site.btaSofia University Opens Its 63rd Summer Seminar of Bulgarian Language and Culture for Foreign Scholars and Students

Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski opened its 63rd Summer Seminar of Bulgarian Language and Culture for Foreign Scholars and Students here on Monday.

The seminar is one of the longest-running international educational events dedicated to Bulgarian studies and will bring together 89 participants from 29 countries, including students, lecturers, translators and researchers studying Bulgarian or specializing in Bulgarian studies. The programme combines intensive Bulgarian language courses with lectures on Bulgarian literature, history and culture, translation workshops, conversation classes and creative writing sessions. Participants will also attend museum visits, meetings with artists, film screenings and other cultural events, as well as excursions across Bulgaria.

Sofia University Rector Eliza Stefanova described the seminar's foreign participants as "Bulgaria's ambassadors around the world". She noted that through their commitment to the Bulgarian language and Slavic culture, they are achieving what many others cannot, despite great efforts. "You spread the love for the culture and language of our peoples," she said. Stefanova added that the foreign participants have the opportunity not only to experience and learn more about the Bulgarian language, but also to engage with Bulgarian culture. She thanked everyone who has contributed to ensuring that the seminar has continued for 63 years.

Sofia University's Slavic Studies Faculty Dean Amelia Licheva said that among the foreign specialists in Bulgarian and Slavic studies are people visiting Bulgaria for the first time, as well as others who have chosen to take part in the seminar again. "For native speakers of a language as small as ours, having such a community of people studying it all over the world is an enormous privilege. I am especially pleased that interest in the seminar is much greater this year than it was last year," she noted. Licheva added that Bulgarian studies at Sofia University has the country's longest academic tradition. Over the years, the aim of the seminar has been not only to offer Bulgarian language courses, but also to turn these few weeks into encounters with Bulgaria – its history, literature, culture and art, the Dean underlined.

A message of greeting to the participants was sent by President Iliana Iotova. It was read out by Milena Dimitrova, Secretary to the Bulgarian President for Culture, Education, and Relations with Bulgarians Abroad. "The Bulgarian language is our unique heritage and a source of pride. Today, around 300 million people around the world use our alphabet. Literature written in Bulgarian attracts, challenges and has become an inseparable part of the world's literary heritage," it reads.

The seminar programme includes language courses at different levels taught by lecturers from the Slavic Studies Faculty. Lectures and discussions on the Bulgarian language, literature, history and culture are also planned, along with practical workshops on translation, conversation practice, creative writing and interactive language-learning methods. The cultural programme includes visits to museums and historical sites, meetings with artists, film screenings and themed events.

Excursions around the country will give participants in the Summer Seminar an opportunity to discover the richness of Bulgaria's natural and cultural heritage. Diplomats, lecturers and students also attended the opening ceremony of the seminar in the Aula of Sofia University.

Founded in 1962, it is among Sofia University's oldest international initiatives and has become an established platform for promoting the Bulgarian language and culture while fostering international academic cooperation.