Associate Prof. Dunkov, Doctor of Philological Sciences, has been living for more than 20 years in Austria. In addition to his research work, he takes part in various voluntary projects and that aim at promoting Bulgarian culture, history, and traditions in Austria. One of these projects is the creation of a Bulgarian-German radio program in the city of Linz.
"I went to Austria in 1989 to participate in a scientific symposium. Then I was invited to work on a project for the reconstruction of a biblical translation by the brothers Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the Slavic alphabet. I was a lecturer in Bulgarian language and until 2004 worked at the Institute of Slavic Studies in Salzburg. In fact I was the last lecturer in Bulgarian language when the major of Bulgarian Studies was closed. After that I taught for a few semesters at the Department of Theology of the university. I was the first scientist to teach history of Orthodoxy, Orthodox iconography and architecture in a Catholic school. Then I held lectures at the University of Göttingen. Now I am lecturer in the University of Passau, in the Institute of Modern and Contemporary History of Eastern Europe and its cultures.”
Associate professor Dunkov is also the founder of the rather popular electronic publishing house “Slavia.”
One of the favorite activities of the associate professor is teaching Bulgarian in the Bulgarian School "Orpheus" in Linz. What does the contact with children give you?
"It was one of the best moments in my life when I learned that parents in Linz have created a school where their children could study Bulgarian language. They found me by accident. For some time I replaced their teacher who was on maternity leave then. Teaching children was one of the most exciting experiences for me, and I will remember it forever. I had never taught children before and when I walked in one of the girls came to me and said: ‘You're not so scary after all.’ Today, my goals are even higher and include making Bulgarian language one of the subjects for maturity exam. Austrian and EU laws give this opportunity."
Why did you decide to broadcast a radio program in Bulgarian and German? You started with it in 2003 in Salzburg under the name "Studio Bulgaria" and now the program is available in Linz.
Students from the Bulgarian school in Linz also take part in the radio broadcasts. In a special children’s feature they read poems in Bulgarian and sing songs. Over 40 children have participated in the program so far.
English version: Alexander Markov
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