The document outlines the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO convention in Bulgaria, detailing the establishment of a national council and inventory systems for intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Key activities include educational programs, media campaigns, and the nomination of cultural elements for UNESCO's lists, emphasizing the importance of community engagement and sustainable tourism. It also identifies challenges such as inventory management, transmission of culture, and the need for continued capacity building.

1. Implementation of the 2003 Convention of
UNESCO in Bulgaria
Nikolai Vukov
Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic
Museum (IEFSEM) – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Seventh Annual Regional meeting on Intangible Cultural Heritage
“New strategies for sustainable development, tourism and partnership”
Sofia, Bulgaria, 27-28 May 2013

2. General policies
 National Council of Intangible Cultural Heritage –
at the Ministry of Culture
 National System “Living Human Treasures”
 National Center for ICH at the Institute of Folklore
Studies with Ethnographic Museum (IEFSEM) at
the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
 Partnership between institutions
 Regional Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in
Sofia

3. 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, analythical texts
 2005 – “Bistritsa Grannies – Archaic Poliphony,
Dance and Practices from the Shoplouk region”
 2009 – “Nestinarstvo – Messages from the Past”
 The creation of an archival fund of ICH
 The procedure of proposing and selecting
nominations

4. Legislation
 The new Law of Cultural Heritage (February 2009) –
substituted the Law for monuments of culture and
museums (1969)
 It introduced new categories of cultural heritage:
“intangible and material moveable and immoveable
heritage as a set of cultural values that bear historical
memory, national identity and have scholarly or cultural
value” (article 2)
 The expanded range of objects considered as cultural
heritage – intangible, industrial, underwater, audiovisual
heritage, cultural landscape, etc.
 Experts from IEFSEM – BAS developed the text on ICH
 The need of steps for legislative improvement

5. Inventorying ICH
 National Inventory: Traditional holidays and rituals; Traditional
singing and dancing; Traditional narration; Traditional crafts
and household activities; Traditional medicine
 Regional Inventory – by the 28 administrative regions;
 Prospects:
- Further expanding the inventorying of certain realms of
traditional culture;
- The need to work more on inventories’ updating;
- Elements in need of urgent safeguarding;
- The on-going process of awareness raising;
- Digitalization

6. Consultative bodies and networks
 The National Expert Council of ICH;
 The Expert Council of IEFSEM;
 The National Center of ICH at IEFSEM;
 Regional Cultural and Information Centers;
 Regional governments;
 The network of the cultural centers (chitalishta)
and museums;
 Regional forums (fairs, festivals, overviews of
folklore and regional traditions)

7. Main activities for safeguarding ICH
 Measures taken for awareness raising
 Educational programmes;
 Media campaigns;
 Activities organized by the Regional Center in
Sofia for the Safeguarding of ICH in
Southeastern Europe;
 Six new nominations for UNESCO’s
Representative List and Register of Best
Safeguarding Practices

8. Bulgaria’s nominations for 2013
For the Representative List:
 The Folk Feast Surova in 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

9. Benefits of the nomination process
 accummulation and utilization of expert potential;
 strengthening of productive expert capacity;
 training and development of key competencies;
 continuing collaboration between IEFSEM and
the Ministry of Culture;
 active partnership with communities in preparing
the nominations;
 enhanced collaboration with the Regional Center

10. Opportunities and challenges
 National inventory policies
 The management of sustainable cultural
tourism
 The involvement of local communities,
community centered safeguarding
 The issue of transmission
 The transnational dimension of ICH
 Training and capacity building