site.btaCultural Alternative Tsaribrod Association Opens Office in Serbian Border Town

An office of the Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod Association was officially opened on Thursday in the Serbian border town of Tsaribrod, providing a space for book publishing, cultural meetings and initiatives supporting the Bulgarian language, culture and identity.

The ceremony was attended by Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia Angel Angelov, Bulgarian Consul General in Nis Dimitar Ivanov, representatives of the presidential institution, local and municipal authorities, members and associates of the association, guests and journalists. Messages of greetings were read out on behalf of President Iliana Iotova, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova, the Bulgarian National Assembly and the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.

The association's Chair, Iva Simeonov, said that their common mission was to keep the identity, language and spirit of Bulgarians in Serbia alive. She said the new office was intended to serve as a venue for meetings with writers and artists, exchanges of ideas, exhibitions and literary evenings, as well as a place where young people could receive information and support when applying to study in Bulgaria and during their education there.

Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia Angel Angelov highlighted the role of books in the digital age.

Bulgarian Consul General in Nis Dimitar Ivanov said that the organization was entrusted with preserving Bulgarian identity in Serbia.

The opening ceremony concluded with a short artistic programme, during which several local girls performed popular Bulgarian folk songs, while students from Tsaribrod staged a scene depicting a meeting between Bulgarians living on the two sides of the border.

Book publishing is the main activity of the Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod Association, which has so far published five issues of the Cultural Alternative magazine, Simeonov told BTA. The Association is also working on the “Word and Light under the Lens” project, which includes new books, collections of students' works and initiatives aimed at familiarizing the public with Bulgarian and Serbian literature.

Among its upcoming tasks is the publication of two Bulgarian- and European-literature study guides in Bulgarian for prospective university students from Serbia preparing to study in Bulgaria.

The association works with Bulgarians from different parts of Serbia and provides its publications to schools, libraries and Bulgarian associations, Simeonov explained.

The Cultural Alternative Tsaribrod Association was founded in 2024 and works to preserve and develop Bulgarian national identity, language and culture in Serbia, with a particular focus on book publishing and fostering ties between Bulgarian and Serbian writers and artists.