"And yet you live the same life, in the same house and in the same village, but you are already a changed person - your life is fuller, your days and evenings are more pleasant. The bread you eat becomes more enjoyable. "(Grandma of Dzhurkovo village, part of" Baba 2015 Residence ")
We need your support to help carry out the Baba 2017 Residence in two villages in the Gotse Delchev area.
Your support means giving at least ten young professionals a chance to spend a month in a depopulated Bulgarian village and dedicate their skills, knowledge and time to developing ideas that will help these villages.
What is Baba Residence?
The Baba Residence is an initiative of the Ideas Factory Association of Sofia, which connects young people from cities with adults from depopulated villages. The young people live for one month in the homes of adults. The initiative creates favorable conditions, relying on approaches such as design thinking and ethnographic research, in which young people and adults establish authentic exchanges of knowledge and care.
The "Residence" is a refuge that connects two distinct cultural and generational "islands" in Bulgaria, which are very colorful and different, but share the need for interaction with each other. So far, two editions of Baba Residence in 2015 and 2016 have included 27 youth from all over Bulgaria who lived in different villages in 7. In 2015 - in the villages of Dryanovo, Dzhurkovo, Manastir and Yugovo in the Middle Rhodopes, and in 2016 - in Kostalevo, Pavolche and Chelopek in the region of Vratsa.
How exactly does the initiative help preserve and rethink folklore?
The common mission of all residents is, first and foremost, to absorb every bit of local knowledge related to folklore, traditions and crafts, and at a deeper level, the invisible supporting structures of their world (small daily rituals, needs, beliefs, dreams and hopes). They document all this with audio recordings, photos, videos and diaries. We have support from the use of this material from our partners at the Angle Anthropology, Ethnology and Folklore Association.
Any results so far?
An important result of the interaction between residents and rural people is the new quality of human relationships - between generations, between urban and rural communities.
Some of the visible results achieved by residents are: studio recording of a song with songs from the Rhodope village of Dryanovo, cleared and marked eco-path in Dryanovo village, a new bell in the place of the stolen above the chapel "St. Virgin Mary in the village of Manastir, programming lessons for the children of the town of Lucky, the children's play "Igralo" with motifs of Bulgarian seamstresses, renovated roof of the church in the village of Yugovo, renovated oven in the village of Dzhurkovo, painted bus stops in the village of Pavolche , organized seats in Kostalevo and Pavolche villages, cleared tourist sites in Chelopek village.
Residents of "Baba 2016 Residence" are currently working on their own social and entrepreneurial ideas that will help the villages.
A dress is another treasure, originated from Denitsa resident, an educational platform that is inspired by the ability of women in the village of Dzhurkovo to knit jewelry and protective jewelry made of bruises.
That is why we need more residents in more Bulgarian villages!
The Baba Residence creates a space for hearing, exploring attitudes and views, sharing knowledge and crafts. The fabric of time is stretched because it is ready to absorb the points of contact, not the differences. And all that we would call part of the traditional world is an occasion for a real meeting.
Involving young people in the initiative enables us to create a solid network of solidarity, understanding and mutual assistance and to rethink our cultural heritage.
If you want to help gather a new group for the implementation of "Baba Residence 2017" in two villages in the area of Gotse Delchev you can do it HERE >>>
