Media and Community Builders was the topic of the third discussion panel on the second day of the 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media, organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on October 19 and 20 in Budapest and Esztergom, Hungary. The panel discussions on October 20 took place at the headquarters of the Bulgarian Republican Self-Government in the Hungarian capital.
The panel was moderated by Svetla Kyoseva, editor-in-chief of the Hungarian magazine Hemus. Participants included Dr Diana Miteva, chief assistant professor at the University of Agribusiness and Rural Development in Plovdiv; Gabriela Hadzhikostova, editor-in-chief of Bulgarski Vesti in Hungary; Diana Glasnova, editor-in-chief of Rodna Rech in Croatia; Desislav Payakov, co-founder of the Austrian health and culture website Sanus et Salvus; Petar Stamatov, editor-in-chief of the US-based Bulgarian media portal Eurochicago; Zhivka Milova, editor-in-chief of the BG Factor website in Cyprus; Diana Uzunova, co-founder of the Bulgarian Hub Eindhoven portal in the Netherlands; and Milen Mitev, Director General of Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
Kyoseva said that the people who had laid the foundations of an organised Bulgarian community in Hungary had given it such a strong impetus and left such a lasting mark that its development differed significantly from that of similar Bulgarian communities in neighbouring countries.
Miteva presented a paper examining the history and development of Bulgarian market gardening abroad. She traced the role of Bulgarian migrant gardeners in establishing Bulgarian communities in Central Europe and shaping their social and cultural life.
Gabriela Hadzhikostova said that the Bulgarian community in Hungary rested on solid foundations laid by previous generations, who, despite their hard work, had recognized the importance of spiritual and cultural development and contributed their own funds to build a church and a cultural centre. Today, efforts are focused on preserving the Bulgarian language and culture and educating the next generation.
Diana Glasnova recalled that, when efforts began to trace the descendants of Bulgarian market gardeners in Zagreb, none of them spoke Bulgarian. The search had to start from scratch, she said. The need for these descendants to learn more about their family origins was one of the reasons behind the launch of the bilingual magazine Rodna Rech in 2003. Glasnova explained that the publication was also in Croatian so that people who had been unable to learn Bulgarian could still discover their homeland and learn about their ancestors.
Desislav Payakov called on Bulgarian media outlets in Austria to cooperate more actively and organise joint cultural initiatives to bring the Bulgarian community together. He argued that the internet was changing how people communicated and consumed information, increasingly turning communities into isolated individuals with fewer shared experiences. Online content was becoming more uniform and, although it captured users’ attention, it was also weakening their sense of belonging, he said.
Petar Stamatov said that the emergence of community leaders and media required ideas, a community, joint action and funding. He backed the proposal, raised at the forum by Rayna Mandzhukova, to establish an association of Bulgarian media abroad, saying it could improve coordination among editorial teams and help them represent their interests collectively before institutions.
Zhivka Milova stressed the need to distinguish between Bulgarian migrant communities that receive support from local authorities, as in Hungary and some other countries, and those whose activities depend almost entirely on increasingly limited enthusiasm.
Diana Uzunova highlighted the role of contemporary Bulgarian writers in inspiring and sustaining communities. Through their literature, she said, they encourage Bulgarians around the world to reconsider the past and present and reflect on issues that concern them. She noted that contemporary Bulgarian literature remained insufficiently accessible and visible in the Netherlands. Alongside concerts and theatre performances, she called for more coordinated initiatives bringing Bulgarian authors together with their compatriots abroad, including with support from state institutions.
Milen Mitev also addressed the role of media and community leaders, arguing that society needed people who could inspire and awaken public awareness. While the media should report on the work of figures in education, science, culture and volunteering, he said, they could also fulfil that role themselves and become modern-day sources of inspiration for their communities.
BTA is organizing the 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Hungary with the support of DSK Bank, OTP Group, Aurubis Bulgaria, A1, SOF Connect – the operator of Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, Geotechmin, Postbank and the 13 Centuries Bulgaria National Endowment Fund. The forum brings together participants from 25 countries, both in person and online.
Media and Community Builders Discuss Role of Bulgarian Media Abroad at World Meeting in Hungary THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-20 18:55:00
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