site.btaCultural Institutions Organize National Protest

On National Awakeners Day, actors and stage workers from the Geo Milev Drama Theatre in Stara Zagora took part in the national protest in support of Bulgarian culture in front of the building of the Stara Zagora Cultural Centre. They voiced once again their demands for more decent salaries and more funds for culture.

Svetla Todorova, director of the Stara Zagora Drama Theatre, told BTA that "the neglect and insultingly low pay" in the sector must stop. According to her, low pay is becoming a serious problem. She stressed that the percentage of the country's GDP spent on culture should be increased.

The troupe of the Ivan Dimov Drama Theatre and employees of the Regional History Museum in Haskovo, the Apostol Karamitev Drama Theatre in Dimitrovgrad, community centre and library staff also joined the national protest. The theatre workers put up a huge banner "Art gives wings - don't cut them". They were dressed in black with stickers "0.4%", referring to the budget for culture.

Representatives of cultural institutions in Lovech also came out to protest in front of the regional library. The action was also supported by the trade unions.

Protests of cultural activists were also held in Sofia, Samokov, Kazanlak and Shumen.