Ethnic/cultural identity club as afterschool activity utilizing Roma stories

In 2002, one Roma organization, Amalipe, in league with the Bulgarian Ministry

of Education and the Open Society Foundation—Sofia, introduced optional folklore

classes in 14 schools in Veliko Turnovo County. Teodora Krumova and Deyan

Kolev published a wonderful collection of folktales for teachers to use in the

special classes, Razkazi i Pamet [Stories and Memories]. Since then both authors,

in collaboration with Antoniya Kr’steva, have published two workbooks for Roma

children—Istorii krai ogonishcheto: Ychebno pomagalo za ychenitsi ot 2 do 4 klas

[Stories Around the Fire: A Textbook for 2–4 Class Students] and Razkazani

P’tisccha: Pomazalo za ychenitsi ot 5 do 8 klas [Told Roads/Paths: A Textbook

for 5–8 Class Students]. This program was so successful that the government

decided to use it in other parts of central Bulgaria in 2003