Source: Embassy of Romania in Bulgaria

🔹️On April 3, 2026, as part of an event organized by the Embassy of Romania in the Republic of Bulgaria and the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Plovdiv, the opening of the anthropological exhibition “Beyond Yesterday” took place at the Regional Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv. The exhibition is a regional cultural dialogue project created by Romanian anthropologist Cătălin D. Constantin. It features photographs taken by the Manakia brothers, representing a valuable visual record of life in the Balkans at the beginning of the 20th century.

🔹️Alongside the Ambassador of Romania to Sofia, Brândușa Predescu, and the Honorary Consul of Romania in Plovdiv, Dimitar Beleliev, the opening brought together high-ranking local officials, including the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Archaeology and Tourism of the Municipality of Plovdiv, Plamen Panov, and the Deputy Regional Governor, Dimitar Zgurov, as well as numerous representatives of cultural, academic, and artistic institutions. The event took place in the historic Kuyumdzhieva House, which for one day became a space for dialogue between tradition, research, and cultural diplomacy.

🔹️In an unconventional approach, the author of the exhibition personally guided the audience through a narrative tour, bringing to life the stories captured on photographic film by the Manakia brothers. This approach offered a deeply human perspective on the past and connected visitors with real-life destinies from the region.

🔹️The artistic performance presented by the Aromanian folk ensemble from the village of Dorkovo enriched the atmosphere, adding authenticity and emotion through music, dance, and traditional costumes—a symbolic continuation of the intangible Balkan heritage.

🔹️Actively supported by the Embassy of Romania and the Honorary Consulate, the exhibition promotes the method of “rephotography” to illustrate the transformations in the Balkan region over the past 120 years, becoming a vivid example of collaboration between research and cultural diplomacy.

📍We invite you to visit the exhibition “Beyond Yesterday” at the Regional Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv until April 19, 2026.