Evgenia Tarleva: The Banat Bulgarians, in the village of Dudeștii Vechi, not only preserve their traditions but also lead a dynamic life!

Vladimir Mitev

Summary of the interview with Evgenia Tarleva

Profile of Evgenia Tarleva

• Background and education: Born in 1989 in the village of Cairaclia (a historic Bulgarian community in Bessarabia). She graduated from the “Vasil Levski” Bulgarian Theoretical High School in Chișinău, holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from the State University of Moldova, as well as a specialization from “St. Kliment Ohridski” University in Sofia.
• Activities: Cultural manager, social activist, and mother of four children. For over 10 years, she has been working to preserve the Bulgarian ethnic heritage in Bessarabia.
• Project within Culture Moves Europe (2026): Selected to participate in an EU mobility program, through which she will carry out a research project in late May 2026 in the village of Dudeștii Vechi, in the Romanian Banat region. The goal is to study the cultural management and legal frameworks of the Bulgarians in Banat for a future transfer of best practices to Moldova.

Impressions from the visit to Dudeștii Vechi (Banat)

• A dynamic community: The Bulgarians in Banat not only preserve their 300-year history but also lead dynamic and modern lives.
• Successful institutional interaction: There is an excellent partnership between municipal institutions (the “Iaru Ronkov” Cultural Center and the “Carol Telbizov” Cultural Center) and civil society (the Union of Bulgarians in Banat).
• “Living” culture: The “U babne” (At Grandma’s) ethnic space functions as a “living museum,” where people gather to engage in authentic conversation, celebrate, and sing folk songs, rather than simply admiring exhibits in display cases.

Relations and Differences Between the Bulgarians of Bessarabia and Those of Banat

• Historical and Cultural Differences:
  • The Bulgarians of Banat are Catholic, using a specific Latin script and the Banat dialect.
  • The Bulgarians of Bessarabia are Orthodox and were raised using the Cyrillic alphabet.
• Models of state support:
  • In Moldova: Support relies primarily on foreign diplomacy, patronage, and the active participation of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria. Funding comes mainly from Bulgaria or private individuals, due to Moldova’s economic restrictions.
  • In Romania: A model of stable internal integration. The state guarantees a seat in parliament for the Bulgarian minority, and the Union of Bulgarians in Banat receives direct budgetary funding.
• The EU’s role: European programs such as Culture Moves Europe help highlight historical ties at the systemic level and implement functional models for preserving identity.

European Integration and Southern Moldova

• Priorities of the local population: The people of southern Moldova (Bulgarians and Gagauz) value peace, stability, mutual respect, and economic well-being above all else.
• The European cultural space: EU mobility programs serve as a bridge for development, helping cultural actors exchange professional experiences and feel that their communities are a valuable part of the greater European family.

Integration into the Romanian-speaking environment

• An opportunity, not isolation: Knowledge of the official language is essential for social and professional fulfillment. The days of isolated minorities are over.
• The example from Moldova: The “Ion Creangă” State Pedagogical University trains specialists with a dual major—“Romanian and Bulgarian Language and Literature.”
• The example from Banat: The Bulgarians of Dudeștii Vechi successfully combine Romanian with their local dialect, while 341 students learn Standard Bulgarian using the Cyrillic alphabet at the local school, maintaining ties with Bulgaria and Moldova.

Interview

Introduction

Evgenia Tarleva is a cultural manager and social activist from the Republic of Moldova. For over 10 years, she has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the Bulgarian ethnic heritage in Bessarabia.

She was born in 1989 in the historic Bulgarian community of the village of Cairaclia. She graduated from the “Vasil Levski” Bulgarian Theoretical High School in Chișinău, after which she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from the State University of Moldova, as well as a postgraduate specialization at St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia. She is the mother of four children and successfully combines her professional experience in the cultural, educational, and legal fields with community projects.

In 2026, she was selected to participate in the European Union’s prestigious “Culture Moves Europe” mobility program, during which she carried out a research project focused on transferring best practices from the Bulgarian communities in Banat, Romania, to the Republic of Moldova.

The Project

Ms. Tarleva, what took place as part of this project? How did your experience communicating with the people of Banat enrich you?

My visit to Star Beșenov (Dudeștii Vechi in Romanian) at the end of May 2026 took place as part of the European mobility program Culture Moves Europe.

The main objective was to study the institutional experience, legal frameworks, and cultural management of the Bulgarians in Banat, with a view to a future transfer of best practices to our communities in Moldova. My visit coincided with the Feast Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, celebrating the Bulgarian alphabet, education, and culture, which gave the project a strong start, both emotionally and practically.

My time there was an immensely enriching experience. I had the opportunity to see how a community that has endured nearly 300 years of historical challenges not only preserves its memory but also thrives dynamically. I saw how community institutions (such as the “Iaku Ronkov” Cultural Center and the “Karol Telbizov” Cultural Center, funded by the city government) and civil society—represented by the Union of Bulgarians in Banat (with its extensive network)—interact seamlessly. For me, it was a source of inspiration to experience the ethnic space “U babne” (At Grandma’s)—a “living museum,” where people gather not to look at exhibits in display cases, but to socialize, celebrate, and sing folk songs together. This is pure, authentic cultural energy. I was deeply inspired by the open and warm attitude with which the people welcomed me! The host organization, represented by the Bulgarian Society, offered me an extremely hospitable and fruitful welcome!

The Ties Between Bulgarians in Bessarabia and Those in Banat

You are part of the Bulgarian community in Bessarabia and have visited the Bulgarians in Banat. How strong are the ties between the two communities? To what extent do these ties develop naturally, and to what extent do the states contribute to them?

The ties between our two communities have a history of their own. Our institutional relationship began years ago in Varna, during the World Parliament of Bulgarians, where our organizations first found common ground. Since then, we have maintained contact, though not as intensely as we would like. On a personal level, ties form very naturally—through interactions between certain cultural figures, researchers, and journalists who share the common cause of preserving Bulgarian identity.

The two communities are very different in terms of their historical destinies—the Bulgarians of Banat are Catholic and have used their own specific Latin script and the Banat dialect for centuries, while we, the Bulgarians of Bessarabia, are Orthodox and grew up using the Cyrillic alphabet. These differences, however, enrich us and strengthen our mutual interest.

As far as state support is concerned, I have discovered a very interesting systemic difference here. In Moldova, the model for supporting Bulgarian culture relies largely on foreign diplomacy and private patronage. The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria is extremely active; the ambassador regularly visits our villages, schools, and celebrations, and funding comes mainly from Bulgaria or from individuals and private companies. State support from Moldova is more limited due to economic factors. In Romania, we have seen a model of stable internal integration, in which the state guarantees Bulgarians a seat in Parliament, and the Union of Bulgarians in Banat receives direct budgetary funding for its cultural centers and museums.

This is precisely where European mobility programs such as Culture Moves Europe come into play. Through such projects, we can elevate these historical ties to a new, much more effective level. They offer us the opportunity to move from sporadic meetings to systematic cooperation, to the exchange of expertise in cultural management, and to the implementation of functional European models for preserving identity.

The EU, Bulgarians, and Gagauz

The Republic of Moldova is pursuing an active EU accession policy. How is this policy perceived within the Bulgarian and Gagauz communities in southern Moldova? Do Bulgarians in Bessarabia feel more European, given that they can participate in such cultural exchanges?

I work exclusively in the fields of cultural management and education, so I do not engage in political assessments and do not represent people’s political views. I can say, however, that in our regions in southern Moldova, people value peace, mutual respect, stability, and economic well-being above all else. Everyone wants a better future for their children, modern schools, and opportunities for development.

Mobility programs such as Culture Moves Europe, funded by the European Union, demonstrate how culture can serve as a bridge to such development. When a cultural manager or researcher has the opportunity to travel, to see how communities in other countries function, how schools and kindergartens are being modernized in places like Dudeștii Vechi, and how traditions and culture are respected, it is a valuable professional experience. These exchanges help us feel part of a larger European cultural space, where every identity matters and is respected.

The Romanian-speaking environment

One thing the Bulgarians of Bessarabia and those of Banat have in common is that they live in a Romanian-speaking environment. To what extent does this represent a chance for more opportunities, and to what extent does it push them toward isolation?

The Romanian-speaking environment represents, for us in Moldova and for the Bulgarians in Romania, an immense opportunity and a real advantage. The days when ethnic minorities lived in isolation are a thing of the past. Today, isolation only serves to limit the opportunities of the younger generation.

Knowledge of the official language is the key to social and professional success. In Moldova, we have an excellent example of this—at the “Ion Creangă” State Pedagogical University, there is a special department of philology that trains specialists with a dual major: “Romanian and Bulgarian Language and Literature.” This shows that the state and the community are working hand in hand to build bridges between languages.

For the Bulgarians in Banat, Romania, language is also a completely natural means of integration. For example, at the festival in Dudeștii Vechi, the band “Teo Band” performed songs in both the local Bulgarian dialect and Romanian, and all the guests danced the traditional “hor” together. Furthermore, the fact that 341 students are currently learning Standard Bulgarian using the Cyrillic alphabet at the local school in Dudeștii Vechi shows how they manage to strike a balance: they have a perfect command of Romanian, preserve their Banat dialect, and, at the same time, they connect with Bulgaria and Moldova through the Cyrillic alphabet. This is a source of richness, not isolation.

Personally, since I know both Bulgarian and Romanian, it was very easy for me to communicate with people in Romania.

Photo: Evgenia Tarleva (source: Evgenia Tarleva)

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