Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje
Encyclopedia
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
established on 4 May 2008, and registered on 22 May 2008. Its executive board is chaired by Lazar Mladenov. The organization has local branches in Štip
Štip
Štip is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the Štip municipality alone had a population of about 47,796...
, Bitola
Bitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
, and other cities.
Mission
The Club’s mission is to foster changes and awareness in the Republic of Macedonia about the necessity for bringing closer of, and inter-cultural tolerance between the cultureCulture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s of the neighbouring countries: Republic of Bulgaria and Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
Activities
Representatives of the Club took part in a public debate on the integration of ethnic minority communities held in StrumicaStrumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...
, gathered and publicized data on some burial locations and graves of Bulgarian militaries
Military of Bulgaria
The Military of Bulgaria, officially the Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Commander-in-Chief is the President of Bulgaria . The Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff,...
killed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on the territory of the present Republic of Macedonia. The organization is campaigning for the protection and restoration of the Bulgarian cultural monuments in the Republic of Macedonia. The Club took position on the issue of naming dispute
Macedonia naming dispute
A diplomatic dispute over the use of the name Macedonia has been an ongoing issue in the bilateral relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia since the latter became independent from former Yugoslavia in 1991...
with Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, human rights issues related to Macedonian Bulgarians, and on the issue of a controversial encyclopedia published in 2009 by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most eminent academic institution in the Republic of Macedonia.-History:The Academy of Sciences and Arts was established by the Macedonian Assembly on 22 February 1967 as the highest scientific, scholarly and artistic institution in the country...
(MANU).
The Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje has published reports on the ongoing human rights violations and intolerance towards citizens of Bulgarian ethnicity in the context of European and Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia, including the ethnic-based harassment of Club activists such as Miroslav Rizinski and Mile Yovanoski.
The Club proposed to the Mayor of Ohrid the erection of a monument commemorating the 2009 Lake Ohrid boat accident
2009 Lake Ohrid boat accident
On 5 September 2009, the Ilinden sightseeing boat with a group of 57 foreign tourists on board, of which 55 were Bulgarian, sank in Lake Ohrid, southwestern Republic of Macedonia. 15 lives were lost. The sinking of the Ilinden was the deadliest boat accident in the history of the Republic of...
in which 15 Bulgarian tourists were killed with many more saved by nearby vessels.
The Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje took also a position on the "insufficient care for the Bulgarian science, research and innovation," and controversial intentions of the Bulgarian government perceived as a step towards the closure of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...
.
The Club has announced that they may invite the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
to restore its Macedonian Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in service to the Bulgarians in the Republic of Macedonia.
See also
- Macedonians (Bulgarians)Macedonians (Bulgarians)Macedonians or Macedonian Bulgarians , sometimes also referred to as Macedono-Bulgarians or Macedo-Bulgarians is a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or originating from Macedonia...
- Bulgarians in the Republic of MacedoniaBulgarians in the Republic of MacedoniaBulgarians are a non-recognised ethnic minority in the Republic of Macedonia. Bulgarians are mostly found in the Strumica area, but over the years, the absolute majority of southwestern Republic of Macedonia have declared themselves Macedonian...
- Radko AssociationRadko AssociationThe Radko Association is a political organization of citizens of the Republic of Macedonia with a Bulgarian national consciousness. Founded in 2000 and based in Ohrid, the association was named after Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization leader Ivan Mihailov's most popular pseudonym...
External links
- Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje. Website (in Macedonian)
- State Agency For Bulgarians Abroad. Website. (in Bulgarian)
- Bulgarian Cultural Club. Koritarov Online, 11 August 2009. (in Bulgarian)