on Instagram), which made me very happy! But what made me even happier was what she shared, “I want to study medicine and this year is going to be tough with the finals and exams I have to take. But, as soon as I get accepted I will call you because I want to volunteer for an organization that empowers women!” Strength and dreams come true, dear girls!”

Daniel Simeonov, a pedagogical expert from the Arte Urbana Collective team, joined the festival program with a practical workshop: the participants’ task was to make photographs that clearly visualize the word “identity”. It also participated in the round table organized by Amalipe Center and held in Veliko Tarnovo Municipality, named “Turning the language of hate into the language of tolerance”. The event also included a screening of short films, part of the program “Looking at the Other” – International selection of cinema stories against stereotypes, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria Goethe-Institut Bulgarien, implemented by the Association “Arte Urbana Collective”, which took place in Sofia and Plovdiv in April 2024. Participants in the roundtable included young people, mediators, representatives of the NGO sector, local and national institutions; as well as representatives of foreign partner organisations. They discussed the problem of hate speech online as well as stereotypes and discrimination that still stop many people from vulnerable groups from developing.

The procession along the central street “Vasil Levski” was the culmination of the first festival day. Under the slogan “Together we create the future”, the participants showed their unity and desire for a better future. Colourful costumes, loud cheers and songs – each group showed how proud they are of their settlement and the traditions it carries. The now emblematic dance in front of the Mother Bulgaria monument was full of energy and joy, symbolising the unity of the different ethnic groups.

On the evening of 31 May, the theatre group at the Dobri Zhelyazkov secondary school in the town of Dobri Zhelyazkov was present. On the evening of the concert, the children of the Sliven School of Drama and Theatre, on the evening of May 31, 31st of May, Sliven presented a new reading of Yovkov’s story “Albena”, revealing the themes of love, compassion and the power of female beauty. Immediately after them, the students from PGHT – Pazardzhik performed their own play “Crooked Mirror”, which through comedy and a little sadness raised important questions about young people and their problems. Both plays showed how talented and artistic the young people are. The applause in the large hall of Veliko Tarnovo Municipality did not stop long after the young actors took their bows.

In parallel with the festival “Open Heart” Amalipe Center held a partner meeting on the project RADIRIGHTS – Countering Disinformation for Democratic Rights in the period May 30 – June 3, 2024. The participants were 26 people and apart from Bulgaria, representatives from Spain, Czech Republic and Hungary took part. Within the framework of this forum, the attendees committed to training on effective methods for identifying misinformation among the Roma community and developing strategies to combat it. This commitment reflects the importance of cooperation and knowledge sharing in the fight against misinformation and in promoting truthful and accurate information. The project is funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV).

The festival ended with the official closing on June 1 and the awarding of the Veliko Tarnovo Municipality Grand Prize. It was a moment of recognition for the talent and efforts of all the participants who during these days showed us that kindness and tolerance can prevail over hatred. For us adults, it was a lesson in humanity that we will carry in our hearts for a long time. At the end of the day, special prizes were awarded. Namely:

“The Award of the Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Dr. Eng. Daniel Panov” for overall work was awarded to the Professional School of Clothing “Elisaveta Bagriana”, Byala Slatina.
The award for the best group was given to the participants of the United School “Father Paisii”, village of Maysko, region of Veliko Tarnovo.
The award of CEIDUEM “The most attractive costumes of the festival” was given to the students of the United School “Panayot Volov” – village of Todor Ikonomovo, and for the most attractive participation – First National School “Hristo Smirnenski” – town of Omurtag.
Miss and Mr. Festival were also elected, respectively the prizes were awarded to Shirin from Todor Ikonomovo and Ivaylo from Varbitsa.
A special award for overall contribution to the promotion of the traditions, language and culture of the ethnic groups was given to “Vasil Levski” Primary School – Karadzhovo village.
The prize for the most authentic presentation was awarded to the students from “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov” – Dimitrovgrad for the reenactment of the custom “Kana Gedzhesi”.
In the category for the group with the most original creative costumes were awarded the students from the primary school ” of Radanovo village.
Special prize for debut was awarded to the Primary School, Tsarev brod village, Shumen region.
The award for the most interesting choreography went to the United School “St. Cyril and Methodius” – village of Tarnene.
A special award for the most dynamic school was given to “Hristo Botev” Primary School, Maglizh, Bulgaria.
The prize for the most attractive dancers was awarded to the Roma show and belly dance performance of the Primary School “Sts. Cyril and Methodius”, Ivanovo village, Haskovo region.

And what the festival looked like through the eyes of student Eliza Stylianova, find out from what she shared:

“This year’s festival ,,Open Heart” was eagerly awaited by me and the participants from my school! For me personally it was the first event of the center “Amalipe”, in which I was invited as a volunteer, I was extremely pleased with the whole atmosphere – it was very energizing, beautiful and colorful. I am very glad that I was part of this festival, this time I saw from closer the whole preparation, which is not easy and small; I got new knowledge, new moments and I saw people I know and love. This year I had to participate as a volunteer and as a participant and dance with my group and change roles very quickly, as Denny says, but I am glad that I was part of not only the festival, but also during the current school year most of the events of the Center ,,Amalipe”! It was an experience for me first and foremost, amazing memories and new friendships! Thank you to all the team and everyone who was part of my experience!!!”

Another edition of the Open Heart Festival not only brought together and inspired thousands of children and adults, but also highlighted the importance of cultural diversity and tolerance. This annual celebration reminds us that we are part of one united nation, in which each ethnic group brings its irreplaceable cultural richness.Veliko Tarnovo has once again become a stage of unity and acceptance, where everyone can express themselves and be welcomed with an open heart.

The festival was realized with the special support of “Kaufland Bulgaria Ltd. and Co.” KD, Prestige-96 AD, Ekstrapak Ltd., Publishing House “Prosveta”.

The festival was broadcast live on our YouTube channel CenterAmalipeMedia, thanks to the team of Biser Petkov.You can see more about his production here.The live broadcast from May 31st, you can watch here:

The June 1st live broadcast is also available to watch, but due to some of the copyright holders not allowing their music to be used on YouTube, some of the songs have been muted:

The festival and the accompanying events were attended by a number of distinguished guests, including Soni Dahiya – Second Secretary of the Embassy of India in Bulgaria, Dr. Eva Zhecheva – Director of the Directorate “Child Rights” at the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Yolislav Ivanov – Chief Expert, “Inclusive Education” at the Ministry of Education, Assoc. Eng. Tsanko Stefanov – representative of Veliko Tarnovo Regional Administration, Eng. Rosalia Licheva – Head of RDE Veliko Tarnovo, Yulia Vlaeva, Head of RDE Gabrovo, Nadezhda Doichinova – Senior Expert for Pre-school Education in RDE Sofia-city, Stoyan Stoyanov – Expert for Bulgarian Language and Literature at RDE Sliven, Assoc. St. Cyril and Methodius University, Doctor Lalo Kamenov – Director of CEIDUEM, prof. Maria Baeva – Member of the Board of the Center for Education and Training “Amalipe”, Ognyan Isaev, Linka Toneva and Violeta Dimitrova from Trust for Social Achievement, Bonny Bonev – Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Angela Doseva (RSPB – Veliko Tarnovo) and Maya Pesheva (DSP – Veliko Tarnovo), Alexandrina Dimitrova – Manager “Training of School Teams” “Together in Class”, Iliana Balabanova – Chairperson of the Bulgarian Platform of the European Women’s Lobby, Georgi Petrov from the Association “Civil Participation Forum”, Gancho Iliev – Chairman of the Board of the Association “World without Borders”, etc. A congratulatory address was sent by Dr. Yanka Takeva, Chairperson of the SBU; and on behalf of the Chairperson of the CPD – Ms. Dzhumaliyeva and the CIDUEM. You can get more information here.

Photos from the festival can be found here.

You can find more pictures by David Georgiev at the following links: