By Angelina Vladikova, Chair, “Bridges – Jap European Discussion board for Dialogue” NGO
26-29.09.2024 – interfaith weekend in Yakoruda, Bulgaria
On the event of the United Nations Worldwide Day of Peace on 21 September, the affiliation “Bridges – Jap European Discussion board for Dialogue” held a three-day interfaith weekend in Yakoruda.
From 26 to 29 September 2024, Lodge Helier was house to a bunch of 42 contributors from 16 totally different locations, belonging to 4 non secular traditions – Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Muslims and Protestants.
“Seeding the Peace.BG” was a continuation of United Religions Initiative Europe‘s interfaith camp held in August in The Hague, resonating with this 12 months’s UN Day of Peace theme: Cultivating a Tradition of Peace. The format was absolutely funded by the Bridges Affiliation, because of profitable the primary Prize of King Abdullah II of Jordan Award for Interfaith Concord, in competitors with 1186 occasions from all over the world held within the framework of the UN Week of Tolerance (WIHW).
“Nestos Youth Initiatives” Affiliation had been our companions and hosts in Yakoruda.
Day 1 – Opening, weekend goals and ice breaking
Throughout the first day of the interreligious weekend, the official friends of the opening ceremony had been the Archpriest of the Razlog Diocese, Fr. Danail from Yakoruda, Pastor Traycho Stefanov from the Evangelical Church of St. John in Sofia. The Regional Mufti of Blagoevgrad Osman Kutrev and the Secretary of the Muftiate weren’t solely among the many dignitaries, however they themselves participated within the youth discussion board. Among the many friends had been additionally representatives of the native authorities in Yakoruda and Belitsa – dep. Mrs. Osman and Mrs. Tabakova, in addition to principals of faculties within the area.
Chair of BRIDGES opened the discussion board and welcomed the friends and contributors “to this totally different occasion, which is extraordinarily vital for us and we consider that with it we are going to open a brand new chapter within the interreligious and intercultural dialogue in Bulgaria, with the assistance and energetic participation of all of you. It’s an honour to be collectively, to stroll on the bridge of friendship, regardless of our variations and actually due to them. Thanks on your willingness to not let our variations stand in the lifestyle and dealing collectively for a greater world.”
The targets of the interfaith weekend had been outlined, in addition to the organizers’ thought of making a sustainable construction, strengthening partnerships and planning future initiatives on a nationwide scale. Yakoruda was chosen to be the house of Seeding the Peace.BG for a purpose, it marked our long-standing partnership and friendship with Hatidje Djurina, the President of the “Youth Initiatives Nestos” Affiliation.
She mentioned that the area people is welcoming, prepared for such initiatives and joyful to host us.
After the official opening, youth leaders Silvia Trifonova and Ahmed Gorelski took the baton. With ice-breaking video games the contributors received to know one another and learnt their names. Then they divided into 3 working teams to work on particular subjects for the following three days.
Within the night, the group was joined by particular visitor HRH Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha the guardian of the Bulgarian crown.
Day 2 – Eco-justice and assembly with non secular leaders in Yakoruda
The second day of the interfaith weekend “Seeding the Peace” supplied vibrant actions wherein contributors gave their bid for a greater future – one wherein man lives in peace together with his neighbour in addition to in peace together with his earthly house.
The 6 younger contributors from Bulgaria on the URI Europe camp in The Hague gave an thrilling presentation about their summer season expertise, which generated beneficial friendships and unforgettable feelings. Every of them shared what that they had discovered and skilled with the opposite contributors from the Netherlands, Belgium and Albania.
With a faculty bus from the municipality, the group headed to town for conferences with the leaders of the 2 non secular communities in the neighborhood – Muslims and Orthodox Christians. On the mosque in Yakoruda, the friends had been warmly welcomed by the Regional Mufti of Blagoevgrad, Osman Kutrev, in addition to by his deputy within the city and the Imam of the native mosque.
Instantly afterwards Fr. Danail welcomed the group on the St. St. Cyril and Methodius” and shared highlights from the centuries-old historical past of interreligious coexistence in the neighborhood.
The phrases of every of the non secular leaders overlapped as an affidavit to the honest spirit of fine neighborliness and tolerance of the individuals within the space.
A relentless companion within the stroll was HRH Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, whose ancestors, it turned clear, had left their non secular and materials mark on the neighborhood. We discovered that even the primary road of Yakoruda bears the title “Tsar Boris III”.
After lunch HRH Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha informed us about his deep household reference to Jordan, in addition to in regards to the mission marking the areas of the Holy Scriptures within the nation, the cradle of Christianity. A temporal, spatial and cultural bridge.
Seen from above, the world has no borders. The chook’s-eye view removes distinctions – between international locations, cultures, individuals, religions… That is what one may assume because the Prince steers a drone excessive within the clouds above Yakoruda in the way in which he captured the panorama of the holy websites in Jordan a 12 months earlier.
The second half of the day was devoted to the ecological values that underpin our existence. Eco-justice and our footprint on the atmosphere, the conservation of water sources and the duty we every have. Youth leaders Silvia Trifonova and Ahmed Gorelski illustrated the concept of pure steadiness with a collection of enjoyable video games, culminating within the planting of a tree (acacia) of peace and hope. Every participant “planted” symbolically across the tree a wood coronary heart with wild flower seeds, on which they wrote their message of peace.
The BRIDGES crew and companions from Tervel and Aytos outlined short-term targets and future plans, constructing golf equipment within the nation and nationwide conferences.
Day 3 – Partnerships, journey to Razlog, cultural night
On the third day of “Seeding the Peace”, the Holocaust and the “Jewish Query and Bulgarian Cinema” discovered a spot within the morning classes. Dr. Peter Gramatikov, Bridges board member and former URI Europe World Trustee, shared briefly in regards to the Holocaust and the tasks applied throughout the previous few years with the assist of Olga Lenguel Institute (TOLI). An attention-grabbing presentation on “The Jewish Query and Bulgarian Cinema” was given by youth facilitator Biserka Gramatikova. The session offered a movie retrospective devoted to one of many darkest pages in human historical past, which for a variety of causes brings us Bulgarians one of many brightest examples of tolerance and unity round a humane trigger.
Instantly afterwards, every of the three teams set to work actively on their themes and creating conceptual tasks.
At midday, the complete group of 42 boarded the attraction’s slim gauge practice to Razlog. Throughout the journey, everybody loved the extremely picturesque mountain landscapes.
In Razlog we had been welcomed on the practice station by Kostadinka Todorova and the coordinating crew of the Anna Lindh Basis for Bulgaria and Affiliation “Worldwide Cooperation Initiatives”. They confirmed us the sights of the city and handled us with typical regional dishes.
Much more outstanding was the expertise within the workplace of the group, the place, in response to an outdated Bulgarian customized, we had been welcomed with geraniums and selfmade banitsa – zelnik. We had been shocked with a wealthy cultural program offered by the folklore group “Dobarskite babi” , which is included within the nationwide listing of dwelling human treasures. They greeted the group with a number of folks songs from the area. Particularly for HRH Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha a singular wedding ceremony ceremony was offered.
Together with this shock, we had the chance to listen to from Kostadinka about Anna Lindh’s mission and work globally and nationally. They devoted time to introduce mission and philosophy of the Anna Lindh Basis and the Bulgarian Anna Lindh Community of which Affiliation “Worldwide Initiatives for Cooperation” is the coordinator, and Bridges – Jap European Discussion board for Dialogue is one among our energetic members. We had an opportunity additionally to debate subsequent steps in our partnership and particularly within the realization of a conceptual mission, the “Peace Pallete” Meeting which goals to advertise intercultural cooperation within the Mediterranean and sow peace and understanding between totally different nations, religions, ethnicities… This mission can carry collectively the potential and competencies of BRIDGES, Anna Lindh and URI networks.
We took the narrow-gauge again to Yakoruda, the place the cultural programme ready by our gifted contributors was the spotlight of the day. Music, poetry and theatrical interpretations fantastically interwoven in this system. Undoubtedly the icing on the cake had been Agleya Kaneva and Boris Petkov, who ended the live performance with jazz interpretations and songwriting.
Day 4 – Presentation of outcomes, future plans, certificates.
Day 4 of the Interfaith Weekend “Seeding the Peace” was a time for reflection, a closing session and an emotional farewell between the youth and the organizers.
HRH Prince Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha offered all of the younger contributors with certificates for his or her energetic contribution to the realisation of the occasion and to the institution of a spiritual and cultural dialogue with the native communities. He himself obtained a certificates of appreciation from the Bridges Affiliation for his contribution and assist to the trigger and the format.
The three youth groups offered the thematic tasks that they had been creating over the three earlier days. United by the motto “Seeding the Peace”, the contributors developed intimately three ideas: a youth camp, a live performance and a world peace meeting with the working title “Palette of Peace”. Throughout the presentation we noticed many enjoyable surprises, inventive concepts, large-scale programmes, which we began to dream about collectively.
The weekend ended with an thrilling trade of symbolic presents throughout which everybody revealed their “secret good friend”. As anticipated, the sport solely confirmed the true friendship between the contributors.
Earlier than leaving, every attendee left their mark on the colourful peace tree painted by Dilek and Eileen and obtained a seed bracelet to plant of their house.
