“Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria” Exhibition – Bulgarian National Committee of ICOM

Dear colleagues,

Living heritage is those who practice it, it is the sustainability and knowledge transmitted from generation to generation – this is indicated on the UNESCO website dedicated to the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

In 2023, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2023) was marked. Today, its birthday is celebrated as World ICH Day.

Back in 2008, the International Organisation for Science and Culture began building a UNESCO Representative List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the same year, Bulgaria made its first inscription on it – the Bistrishkite Babi element, and the first session of Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria was implemented in the country as a pilot project. Today, the National System Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria is one of the two main Bulgarian cultural policies in the field of ICH. It was developed as an original project of Bulgarian experts under my leadership, jointly with the Ministry of Culture. Its holding throughout the country (every even year) leads to the inscription of elements in the National Representative List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

I have the pleasure of inviting you to the opening of the exhibition Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria (National Representative List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage), which presents the 44 elements of the ICH inscribed in the period 2008-2024.

The exhibition was realised with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture. It used materials stored in the National Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage, IEFEM-BAS. It is held with the kind hosting of RIM Sofia.

Together with me on the exhibition worked Dr. Milena Lyubenova and architect Mirella Kafkova.

Corresponding Member, Professor Mila Santova
Doctor of Art History