Време за четене: 12 минути

Civic Alarm Clock Festival 2024

 

Putting the rights on the stage stage in collaboration with Rivers of the City and The Collective

 

It's time again to celebrate civil rights the way artists see them! It is with great pleasure that we invite you to put rights on the stage with the Civic Alarm Clock Festival 24 – on 31 August /Saturday/ in South Park – Sofia!

The location is no coincidence. In the spirit of collaboration, Civic Alarm Clock Fest is merging into one stream with Rivers of the City as part of the 3-day program of Rivers of Sofia 2024 to tell even louder how valuable it is to be able to associate in the name of common causes.

For the fourth year, we will celebrate the power of creative activism and woke civic spirit. We will create, learn and advocate for the rights that make us strong and courageous citizens. All this will happen while we enjoy a cascade of creative workshops led by socially engaged artists, educational games featuring human rights organizations, and creative activities moderated by citizen activists.

The culmination of the festival program will be the awarding of talented artists in the seventh edition of the competition " Civic Alarm Clock " of the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law. 65 amateur illustrators, photographers, writers, and poets shared their creative inspiration on the contest theme "Activism in Action: The Power to Save Urban Nature", motivated by their works to advocate for our right to live in a clean and healthy environment. In addition to awarding the best works selected by the professional jury with the participation of experts in nature conservation, we will also award the works chosen by the public in the online voting.

We can't wait to reveal all that we have prepared for the festival day. We'll be rolling out the details in stages at the Civic Alarm Clock 2024 Facebook event. Here's what's coming up:

 

Morning programme /10:00 h.– 14:00 h./

The hours from 10:00 to 14:00 will be devoted to civic education games, environmental activities, and art challenges for young activists and their companions, which will include:

Civic-educational game "The Awake Rooster" | Players will have the mission to find treasures around the festival area. They will be given answers to riddles, but also tasks to finish the stories that tell what the right to association means, why it is important to be able to unite and work together, how we can show in a peaceful way that we disagree with something and how far the freedom to say openly what we think extends. Each game will be accompanied by a short discussion with the BCNL human rights team.

Book Challenges at the Knigovishte Library with Vijte News | We will have our own reading corner for children to turn reading into play and play into useful knowledge to develop general culture, civic literacy, and critical thinking. Knigovishte is an educational reading comprehension game platform and home to the first online children's media Vijte.bg: the news in children's language that translates the events of the big world into the language of the little ones.

Children's nature care activities | We will embark on a series of games that will introduce us to the biodiversity of wildlife in its footsteps and habitats. We will also learn from the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation what we as urban dwellers can do to help wild herbivores return to their native mountains.

Climate mural for kids | This interactive card game will help us better understand the cause-and-effect relationships between human activity and climate change. And more importantly, how we can be part of the solution.

Children's Animation Film Workshop | Yes, we will create a whole animated film on the theme "Together for Nature" with just a few basic products: plasticine, paper, and a camera. The secrets of this craft will be shared with us by Tanya Bozhinova, an artist in the Civic Alarm Clock competition, awarded many times for her socially engaged illustrations, which she talks about in a 2022 interview and a 2023 interview.

 

Morning programme /16:00 h. – 20:00 h./

 

In the hours from 16:00 to 20:00, we embark on the tumultuous current of civic activism, continuing with children's educational games:

 

  • Civic-educational game "The Awake Rooster"
  • Book Challenges at the Library of the Knigovishte with Vijte News

And we're adding creative workshops for grown-ups:

Signals and statements – Citizen activism in action | We will monitor the levels of air pollution in Sofia, find out where and how to report violations related to urban nature, practice writing statements to Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection… Because citizen activism is possible, and BCNL's team of human rights defenders will help you do it.

Become a lawyer for a furry friend | We'll take part in a fun quiz with 1500 Dog Gang to break all the myths and urban legends surrounding stray animals. And you can become a lawyer for a stray dog or kitty with a video message that could change the course of history.

Cartoon Workshop | In the afternoon, socially engaged artist Tanya Bozhinova, who has been awarded in two editions of the Civic Alarm Clock competition, will hold a second workshop to challenge grown-up cartoon lovers to create their own production. And here, with just plasticine, paper and a camera, we will create an animation on how we can save urban nature with common efforts.

Protester Poster Workshop | Another well-known artist of the Civic Alarm Clock takes the stage to share from his creative experience. Together with Georgi Georgiev-Arshata we will dive into the creative process of poster art by drawing our own messages for clean air on posters to use at the next (un)expected protest.

Workshop for documentary photography | How we document important social events or violations of democracy, how we select the shots and what we leave behind as messages, will share Denislav Stoychev – a socially engaged photographer who has been awarded 3 consecutive years in the competition "Civic Alarm Clock". More about his work and reasons to be among the close friends of the Alarm Clock in an article from 2022 and an article from 2023.

Cyanotype Workshop – Photography without camera | Cyanotype is a photographic process that has been used since 1842 to print leaves, feathers, fabrics, and a variety of textures. You may have also noticed its distinctive blue tone, which is achieved in an entirely eco-friendly way. Artist Stefan Kamenov will introduce us to the art of photography without a camera.

Rhythm Music Workshop | In the workshop, led by rhythm masters DizzyGrooves & BunnyVerse, we will create and build common rhythmic figures. And most importantly, we will develop a sense of community. The drums will energize us, we will feel connected to others and gain a sense of interpersonal support. Through the power of music, we will experience what individual freedom, group and individual rights, the power of association and full rights mean.

Capoeira Demonstration Lesson | Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that was born in the early 16th century in Brazil as a response to the slaves against the Portuguese colonizers. A combination of music, dance, acrobatics, fighting, culture and lifestyle, capoeira became a symbol of freedom. Over the centuries, capoeira has undergone many changes and has taken on different guises, from a deadly martial art banned by law to an attractive sport and art recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The instructors Iglika Radilova and Nestor Dinolov from Capoeira Siara will immerse us in the atmosphere of this martial art.

Civic Alarm Clock Contest Awards Ceremony Vol.7 | And, here we are for the seventh year putting the rights on the stage. In this most exciting moment, we will be presenting the awards to the 18 talented artists with the most impactful works selected by the jury in this year's competition theme: 'Activism in Action: The Power to Save Urban Nature'. We will also recognize the authors of their favorite works in the online voting. Of course, there will also be surprises.

DarPazar booth | Here you will find a colorful variety of products with a cause, made by Bulgarian social enterprises from all over the country. From clothing, accessories and leather goods, to board games, educational toys, all the way to cosmetics, culinary products and beer – you'll be amazed at how many valuable products this community creates.

Come on, get ready for an amazing journey through the world of civil rights and inspiring art! Let's share the joy of summer to the colorful sounds, rhythms, and dances of the free human spirit! Be sure to check out the Facebook event Civil Alarm Clock 2024- Arts and Rights Festival.

 

We are proud to share that we are creating the festival with the support of our many donors who joined our charity campaign and became true Wakers of the Green Cause.

Together we successfully raised 13 101 BGN. Of this amount, 5,000 BGN will directly fund the prize fund of this year's Civic Alarm Clock competition, 5,000 BGN will contribute to the organization of the festival and 3,101 BGN will strengthen the ongoing work of the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law as a human rights organization.

This vital support enables us to continue to advocate for democratic values in Bulgaria.

Thanks to all of our supporters, we will be awarding three socially engaged entries in each of the contest categories – Illustration, Photography, and Literature. The prize for first place is 700 BGN, for second 550 BGN and 400 BGN for third place.

 

How did we manage to achieve this?

  • We held 6 exciting fundraising events – Charity Auction with the BCNL community, Charity Badminton Training with Lyuben Panov, Charity Ikebana Workshop, Musical Encounter with Stefan Valdobrev, Charity Quiz Nights with Rumen Ivanov and Charity Basketball Training with Ivo Ivanov;
  • We attracted 2 corporate donations;
  • Engaged over 100 individual donors, and event participants.

Thank you for becoming an integral part of our community of like-minded people who believe that through socially engaged art we can speak out, and defend our rights!

The event is supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation. The festival is supported by the Summer Program of Sofia Municipality, and is part of the Sofia Municipality's Cultural Events Calendar for 2024. Our partners in the realization of the initiative are Rivers of the City and The Collective.