SESSION 1 Eighth Annual Meeting of the South East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage 15-16 May 2014. Limassol, Cyprus Author: Tanya Boneva, Sofia University Department of Ethnology and National Council for Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture DISCLAIMER The ideas and opinions expressed in the above presentations are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the documents do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city of area or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

1. Implementation of the 2003 UNESCO
Convention in Bulgaria. The
transmission of ICH through
education
Tanya Boneva
Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”,Department of Ethnology, Faculty of History
Eight Annual Meeting of the South East European Experts Network on Intangible
Cultural Heritage
“Education and intangible cultural heritage
Experiences,good practicies,lessons learned”
Limassol , Cyprus, 15-16 May 2014

2. General policies
 The Bulgarian Government signed the ICH
convention in 2006. Its implementation is
managed by the Foreign Ministry and the
Ministry of Culture.
 In the new law on Cultural heritage(2009) a
specific part is dedicated to ICH. Its texts
are developed by experts from IF, BAS in
2009.

3. General policies
 National Council of ICH at the Ministry of
Culture (2011)
 National “Living Human Treasures” system
 National center for ICH-IEFSEM
 Regional Network of Experts from South
Eastern Europe
 Regional center for Intangible Cultural
Heritage in Sofia

4. Living Human Treasures
 LHT – Bulgaria. Inventory of activities – the
Institute of Folklore and the Ministry of Culture
(since 2001, handed officially in 2002);
 Questionnaire
 Inventory, methodical guidelines, analytical texts
 The creation of an archival fund of ICH
 The procedure of proposing and selecting
nominations
 2005 – “Bistritsa Grannies – Archaic Poliphony,
Dance and Practices from the Shoplouk region”
 2009 – “Nestinarstvo – Messages from the Past”

5. Living Human Treasures -
Results
 Outlining the characteristics for Bulgarian traditional knowledge,
activities, technologies and practices.
 Defining criteria for identification ICH
 Questionnaire, instructions, criteria definitions development,
questionnaire computer proceeding training seminars
proceeding; expert evaluation of the data;
 Consultation and interaction with state institutions;
 Preparing and publishing “LHT – Bulgaria. Inventory of
Activities” in Bulgarian and English (2004)
 The creation of Archival fund of ICH at IF at BAS
 The procedure of proposing and selecting nominations

6. Inventorying ICH
 Traditional holidays and rituals; Traditional singing and
dancing; Traditional narrativrs; Traditional crafts and
household activities; Traditional medicine
 Regional inventory – by the 28 administrative regions
 The aim of the inventory is to include the living heritage
found in the field, together with the memory of the ICH,
found in written or oral sources. The result is an
impressive database of ICH.
 Inventory updating. Future work is necessary to include
the processes of ICH evolution, reconstruction and
invention of traditions

7. Inventorying -prospects
 Inventory updating. Future work to include the
processes of ICH evolution, reconstruction, re-
interpretation and invention of traditions
 Elements in need of urgent safeguarding
 Ongoing process of awareness-raising
 Educational institutions to include inventorying
of CH and ICH in their programs.

8. Digitalization
 The need for digitalization measures through
seminars, projects, archive digitalization at central
and local levels.
 New initiatives for digitalization:
 Education in ICH digitalization at primary,
secondary school and universities;
 Transmission of ICH in the family, kinship and
local groups: digitalization of the process focused
on its non verbal characteristics.

9. Consultative bodies
The National Expert Council on ICH
The Expert Council of IEFSEM
The National Center of ICH at IEFSEM
Regional Cultural and Information Centers
Regional governments

10. Bulgaria’s nominations
for 2013
 For the Representative List:
 The Surova Folk Feast in the Pernik Region;
 Visoko multipart singing from Dolen and Satovcha;
 Chiprovtsi Carpets;
 Nedelino Two-part Singing;
For the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices:
 The Festival of Folklore in Koprivshtitsa;
 The Bulgarian Chitalishte