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There are cities in Europe which, for the last quarter of a century, have not gone through transition, but through war. And yet they do not have such a vivid image of the ruin as the monument “1300 years of Bulgaria”.
Whether the reasons are political-ideological or aesthetic-architectural, there was a prolonged and very timid inaction. As if the topic of the future of this symbol is too painful and the discussion should be avoided. (What would Freud say if we were on his couch..?)
And just as we approach the band-aid on our wound – we peel it off quickly and with our eyes closed so that it does not hurt – so we did with the decision to demolish the monument – suddenly and lightly, so as not to suffer.
Fortune-tellers and soothsayers are fashionable, they have their shows on television. And no one asked them! The attitude towards the unions of architects and artists was the same. Well, they let them mutter to themselves… but if they had included in the discussion the “Union of Philosophers-Thinkers”, they would have heard that the attitude towards this one monument is very indicative of the state of the entire country. And here’s why:
Reason has long discovered that there is something in common between the irreversible aging of the living organism and the slow transformation of stone into sand. “That’s the effect of being in time.”
When the crushed stone bears the name “1300 years of Bulgaria” and the living organism is called “Bulgaria”, the symbolism is more than obvious. This is one of those metaphors that will sting your eyes with its literalness.
Things are arranged in such a way that everything “winds” and then disappears. But when you are NOT a stone, but you are human, you have the incredible opportunity to realize yours transience; to give her a name, to build her a monument, to put her in an ark or in a capsule and send her into space. Basically to play with her. Every human achievement is the result of our urge to fight time. Even if we know we’re going to lose. Yes, the “human situation” is absurd to say the least – to be in the world of dying things and alone among them to await the end with open eyes. And while we often wait in front of the dentist’s office, solving a crossword or flipping through a magazine, the wait for death is much longer and more terrifying, and therefore requires a larger understanding of time. Everyone has undoubtedly felt the immense loneliness of this undertaking. This is why we created families, communities, countries: to wait together.
What is Bulgaria doing while waiting for its end? How does it make sense of its transience? The monument embodies some answer to this question. On it are depicted: “Tsar Simeon and the Scribes”, personifying the Golden Age of Bulgaria; “Pieta” – the image of a grieving mother, as an expression of respect for those who fell for Bulgaria; “The creator” – an image of the ordinary worker. (source- Wikipedia(because who else remembers what was on the monument when it was whole..?)
The words of Vasil Levski were also written: “Time is in us and we are in time”. But we are not in time just to count it, watching it pass. Need we be reminded again that we are human and not stone? And the refusal to even conceptually deal with a crumbling monument shows that as a nation we are incapable of fighting the zeitgeist. Because that’s what god does when you don’t pay attention to him – he changes, he ages, he destroys. Why did you start calling yourself a “country” if you can’t control one corrosion and one mold? Falling debris from the building… Well, if gravity is your problem, I really don’t know where you’re headed with your existence. Ah, is the monument ugly…? Was it a mistake at first? Say so! Okay, you’re not going to fix it. You will just have to come up with a monument “1334 years of Bulgaria”. In all seriousness, why not?
Indeed, we can destroy the monument (from something ugly to do … nothing). In his place will returned the removed memorial plaques of the First and Sixth Regiments – soldiers who died during the Balkan and First World Wars. It is clear to everyone that these people should be honored. Why have we allowed so many years to pass without their memorial plaques being restored? Why is the question of their rehabilitation being respected only now, when we are looking for a replacement for the fifth-year-old? It’s as if I hear the members of the municipal council quietly whispering to themselves: “For lack of anything better, let’s bring back those who fought for the fatherland.”
And when their plates also turn out to be “ugly”, then they get old and wear out, what do we do? Isn’t this some desperate attempt to create a Bulgarian time machine and go back? Aren’t we capable? at least try to produce something new?
And what is this power that makes you choose between honoring national heroes and honoring the idea of Bulgaria? Because as far as I understand, either one or the other will exist. We are very capricious to want two different monuments! This is not Paris for you…
Some people say that the 1300 Monument smacked of communism. (In its current form smacks of apocalypse, but whatever.)- Do we have to live in denial that 45 years of socialism never happened? And let’s ask ourselves again: What would a psychoanalyst say if we were on his couch? Yes, a lot of people hate the time of socialism and wish it had never happened. Likewise, a raped woman (or man) will hate her rapist. But the only way to overcome such trauma is to confront what happened and let go of the shame. And then you move on with your life. You have to try because life is short and we all die.
Perhaps the country of Bulgaria has not yet realized its mortality. Or is she at the stage where she is afraid to confront the truth? Then let me help the motherland by giving her a sobering slap – Bulgaria, you will die. With or without communism, monuments and heroes – you have been dying for a long time. Ever since the first time anyone ever said your name. And all the facts point to the fact that you are now in your last stage. And only when you are aware of this, you can eventually muster the strength to build a culture. Own culture. And not a pitiful imitation of the foreign one. (should the name “Bulgarian Louvre” be a joke?!)
As the great Samuel Beckett said: “Our mothers give birth to us crouching over the open grave, the light shines for a moment and then night falls again.” And art is nothing but a dying scream. Maybe with him, maybe without. What will Bulgaria choose while waiting for its end?
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The author Bilyana Encheva is a student of Philosophy at SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”
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