The State Institute for Culture Took Part in the 13th Edition of the International Francophone Festival "Soley" in Sozopol
On June 3, Sozopol saw the official opening of the 13th edition of the Soleil International Francophone Festival, which this year is being held under the patronage of the city's mayor, Tikhomir Yanakiev. The director of the State Institute for Culture, Snezhana Joveva, was part of the official delegation, together with the ambassadors of the Republic of North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Albania and Greece, guest professors from Sofia University, National Art Academy, artists and citizens of the seaside city. This year's edition of the festival is on the occasion of 50 years since the declaration of the old town in Sozopol and the island of St. Kirik and Iulita for a historical reserve of national importance.
The director of the international festival and of the "Soley" foundation and main organizer, Alexandrina Isailova, in her official speech at the opening, announced that in the coming days the residents and guests of Sozopol will see 10 international exhibitions, 6 concerts, and the international plein air with the participation of artists from 8 countries has already started and an interesting exhibition is expected in a week. The official opening concert was by Vera Shandel and the band Angel Zaberski Trio, with a performance and songs by Edith Piaf. Artists from Albania, Azerbaijan, Republic of North Macedonia, France, Portugal, Georgia, Greece and Bulgaria participate in the festival with exhibitions, concerts and in the creative plein air.
On the first day of the festival, three impressive and new phototype exhibitions were opened. In the museum center, the archaeological finds taken out of the sea near Sozopol are collected in the "Secrets of the Seabed" exhibition. The director of the Archaeological Museum and the Municipal Cultural Institute, Dimitar Nedev, and Nayden Prahov, director of the Center for Underwater Archeology, told about it. Together with their findings, the photos taken by the famous photographer Mikhail Zaimov of the incredible underwater life were exhibited. This exhibition is called "Down - with Other Eyes". The author urged us to protect the sea and its inhabitants because they are unique.
The outdoor exhibition with which the State Institute for Culture is participating in the festival this year is impressive. This is the phototype exhibition "Ancient Treasures of Bulgaria", realized by our partners from the Institute of Balkan Studies with the Center for Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Science and provided for the purposes of public cultural diplomacy. This project is implemented by the National Scientific Program "Development of Bulgarian Studies Abroad" and it presents photos of gold and silver treasures illustrating Bulgaria's rich cultural heritage from prehistory to Antiquity.
On the square in front of the church "St. Cyril and Methodius", where the main tourist flow is, the exhibition will welcome the guests of the city for three whole months. In her welcome during the opening, Snezhana Yovova - director of the State Institute for Culture, emphasized how important it is to promote our rich cultural and historical heritage through such projects, in order to enrich young people with knowledge and thus preserve our memory and identity. The materials in it are from the Institute of Balkan Studies with the Center for Tracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Science, created under the "Bulgariana" project by Prof. Ph.D. Valeria Fall and Nikolay Genov, photographer, and the coordinator and driving force of the project is Ch. Assistant Professor Alexandra Milanova, who a few days ago returned from Laos and Nigeria, where she successfully presented the exposition. The exhibition has been successfully displayed so far in London, Laos, Abuja, Warsaw, Copenhagen and others.
In turn, the deputy mayor of Sozopol, Andrey Nikolov, thanked the State Institute for Culture for hosting the exhibition in the city of Sozopol and emphasized the importance of such events in order to preserve and promote the rich cultural and historical heritage. The exhibition will be open until the end of the summer season.