Ralitsa Kolarova: With MPO we continue the fight for a free Macedonia

The spirit of Bulgaria is something I miss. My intention is to uphold the memory of my ancestors and, in my role as their successor, to carry on their legacy in contemporary America.

Ralitsa Kolarova, an ancestor of the well-known Macedonian Bulgarians, stated this in a special interview with BGNES. She attended the 101st Congress of the Macedonian Patriotic Organisation (MPO) in Columbus, Ohio, as a delegate. The MPO, which was started in 1922 by Macedonian Bulgarians with the intention of establishing an independent Macedonia, is the oldest emigrant organisation.

"The MPO enables me to be proud of my Bulgarian heritage. I hope that the organisation will revert to what it was 100 years ago, gaining popularity and backing from young people who will understand its goals and work to ensure that everyone in Macedonia's rights are protected, but especially those of the country's Bulgarian population, and that it can carry out its original mission.

The revival of the Damian Gruev Club in Indianapolis, of which Ralitsa Kolarova is president, is one of the significant objectives she has set for herself. She noted that it's essential that "more people understand about the MPO, more young people understand why it's important to have an MPO, what our ancestors did, why they did it and why it's important to know who they are and what their roots are." /BGNES