Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Things are of course very different in the cities, where Western boutiques, casinos and
strip clubs have proliferated. Pouting, scantily clad women are popular motifs used for ad-
vertising everything from alcohol to shopping centres, while a profusion of strip clubs and
escort agencies has appeared in the big cities, colourfully touted in tourist magazines
alongside reviews of restaurants and museums.
Race in Bulgaria
Although it's been invaded and occupied by countless foreign powers throughout its long
history, Bulgaria remains a fairly homogenous nation, with some 85% of the population
declaring themselves Bulgarian.
In 1985 the communists mounted a program to assimilate the country's Turkish inhabit-
ants by forcing them to accept Bulgarian names. Mosques were also closed down and
even wearing Turkish dress and speaking Turkish in public were banned. Mass protests
erupted, and in early 1989 about 300,000 Turkish Bulgarians and Pomaks left for Turkey
(though many subsequently returned to Bulgaria when the repressive policies were over-
turned).
Relations between Bulgarians and the ethnic
Turkish minority have improved since, but ra-
cial tensions remain, and far-right political
parties have received increasing support over
recent years. Their aggressively nationalistic
rhetoric has been directed against both Turkish
Muslims and Roma. There have also been viol-
The Orient Within
by Mary Neuberger investigates
the story of Bulgaria's Muslim minority population,
their relationship with the modern state and ideas of
national identity.
ent attacks on Roma neigbourhoods.
Bulgaria's Roma, who form roughly 4% of the population, suffer disproportionate rates
of unemployment, social deprivation, illiteracy, poverty and prejudice. They tend to live
in ghettos and can be seen begging on the streets all over the country. Along with other
East and Central European nations, Bulgaria signed up to the Decade of Roma Inclusion
program (
www.romadecade.org
) in 2005, which attempts to improve conditions for Roma
populations. Some success in providing employment has been claimed, but it remains to
be seen if any lasting good comes out of it.
The Rodopi Mountains area is home to about 200,000 Pomaks, the descendants of
Slavs who converted to Islam during the Ottoman occupation in the 15th century. In the
past, they have been subjected to the same assimilatory pressures as the Turks. Some vil-
lages in the Rodopis are almost entirely Pomak.
