Description (EN): The National System „Living Human Treasures“ is a programme initiated from UNESCO for safeguarding, preserving and transmission of the intangible cultural heritage in realization of Article 12 of the Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Bulgaria and Romania are members on the Convention and as such, they have the obligation to undertake measures for insurance of the identification on theirs Intangible Cultural Heritage, by means of creating and the regular renovation of one or several registers on the programme „Living Human Treasures“. The measures on which the nominated should respond to for „Living Human Treasures“ on both sides are one and the same. From 2008 when Bulgaria started in the programme in the representative list on the intangible cultural heritage, it has 25 enterings since. In Romania the programme started in 2009 and until now their representative on the intangible cultural heritage have 43 enterings. To a great extend „Living Human Treasures“ from the nationals lists in both countries are widely popularized and are made efforts for not only the transmission of their unique knowledge and skills, but for their entering as valuable resource for the increasement of the tourist potential. This however does not include the representatives on the regionals lists in Bulgaria and the nominated, but not included in the National list of Romania. Vidin fund “Chitalishta” gave support during the preparation of 11 applications and within this process we registered the lack of accessible information for that who are the registered in the regionals lists for living human treasures. Those candidatures are also bearers of incredibly valuable knowledges and skills, which from the one hand we are obliged to preserve and to create conditions for their transmission, and from the other hand - we can use as unique resource for the development of cultural tourism. The other problem which exists and is not less important, is that the same „Living Human Treasures“, no matter in which list are included national and regional, they do not have enough knowledge for the usage of their skills and for their turning into resource for the development of the tourism and the region.
The main objective of the project is to developed one huge resource, with which the cross - border region has - living human treasures and to create attractive, unique and firm tourist product. On the other hand this will contribute for the permanent preservation of the traditions, by means of bringing out on the foreground the care for the people, who personify them and their encouragement to continue to improve their knowledge and skills and to pass them on to the generations to come.
The project foresees to be accomplished in common inquiry and to be created a Joint Strategy for Safeguarding, Development and Popularization of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Vidin – Dolj cross – border region, for development of which there will be carried out four focus groups and two discussions . There will be created a common cross – border product – tourist route “Living human treasures of the cross – border region”, as there will be undertaken a number of measures for its wide popularization. There will be organized an info tour and it will be published a catalog for Living human treasures on the cross – border region. There will be developed and carried out a special studying cycle (generally six studying – three in Romania and three in Bulgaria with generally one hundred twenty participants) for the identified carries of intangible cultural heritage of the region, which it will has for objective to give them new knowledges and to develop in them skills, connected with the usage of the resource, which they have for creating, promotion and development of tourist product.
This project is relative to Priority Axis 2 – A Green Region, Specific Objective 2.1 – To improve the sustainable use of natural heritage and resources and cultural heritage. On the one hand it will contribute to the popularization of the unique Intangible cultural heritage, with which is rich the cross – border region and it will demonstrate the huge potential, which this heritage has as tourist resource. On the other hand the project will stimulate the local people and communities to take care and to undertake actions for the preservation of the Living human treasures and for insurance of transmission on their knowledges and skills. The product will stimulate the holders of the title themselves by giving them a deserved attention and popularize the efforts, which they make. Within the project there will be created six products: two festivals, movie, catalog, internet portal, and tourist tour. There will be made and one joint strategic document: Joint Strategy for Safeguarding, Development and Popularization of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Vidin – Dolj cross – border region.
All forseen activities within the project will be accomplished in the cross-border region and will give their contribution to the increasement in the number of the overnight stay in the region, which is main indicator for the result to Specific axis 2 on the Programme.
The conducting of the surveys, the studyings and the info tour within the project will give their contribution to the increasement of the values on this indicator, but most important one will have the two festivals of the Living human treasures of cross – border region. We all expect within the project the number of overnight stays to be increased with 700.
The indicative budget of the project is 165 00.00 €, as direct costs are foreseen for the conducting of the inquiry and the preparation of the strategic document, for the conducting of the two festivals (accommodation and feeding of the participants, rent stage and sound system, etc.), for the shooting of the movie, the making and spreading of the catalog, for the internet site. Costs are foreseen and for the holding of six studying – costs for experts, for transport, accommodation and feeding of the participants. Funds are foreseen for information and for the publicity of the project.
Read more Achievements (EN): The project implementation was finalized in January 2020. The final implementation report is yet to be submitted (deadline for submission in June 2020).
The most active and attractive holders of authentic culture in the 3 categories (dances, songs and cuisine) to take part in trainings, traveling festivals and cross-border fair later on in the project implementation were selected.
The project beneficiaries prepared the joint cross-border management plan for valorisation of authentic culture. 3 offers centered around existing cultural events were developed and presented via e-mail to tour operators for development of “ready for use” tourism products.
All three cross-border trainings in dancing, singing and gastronomy were organised in Montana, Vidin and Craiova. Authentic folklore costumes were handed over to the selected target group for their participation in the travelling festivals and Nationwide cross-border fair for authentic folklore.
The partner representatives and 7 dancers of Dancing club of village Barzia took part in the International cultural tourism fair in Veliko Tarnovo in period 18-20.04.2019 as part of the fair’s accompanying programme.
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Expected Outputs (EN): Within the project will be created 6 products: two festivals, film, catalog, internet portal and tourist tour.
The festivals which will be organized will be devoted to the identified within the survey, as well as those who are nominated in the regional lists bearers of the title “Living human treasures”. One of them will be held in Vidin and the other in Cetate. Each of them will be with 3 days duration and will include minimum 30 participants (bulgarian and romanian; group and individual). Within those festivals, the participants will be able to represent and to popularize their knowledge and skills and to receive public recognition for the efforts, which they made. The festivals will be included in the cultural calendars of the two municipalities, which will guarantee their stability.
On base of the done survey it will be created a film (30 minutes) and will be compiled a catalog of Living human treasures in the cross - border region. The survey will be conducted in all 15 districts in the cross-border region, as for his accomplishment will be rented external experts. They will represent separate carriers, as well as the developed tourist tour. The tour will be composed after passing the studying cycle, jointly/together with all the participants in them. He will be promoted and trough the organization of info tour for representatives of tour operator firms, media and etc. key figures in the field of tourism of the region. The internet portal will also represent the carriers of Living human treasures under placements and will popularize their skills and uniqueness.
Within the project it will be developed and one common strategic document: Joint Strategy for Safeguarding, Development and Popularization of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Vidin – Dolj cross – border region. For the development of the strategy will serve the results from the done survey, as well as the results from the conducted 4 focus groups and two discussions, with participants who are key to safeguarding, development and the usage of the intangible cultural heritage as valuable tourist resource.
All forseen activities within the project will be accomplished in the cross-border region and will give their contribution to the increasement in the number of the overnight stay in the region, which is main indicator for the result to Specific axis 2 on the Programme.
The conducting of the surveys, the studyings and the info tour within the project will give their contribution to the increasement of the values on this indicator, but most important one will have the two festivals of the Living human treasures of cross – border region. We all expect within the project the number of overnight stays to be increased with 700. The effect on this indicator of the developed tourist tour will be seen after the completion of the project, but with a view of the sustainability of the festivals (their inclusion in the cultural calendars of both districts) and the wide measures for its popularization, which are foreseen within the project, we can plan an increasement with around 10 percent for every year, which means that the contribution of the project until the year of 2020 on this indicator will be more than 2200 number of overnight stays.
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