What shapes the identity of Bessarabia – a historical area that changed its nationality eight times for the last two centuries? Bounded by the Prut river on the west, Dniester river on the east and the Danube delta on the south, Bessarabia is the homeland for a handful of ethnic minorities. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the area has been divided between Moldova and Ukraine. Before that, Bessarabia has been used as a bargaining chip in the peace treaties that followed wars of 19th and 20th centuries in Europe.

I explore the identity of Bessarabian Bulgarians that found shelter in this obscure land. While their motherland was under the oppressing Ottoman rule, tens of thousands of Bulgarians migrated to the flat Bessarabian steppe. Here they have put down roots and absorbed from the cultures of other peoples. But to this day they have preserved their native language and traditions in their stepmother country.

Today Bessarabia is home for 300 000 Bulgarians. The population however is melting at a rapid pace. The post-Soviet shock is still being felt in this economically neglected region, from which people are again migrating in search of a livelihood in larger cities or abroad. Although nothing special happens in Bessarabia, the people who remain feel special and take pride in their ability to preserve the traditions of their ancestors.

As a Bulgarian, it is important for me to document these peculiar relatives of mine and I believe that their story is also relevant to a wider public and that it reveals the effect of historical events on peoples and the idea of identity and home that shape us all.