Further to an earlier entry, in which I mention that Internet is now widely available in Bulgaria, although Internet services are still quite restricted to our region, we've had a recent rise in music events. The Rhodope Mountains (a mountain range in south Bulgaria) being the birth place of Orpheus, a legendary figure of Greek mythology known as "the father of songs," this shouldn't be surprising. The 80s were the golden age of communism and we enjoyed a cultural boom, which came to a hault in the following decade. With the rise of the "velvet revolution" in the 90s, and the still unstable economic and political life at the start of the 21st century, Bulgarians had felt disillusioned in their cultural, artistic and musical heritage.
Of course, this is all a matter of opinion, we were strong enough to see through a revolution and survive long-term internal conflict of several neighbouring countries. There was a strong local music and artistic scene, but very much closed to external influence. It's fair to say there was no recognition abroad.
The last couple of years have been good times of relative peace and moderate economic stability. Bulgaria and neighbouring Romania have been welcomed to the European Union, reluctantly, through a difficult transition; a Titanic which we can only hope will stay afloat. Time will tell.
For the time being we're enjoying a hot summer, and bands and DJs have come to play from "the core" and "the outskirts" of the EU, even as far as the utopic shores of North America. We have been blessed, as they say. It's nice and quite nostalgic, to live in these times, and listen to music live, which back in the day you knew you had to travel to. All worthwhile, it's a world full of art and music, hungry minds and hearts.
Although recognition of local art is still pending. I shall remember these times with a cultural wealth long-overdue.
No comments:
Post a Comment