site.btaLondon Event Marks 60th Anniversary of BTA’s LIK Magazine, 90th Anniversary of Bulgarian National Radio

A thematic bilingual event - held in both Bulgarian and English at the Bulgarian Embassy in London on Thursday evening and organized by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute (BCI) in London marked two anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of the first issue of LIK magazine, the Bulgarian News Agency’s (BTA) publication dedicated to literature, art, and culture; and the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

The event featured presentations of the special anniversary editions LIK at 60 and BNR: 90 Years Later, dedicated to the two media milestones. Two exhibitions were also on display, part of the BNR’s commemorative events: the documentary exhibition "90 Years of BNR – The Radio of Generations of Bulgarians", and selected works from the national competition "In the Footsteps of Sirak Skitnik."

The event included remarks by Kiril Valchev, Director General of BTA; Milen Mitev, Director General of BNR; Yanitsa Hristova, Managing Editor of LIK magazine; Plamen Dichkov, BNR’s Commercial Director; and Alexander Doichinov, Director of the National High School of Arts Dimitar Dobrovich in Sliven.

The evening was hosted by Miglena Rogacheva and Yoana Peeva, who also provided English interpretation for the speakers.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said in his remarks that the translation of LIK magazine into foreign languages is an opportunity for Bulgaria to freely display the face of its culture. 

Valchev said that some issues of LIK are already being published in foreign languages. The issue about Bulgarians in Ukraine was published in English. LIK issues in English also covered the 45th anniversary of the spaceflight of Bulgaria’s first cosmonaut, Georgi Ivanov, which made Bulgaria the sixth nation to send a person into space, as well as the historic first voyage to and from Antarctica by the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril I Metodii and Bulgarian science on the continent. That Antarctic-themed issue was also published in Spanish. Additional English-language issues featured the 155th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), and the 60th anniversary of the LIK magazine itself. The issue on Bulgaria and World Expositions, presented on Bulgaria Day at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan, was published in both English and Japanese. An upcoming July issue dedicated to Bulgaria and UNESCO will be available in English and French, Valchev added.

BTA's Director General also presented the history of LIK, whose first issue was published on January 8, 1965.

In a video address, LIK Editor-in-Chief Georgi Lozanov said that as many Bulgarians live and make a career in the West, he sees events like this one as small unifications between territorial Bulgaria and Bulgaria without borders. “Such a unification can only happen in an open world, and not when everyone is staring at their own - national - navel. In this sense, the Bulgarian News Agency has become, to a large extent, an institution of cultural diplomacy, and LIK plays a role in this mission,” he said.

LIK Managing Editor Yanitsa Hristova told the audience that LIK’s visit to London is the magazine’s first public appearance since it was awarded the Golden Quill for its contribution to Bulgarian culture on the eve of May 24, 2025. Hristova emphasized that the work and efforts of the authors, translators, and editors who have tied their professional paths to LIK have not gone unnoticed. “Over the years, recognition has come not only from readers but also from various organizations,” she said.

Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Director General Milen Mitev said the 90th anniversary оf BNR is а time to reflect on the rich history of this institution. “To remember the successes and challenges, to remember the people who built and continue to build the Radio, thanks to whom we stand here today. We are doing this together with our friends from the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), who, for 90 years now, since the very beginning, have been our partners,” he said in London on Thursday.

Bulgarian Ambassador to London Tihomir Stoychev said in his remarks at the event that his generation grew up with the two magazines published at the time by BTA — LIK and Paraleli, “and indeed, LIK was a window to European and world literature and culture”. Ambassador Stoychev extended congratulations to BTA’s Director General Kiril Valchev for his initiative to revive LIK with a new strategy and vision, not only to preserve cultural memory, but also to promote contemporary Bulgarian literature. Stoychev said that both BTA and BNR are institutions in their own right, symbolizing the lasting importance of Bulgarian media and cultural heritage. 

Alexander Doichinov, Director of the National High School of Arts in Sliven, presented the second exhibition, featuring works from a national competition “In the Footsteps of Sirak Skitnik.” As the exhibition’s curator, he noted that by following in Sirak Skitnik’s footsteps, the young artists who participated in the competition immersed themselves in the artistic world of Bulgaria during the first half of the 20th century - “a world rich with ideas and events, with creators and artworks comparable to the global standards of that era.”

Plamen Dichkov, Commercial Director of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), introduced the documentary exhibition “90 Years of BNR – The Radio of Generations of Bulgarians” to the London audience. In his words, it is “not just an anniversary exhibition.” “This is the story of an institution that for nine decades has not only been a witness but also an active participant in Bulgaria’s history,” he said. “The concept of the exhibition is unique. Instead of telling our own story, we invited two of the most respected institutions of memory—the State Archives Agency and the Bulgarian News Agency—to open their archives and create this visual narrative. The result is an honest, objective, and multi-layered portrayal of nine decades of Bulgarian radio,” Dichkov added.

During the event, pianist Mario Angelov performed music by renowned Bulgarian composers Pantcho Wladigeroff, Dimitar Nenov, and Krasimir Kyurkchiiski. 

Finally, the guests were treated to Bulgarian wine.