GRT History Month

Professor Alexander Chirkov (1938-2020)

World-renowned heart surgeon, Professor Alexander Chirkov, performed more than 30,000 heart operations during his active career. In 1986, he performed the first heart transplant in Bulgaria and in the Balkans. Professor Chirkov created one of the most modern cardio clinics in the Balkans and used cutting-edge technology in his facilities.

“The hospital is a temple. Morale and a humane attitude are key factors between doctors and patients.”

Read an interview with Professor Chirkov here.

Vasil Boyanov aka 'AZIS'

Professionally known as ‘Azis’, Vasil is a Bulgarian recording artist. He initially rose to prominence in Eastern Europe performing songs mostly in chalga [chal-ga], a genre which can be described as the Bulgarian rendition of pop-folk. Azis is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and was repressed and censored by many governments, but he had done a lot for the community through his visual art and presentation of his music. He is very famous for his provocative attitude, song texts and videos of his songs.

“I am Roma and I was born in the jail. This never stopped me from doing what I can do best and what I love.”

Read an interview with Vasil (AZIS) here.

Alina Serban

Alina Serban is a gifted and famous theatre actress and writer. She was born in Bucharest on 29 October 1987 and spent her childhood in the Tei neighbourhood. Although life was never easy for her and she had to overcome tremendous obstacles, poverty and discrimination, Alina graduated from the National University of Theatre and Cinema Arts. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and was awarded the best performance as an actress in a leading role in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

“I want to tell stories that will bring even the smallest seed of good in the world. This is why I do what I do.”

Watch an interview with Aline Serban here.

Connect-R

Ștefan Relu Mihalache (born June 9, 1982, in Bucharest, Romania), better known by his stage name Connect-R, is a Romanian rapper, singer, producer and occasional actor, best known for his association with Romanian hip hop group R.A.C.L.A. He became hugely famous with his song “Vara nu dorm”. In 2010, at the Romanian Music Awards Gala, Connect-R wore a T-shirt that read “I am a gypsy” and he said it felt amazing ‘to share who you really are and be proud of it.’

Did you know? He also was chosen by Disney Channel Romania to sing the “Sunt legat în lanț” song from the animated series Phineas and Ferb!

Watch an interview with Connect-R here.

István Pisont

István Pisont is a former international footballer and manager who has coached the Hungarian national U-17 team. Pisont started his professional career in the Hungarian League with Budapest Honvéd FC but also played in Belgium, Israel and Germany during his long and successful playing career. He has national and international honours as both a player and as a coach. He recently managed Watford FC.

Do you know how he got his nickname, ‘Trezi’?

“When I was 12 years old I saw the game between France and Germany in the European quarter finals in Spain – and a French player called Marius Tresor scored a beautiful goal. I went back to the field and practiced a lot, and I finally got it. By then my friends called me Trezi – short for Tresor.”

Read an interview with István Pisont here.

Dorel Simion and Marian Simion

Dorel and Marian are the most renowned boxing brothers in Romania. Dorel won the Welterweight bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and gold at the 1997 World Championships and 1998 European Championships. Marian, the elder brother, competed in Light Middleweight at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal. He repeated that feat one year later, at the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Belfast after having won the world title at the previous tournament in Houston, Texas.

Find more information about Dorel Simion and Marian Simion here.

Nadia Hava-Robbins

Nadia Hava-Robbins was born in Czechoslovakia and is a Romani write and performer, who holds a Master’s degree. She studied dance (classical, modern, ethnic, folk, historical and ballroom) from the age of four, culminating in her acceptance to the National Ballet Theatre of Prague. She has performed dance, poetry, storytelling, puppetry, and magic (and combinations of these) in major cities and festivals across the world, especially in the USA and Canada She is also a nationally and internationally published poet, and founder and editor of the Bohemian Press.

“What remains? Sweet music in my veins, Ancient dance in my broken bones.”

Irena Eliášová

The poet, playwright and novelist Irena Eliášová spent her early childhood in a Roma village in south-western Slovakia. The memory of this time has become the defining experience in her writing and she writes about the lost world of her childhood in the 1950s and 60s and the life of Roma in the Czech Republic today. Her work is full of a sense of family and community that also draws us back to an older world of Roma tradition, and her childhood days in Slovakia are the subject of her short novel, Naše osada (Our Settlement) published in 2008.

“While ageing, I recall my parents whom I’d like to stay here forever.”

Find more information about Irena Eliášová here.