I’m Just Talkin’ ‘Bout Vasil Levski
It’s approaching my two year mark here in Bulgaria. I arrived in August 2005, and this place seemed strange then, in the sense that it was unfamiliar. Since then it’s gotten familiar, but weird and wonderful at the same time. One thing here that shows both the splendor and horror of Bulgaria is politics.
I actually have hope for Bulgaria when it comes to politics. While it is true that the Socialist party is still in power, things are moving forward, even if at a snail’s pace. The simple commitment to a democratic state is a miracle in many ways. Look at Russia right now. That could be Bulgaria, but it isn’t. They have choosen the West. A recent milestone was joining the EU at the beginning of the year. Many Bulgarians are still uncertain about what this will mean for them, but it’s a positive move in my opinion. It will move things forward. Markets will open. Labor here will become more valuable. Employment will rise.
The socialist rule in a coalition. One of their partners is a party that, in essence, represents the Turkish minority living within Bulgaria. They are the largest minority here, taking up about 10% of the population. I happen to live in a region with a lot of Turks, and things seem fine here on the surface. But the more time I spend here I realize that it’s deeper than that. In recent conversation with a Turkish neighbor of mine who lives on my floor, she expressed a bit of shock that if I fell in love and wanted to marry a Turkish, Bulgarian, or even Roma girl that ethnicity in and of itself would not be an issue for me, my parents, or my friends. In Bulgaria, Turks marry Turks. Roma marry Roma, and Bulgarians marry Bulgarians. Marrying outside the blood is talked about and frowned upon. My old sitemate wore a t-shirt with the Turkish emblem on it ater a trip to Istanbul and got dirty looks and comment – even though he had been respected as a Peace Corps volunteer in our community for over a year at that point! The longer you’re here, the more you notice things. Even in a town as integrated as Zavet, there are still the stores where Turks shop, and the ones where Bulgarians shop, and the same with cafes. Children generally don’t play with people outside of their groups, and many grow up speaking their own languages at home and start learning Bulgarian at school.
“European Deputies Elected in Turkey? No Thank You!” – Anti-Turkish Sentiment in One of the EU’s Newest Members.
One political party in particular, called Ataka (full name “National Union Attack”) has recently made some waves. They are a nationalist movement who want to expel the minorities (especially Turks, Roma, and Jews), make criticizing things “Bulgarian” illegal, and to create laws to punish “crimes” of betrayal against the Bulgarian nation. Ataka considers most of the politicians in power, and especially those who work closely with minorities “national traitors,” who would be prosecuted for being so if they had their way. As you can tell from the banner above, they don’t like the idea of Turkey joining the EU either.
In a way, I can almost understand all of this. The Ottoman Empire DID take away Bulgarian freedoms, but a lot of it is like that scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian: “All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” The fact is, is that while there were many atrocities (forced conversions to Islam, children taken to serve as janissaries, and simply the illegitimacy of government – but what government was legitimate back then?). But the fact of the matter is that Ottoman rule ended 100 years ago, and as horrible as individual acts of tyranny throughout the years were, Bulgaria developed faster as part of the large economic and political bloc that was the Ottoman empire.
Which brings me to this:
Ataka Poster
This poster says “Today would be like this if we weren’t the Bulgarian nation. Stop the Fezes and now!” This misconception of history goes way beyond what I was talking about about above. This isn’t focusing on one bit of history and ignoring the other. This is plainly revisionist. I mean, right, if it weren’t for the Bulgarians, then the Ottoman’s would have conquered Europe. Who might we be forgetting here… Hrmmm… Oh right! The Habsburb Monarchy and the Hungarians! Oh yeah, and things like the fact that the Bulgarians had long been conquered by the time the Ottoman Empire stopped expanding westward. Oh, and that the French were actually ALLIES during some of those wars, and that if anyone in Eastern Europe helped hold back the Ottomans it was the Austrians and Hungarians.
This particular poster is rather extreme, even for Ataka, but it is symptomatic of things here. Bulgarian education is a product of 50 years of the communists’ lies followed by democratic upheaval. Education in history is very Bulgarian-centric. World history and things like geography are tertiary concerns, and a lot of conceptions held now are more myth than anything. When your teachers are products of a communist education system to which truth was irrelevant, how does the cycle break?
What I feel is the greatest irony is that the most celebrated of all national heroes in Bulgaria, Vasil Levski, was a true democrat. He believed in a Bulgaria for all peoples, and envisioned equal rights in a democratic state for all peoples – Bulgarians, Turks, and Jews (my sources, however, are suspiciously silent on Levski’s thoughts on Roma). His image is iconic in Bulgaria, schools, roads, and football teams are named for him, and yet the idea he died fighting for is being betrayed by people who claim his legacy. The same with Gotze Delchev, another prominent figure, and others. It’s a tragedy that the images of these men of principle are tarnished by the vileness of ethnic hatred. It’s just so frustrating.
But like I said, I have hope. Most people here know Ataka and their ilk are holding the nation back. The stereo-type of an Ataka supporter is an angry old man who lives in the past and has no vision for the future. I have friends who are supporters of the liberal party here (as in free market liberal meaning not socialist). They are hopeful that democracy and liberty will work here, if given the chance. The cultural segregation here isn’t hatred. It’s just folks keeping to themselves because it’s more comfortable that way. The same way I have more white friends than black friends back home. I have more in common with those of a similar background to me. But there is hope. Another Bulgarian friend here in town is dating a Turkish girl. It’s spoken of, but they do it anyway. A new generation is moving the nation forward. The liberalization of information is also helping. Things like the internet, international news, and more freedom to travel are educating the people informally. Perhaps it is time for it to be morning in Bulgaria?
