ALBENA ANDREEVA ATANASOVA & HUSSEIN ALIYEV AHMEDOV 

ALBENA ANDREEVA ATANASOVA & HUSSEIN ALIYEV AHMEDOV

Albena Andreeva Atanasova, 65 years old from Shumen, was born in the village of Troitsa and belongs to the basket-weaving Roma community. She was born with a Turkish name, Halime Aliyeva Ahmedova, but when she got married and was pregnant with her first child, she changed her name to Albena to match her husband’s Bulgarian name. She is now known as Albena Andreeva Atanasova, although neighbors still call her Halime. She worked honestly for 30 years at Vimprom and speaks Turkish, Romani, Bulgarian, as well as a bit of French and Russian. Her life revolves around traditional skills such as basket weaving, broom making, and sheep herding, and she experienced the forced name changes of Turks in Bulgaria in 1988–1989. She is proud of her identity and wishes to teach these traditional crafts to younger generations.

Hussein Aliyev Ahmedov is Albena’s younger brother, three years her junior, born in Devyadol, Shumen. He was born Ahmed Aliyev Ahmedov, but his mother renamed him Hussein Aliyev Ahmedov in honor of his grandfather. Like his sister, he belongs to the Turkish Roma community and has traditional skills in basket weaving, broom making, and sheep herding. He speaks Turkish, Romani, and Bulgarian. He recalls the historical pressure on Turks in Bulgaria to change their names in 1988–1989, the migration of many to Turkey, and the impact on their community. He is proud of his names, his identity, and expresses love for his life and country.