site.bta Sofia University Rector: Society Must Decide Whether It Wants to Have or to Be
Society must decide whether it wants to have or to be, said Sofia University Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev at a conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the 1876 April Uprising at the BTA National Press Club in Vratsa on Thursday.
He recalled that many young people participated in the organization of the April Uprising, for whom material well-being was not a goal. Even though most of them came from wealthy families, this would not have been enough if they did not also have a sense of duty, dignity and honour, Valchev emphasized. "These are people who have truly shown with their behaviour and overall actions that when you have a dilemma, you choose to be rather than to have," he pointed out.
"Where do we want to be, what do we want our society of tomorrow to look like, what will we leave our children," Valchev asked, emphasizing that hiding behind beautiful words and phrases is not an option. Bulgaria has gone through a transition in recent years, during which the people have endured many deprivations, pain, suffering, losses, torn families and destinies that have gone wrong, he recalled. "It is high time we find a new direction as a society and let these discussions around the anniversary of the uprising be our reference point and example," he added.
Similar forums will also be organized at BTA press clubs in the centres of the remaining revolutionary districts of the April Uprising - Veliko Tarnovo, Sliven, and Panagyurishte. The conferences are part of the joint initiative of BTA, Bulgarian National Television, and Bulgarian National Radio, titled 14 Centuries of Bulgaria in Europe. The initiative aims to commemorate anniversaries of Bulgarian historical events that have had an impact on shared European history.
The 14 Centuries of Bulgaria in Europe programme includes anniversaries through 2032, when 1,400 years will be marked since the founding of Old Great Bulgaria.
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