site.bta Olga Kolot Honoured for Service to Bulgarian Community in Ukraine by Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad

Olga Kolot, a Bulgarian from Ukraine and an active public figure, has been honoured by the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (EABA) for her contribution to preserving Bulgarian consciousness, language and cultural identity. The award was presented by EABA Executive Director Rayna Mandzhukova at the Agency's Library and Information Centre on Wednesday.

The event also marked Kolot's 50th birthday. She is Deputy Chair of the Ivan Vazov Bulgarian Society in Mykolaiv and an active public figure. She represents the Bulgarian community in the Ternivka microdistrict, a historically Bulgarian settlement.

According to the most recent Ukrainian census, conducted in 2001, around 5,600 ethnic Bulgarians live in Mykolaiv Region. They are concentrated in the Ternivka area, founded in 1802 by Bulgarian settlers.

Among those attending were Galin Georgiev, Chair of Rodolyubets, the Cultural and Educational Society for Relations with the Bessarabian and Tavrian Bulgarians, and Tatiana Braga, a Bessarabian Bulgarian, senior assistant at the Prof. Lyubomir Andreychin Institute for Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). Braga recently returned from Ukraine, where she visited the Centre for Culture and Recreation and the Regional Centre for Bulgarian Culture in Bolhrad, and donated a copy of her book "The Names of the Bulgarians in Bolhrad Region (Southern Bessarabia) - Part 1". Friends and relatives of Olga Kolot were also among the guests.

In her welcoming remarks, Mandzhukova said: "The Agency for Bulgarians Abroad continues the tradition of organizing meetings in the Library and Information Centre with compatriots from different countries on special occasions or even without a specific reason." She introduced Kolot as follows: "Olga and I work together for the restoration and strengthening of Bulgarian identity in Bessarabia and Ukraine, and for building and developing the ties between Bulgarians there and Bulgaria."

Olga Kolot spoke about her personal and professional path. She thanked the organizers for the invitation and noted that the distinction had been an unexpected and valuable surprise. She thanked Rayna Mandzhukova, the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, and her colleagues from the Ivan Vazov Bulgarian Society in Mykolaiv, which she described as one of the most active Bulgarian organizations in Ukraine.

She explained that she belongs to the community of Bulgarians from Ternivka, a Bulgarian village in the past, now a neighbourhood of Mykolaiv. According to her, the name of the settlement derives from the Bulgarian word for "thorn". She recalled that the community traces its origins to the Strandzha region in Southeastern Bulgaria.

Kolot said that Bulgarians settled in the area as early as 1802 and have preserved their language, traditions and identity for more than two centuries.

"When I was born, my family spoke the Ternivka dialect. I have never doubted my identity. My grandfather took me in his arms and said: 'You are Bulgarian'. And that defined everything. When our village became part of the city, rapid assimilation began, but even so we managed to preserve our language and customs. In Mykolaiv it has always been prestigious to call yourself a Bulgarian - it was associated with hard work and dignity," Kolot said.

Kolot added that, thanks to a decree of Bulgaria's Education and Science Ministry, she studied in Bulgaria, initially at the National Academy of Art. She returned to Ukraine for personal reasons but continued to work actively for the Bulgarian community. She founded the Bulgarian Sunday School in Mykolaiv, which is crucial for preserving local identity.

Kolot noted that recognizing the uniqueness of the local Bulgarian dialect had steered her towards academic work. She said that Mykolaiv university and another university now offer a Bulgarian Philology programme which attracts students from various fields. Kolot holds a PhD and has for years researched the language and cultural heritage of the Ternivka Bulgarians.

After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, she helped evacuate mothers with children by organizing buses to Bulgaria with her own funds. "I have always lived as part of a minority, both in Ukraine and here, but I know what must be preserved and I will continue to work for that," Kolot said.

The meeting also touched on the topic of Bulgarians in Tavria.

Galin Georgiev highlighted the work of Kolot and her colleague Volodymyr Gamza for the Bulgarian community in Mykolaiv. He noted that both are among the founders and most active members of the Ivan Vazov Society in the city.

"Out of modesty, Olga did not mention how much they have achieved, and not just in academia," Georgiev said. Gamza is working on a research project at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies [at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences], while Kolot is involved in numerous initiatives at the Academy's Institute for Bulgarian Language.

Georgiev recalled that both participated in the creation of several films about the Ternivka Bulgarians' traditional jewellery, cultural heritage and dialect.

Informal conversations and a reception concluded the event.