VENETS: the Belogradchik journal for local history, cultural heritave and folk studies

261-270

Authors: N. Mladenova

Natasha Mladenova was a teacher and principal of the vocational school "A.S. Popov" in Belogradchik. In the last years she has more free time and it allows her to develop her creative potential - she is a poet and artist and her activity in that field affects the cultural life of the town. In this article some of her short poems are presented and their sensitivity is emphasized by her pictures.

281-291

Authors: V. Shishkov

This text belongs to Colonel Vassil Shishkov, former commander of the 15th Infantry Lom Regiment in WWI. His war recollections were published in 1926 in “Narodna otbrana” – a rare literary source.

323-342

Authors: N. Akingbe

Oraliture is a terminology that is often employed in the description of the various genres of oral literature such as proverbs, legends, short stories, traditional songs and rhymes, song-poems, historical narratives traditional symbols, images, oral performance, myths and other traditional stylistic devices. All these devices constitute vibrant appurtenances of oral narrative performance in Africa. Oral narrative performance is invariably situated within the domain of social communication, which brings together the raconteur/performer and the audience towards the realisation of communal entertainment. While the narrator/performer, plays the leading role in an oral performance, the audience’s involvement and participation is realised through song, verbal/choral responses, gestures and, or instrumental/musical accompaniment. This oral practice usually take place at one time or the other in various African communities during the festival, ritual/religious procession which ranges from story- telling, recitation of poems, song text and dancing. This paper is essentially concerned with the illustration of the use of song- text, as oral performance among the Ilaje, a burgeoning coastal subethnic group, of the Yoruba race in the South Western Nigeria. The paper will further examine how patriotism, history, death and anti-social behaviours are evaluated through the use of songs among the Ilaje.

371-387

Authors: O.O. Fasina

The increasing concern about global aging as it relates to agriculture where the major producers are aging calls for an inquiry into the effects of ageing on their agricultural activities as it has implications for food security. Using a multi stage sampling technique, the study examined hundred farmer’s perception of the effects of aging on their agricultural activities in Ondo State of Nigeria. Descriptive statistics were used to present the study findings while the t-test statistic was used to determine the significant difference in perception of their involvement in agricultural activities when young and when older. Majority reduced scope (69.5%) and hours (66.7%) of operation as they grew older. Significant differences existed in perception of involvement in all agricultural activities involved in by respondents. There is the need to encourage younger entrants into agriculture to boost production and ensure food security.

400-400

Authors: B.V. Toshev (Ed.)

Appendix: Vetera Plachkova

133-145

Authors: L. Biliarska

Five short poems inspired by the beauty of Belogradchik and kindness of its people are presented in this article. The poet, Ludmila Biliarska, lives in America.

154-179

Authors: E. Kozhuharova

Colonel Stefan Iliev, a commander of the 15th Infantry Lom regiment (Belogradchik), is a Bulgarian hero, killed in the battlefield at Chervenata stena, near Bitola, on 26 March 1917. Here is the journal version of a very rare book, published in the printing house of Stamen Kamenov in Belogradchik in 1930. On the cover of the book an author is not given - it is an edition of the Belogradchik Society of the Reserve Non-Commissioned Officers. All details of the military career of this brave Bulgarian soldier are described. The book exists in two editions.

200-210

Authors: J. Tabov

In the preserved copies of the famous map of al-Idrisi the name Ğaṯūliyya is located roughly on the territory between the rivers Morava and Iskar. It has been offered different interpretations: it is Serbia that is a modified form of the name Makazuniyya (Macedonia), and that is an incorrect entry of Musiyya al-Sufliyya - Arabic translation of Lower Moesia. Here I suggest the hypothesis that behind Ğaṯūliyya stands the name Asuriyya, put in the copy of the map where today is Austria.

229-243

Authors: E. Kozhuharova

This small-scale research aims to describe all medals and orders, which colonel Stefan Iliev in his military career has been decorated. Colonel Stefan was killed in the battle for Pelister, Chervenata stena, on 26 March 1917.

249-255

Authors: B.V. Toshev

This novel, named “The thing from that hurts” belongs of Valentin Kachev, a Belogradchik writer, poet, scriptwriter and dramatist who is a member of two writers’ Unions, those of Bulgaria and Russia. The book gives a wide view of the life and social behavior in a small Bulgarian town in the period of post-communism. By the tools of the artistic prose the writer was able to document the changes in mores and social norms in one transition society that had not yet found the right way to democracy and freedom.

5-25

Authors: E. Tosheva

Evdokia Tosheva was born in 1942 in Lom, NW Bulgaria. She is retired as a hospital nurse. Her mother belonged to a rich Lom family. Her father was a cavalry officer from Belogradchik. The family was put under repression in the communist era. Now Evdokia is fond of writing poems, she loves Bulgarian landscapes, Belogradchik, and Bulgarian customs and folk traditions. The paper presents some of her poetry attempts for children and for adults. Beloved family photos illustrate her poems.

37-105

Authors: G. Simeonova

In traditional Bulgarian culture the similarity between the dragon, the giant and the king, as a ruler set by God, is based on the notions of origin, relationship and similar functions. All these circumstances are analyzed in details in the present paper: in the core is the logical change in the prevailing anthropomorphic forms.

122-127

Authors: B.V. Toshev

The earliest record of the search for mineral deposits in the district of Belogradchik was presented as a short notice in the Journal of the Society of Arts, 1 October, 1875.