On the Day of Hope - August 7, children from the Bulgarian communities abroad received recognition for their empathy through art towards their peers where "Peace is not taken for granted, but is a value to fight for". It was under this motto that one of the creative contests of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad took place. The winners received their awards yesterday.

During an emotional ceremony 25 Bulgarian children from ten countries received awards in three categories – for literature, visual arts and singing.

"The inclusion of Bulgarians abroad in Bulgaria’s culture, arts, past and future starts and goes through the children,” says Raina Mandzhukova, executive director of the Agency. “That is why these competitions are the most sustainable initiative we undertake.”

Through the power of words, a call was sent to the children to say together ‘No to the war - let love rule, not war’, as the only reliable accounts can be those of children who suffer its horrors first-hand.

"I had heard a Russian song that I really liked," says thirteen-year-old Katya Barkova from the village of Suvorovo in the region of Izmail in Ukraine. She received the special "Ambassador of Peace" award. “I wrote my own lyrics to it and my mother helped me a lot, because she knows the literary Bulgarian language. With this song I call on all countries for peace in Ukraine, because our children, our people are dying here. And this is very, very scary. So I added my words because I want this horrible war to end as soon as possible.”

Katya promises the impossible - to stop crying, but she doubts her call for peace would be heard. Although the enemy planes have not yet circled over her village, she says: "There is no peace and safety anywhere in Ukraine."

Her words are confirmed by Ivana Demirova, who teaches folklore at the Bulgarian-Ukrainian center "Media" in the village of Krynychne in the Bolhrad region. She says that the children do not miss the weekly activities, even when classes are held in shelters for security reasons.

"We want our children to have a happy childhood and a happy future and together with our colleagues we do everything that depends on us,” the teacher goes on to say. “We want them to remember their childhood years with some positive things because what happens today will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That is why we sing and study even in the bomb shelter. Our children are very talented."

The embodiment of all this is Varvara - a five-year-old blue-eyed angel with long blond braids. Ivana Demirova's student has won the Grand Prix among the youngest singers with her song "Let's all join hands and play rachenitsa dance." This is a Bulgarian folklore dance she learned in kindergarten with her friends Dominika and Alisa.

"I like it here in Bulgaria," the little girl says. “In the Bulgarian school we study about the holidays. There are many of them - Baba Marta, Christmas, the Day of Cyril and Methodius. When I return to Ukraine, I will tell people that the forests here are beautiful. We don't have such forests, but we have sea. I hope to come to Bulgaria again next year."

The vocal ensemble "Zvezditsi" at the Bulgarian Sunday school in the village of Gorodnee, Bolhrad region also focused on cheerful rhythms.

"We mainly perform folk songs, including Ukrainian ones as well, but most of the songs are Bulgarian, in order to preserve our native culture, as we are carriers of Bulgarian folklore,” says ensemble leader Evgenia Shlopak. “In the contests in the region of Odessa people know us very well precisely as representatives of Bulgarian culture. Thank God, it's still calm in our village. We hope to live in peace again and everything to be as before. And when that happens, we shall heal the wounds of children with songs – that is our mission.”

The treatment goes through different phases – first it is enough to stop the development of the disease by inspiring a little courage, injecting a drop of optimism with some life-affirming song and by pointing to a fragile ray of light sneaking out of the darkening sky.

"Peace through the eyes of children looks sunny,” Raina Mandzhukova says. "It's a world where there are no sirens, where children can safely go outside and play without fear of being killed by a drone or a shell." This is what peace looks like according to the writings we received as some of them are not only from Ukraine. I am happy that many works on the topic have arrived from other countries, as this means that children around the world feel sympathy. Hope is embedded firmly in their works. Hope exists.”

English: Alexander Markov

Photos: BTA, Diana Tsankova