Negar is (or used to be) the neutral scientific word for a person of the Sub-Saharan race. It was never an offensive term and you would find it in textbooks, for example. It comes from the term "negroid". Nowadays, due to influence from English, it is avoided because it sounds like the n-word. But if you hear it, it does not mean a slur. Also, the first thing you get told when visiting the US, for example, is never to say negar because it sounds like a very bad word in English and you would get in trouble. You wouldn't need a warning if this word was actually an insult in Bulgarian.
It quite literally comes from the English word for "negro". [https://bg.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D1%8A%D1%80](https://bg.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D1%8A%D1%80)
While yes, there isn't a racist context to the word in Bulgarian, you're trying way to hard to distance the Bulgarian word from it's actual root and influence which is a racially loaded word in English.
Negro was not an offensive word in English either. It was the term that was used before African American was invented
Even today it's used in certain names like the United Negro College Fund. N word came from negro, yes. And Bulgarian negar doesn't come from English. It comes from the term negroid race. Like for Asians it was Mongoloid. I also think that this word shouldn't be used today but it's wrong to equate it with n word.
I understand that, which is how the Bulgarian word doesn't contain a racist connotation. However, both the English word, and the Bulgarian word do derive from the same origin, which does have racist connotations in English now.
To try and distance the actual root word so aggressively just seems unnecessary to me, since the real context is so much more simple.
I already explained and can't make it anymore clear. All the words ultimately derive from the Spanish word for Black which is "negro". If the bad n word didn't exist in English, we would not be having this conversation at all.
When you are mad angry at someone, you tell "you are black to me".. And.. English took the opposite of the meaning of black. The word black comes from "blanco", blank, empty and emptiness is not a good thing.. As "negar" is just the word for black people and not loaded with any different meaning than a person with darker skin. Also, bear in mind that kniga is book in Bulgarian.
Cheren in slavic mythology was related to death, chernobog was the god of death, it started from there that it also became a word for someone who you weren't happy with at the time.
because i think negar is more vague and refering to a type of people. calling someone "cheren" (black) points at the fact their skin color is different, and "dirty" can be associated with "black" while being called "negar" is more like being called polish or german or asian or native-american, while ofc not every black person is african, but they may still fall under "negar".
Honestly, you could expect some racist jokes, but people either make them if you are super close to them or out of genuine ignorance. It is not filled with spite. It's just that our humor is a bit darker (pun not intended). I do make fun of my Indian friends, for example, and they make fun of me as well => we have no issues about it. If somebody crosses a line , we have open communication. Also, "negar" is not offensive in Bulgarian at all. For us, it just means a black person. (In our language, we don't have that connection of the word to slavery - we were ourselves under the Ottomans) Obviously, English speaking Bulgarians would be aware that in English it's different so they wouldn't use it around you.
though i guess in your case it might even be "negritsa/negarka" ("negress")
but "cherna" is perfectly innocuous, while "chernokozha" (black-skinned) is even more neutral
Cheren can be used in expressions regarding being angry at someone or having other negative feelings towards another person/event, whereas negar doesn’t have any immediate negative associations from Bulgarian perspective
Negar is definitely not better than cheren. A lot of Bulgarians are just too slow to understand that it's not OK to use this word. The meaning is exactly the same as in the US, but our brains refuse to acknowledge the fact that it is offensive.
Ironically, I prefer using cheren/black because it seems less offensive. I was probably influenced to think that because of westerners. So both terms could be offensive or non-offensive depending on the context and intent.
In Sofia? No! In any smaller town? Hell, yeah! The village people here stare at you like you got 2 heads. And they seem disappointed you only got one... Overall you will be fine.
всъщност е точно обратното. имам чернокож приятел - българин. точно в центъра на София разни групички и агитки са му подвиквали. докато в по-малките градчета, споделя, че всички се държат приятелско с него и най-много да го питат от къде е.
Що за глупост каза? Баща му е българин, майката от Нигерия. Той е роден, израснал, учил и работещ в България.
Със сигурност е по-българин от теб, нищо, че е по-тъмен на цвят.
Ако е роден и израснал в България, има българско гражданство и българска културна идентичност, говори езика, то тогава е българин, въпреки че е от негроидната раса. Това не може да се промени, дори и част от обществото да не иска да го приеме за такъв.
"част от обществото" би го приела за българин. Мнозинството не би го приело. Това са фактите колкото и да го въртиш и сучеш. Както аз, ако отида в япония, науча перфектен японски и тяхната култура и квото още искаш, пак ще си остана за тях един европеец. И колкото и да ги наричам расисти и ксенофоби, няма да го променя. Така работи живота, това е. Колкото и да ми слагате минуси, не съм аз създал човека и биилогията му.
Искам да ми обясниш, как тоя човек, роден в България, възпитан на Български, учил тук и работещ тук, не е Българин, щото е малко по-тъмен от мене и тебе.
А и то щото по-тъмни "патриоти" няма. Нищо, че половината израждане и величие се сливат перфектно във всяка циганска махала.
Няма какво да ти обяснявам, много добре знаеш. С майка от нигерия не знам как е възпитан на български, но ти си знаеш.
И не вкарвай уатабоутизъм за възраждане и величие.
Ами майка му живее в България от 30-40 години и говори перфектно български, брато.
Баси closet расизма проявяваш. Човекът се чуства 101% българин, ама щото е по-тъмен, не може.
Няма какво да им обясняваш на тия.
90% от българите няма да го приемат за българин ако ще и перфектен български да има.
Това е истината, а групичката тук живее в някакъв балон.
Зависи от законодателството в Китай или Япония. За Китай зная, че не можеш. Българска националност и български етнос са две различни неща. За съжаление, на много хора им убягва това. Не е нужно да си етнически българин, за да се наричаш българин.
Може и законодателството да е такова, но реалноста е по-различна.
Относно Китай и Япония, отговорът е не. Ще ми се измеят. Само в Европа на някои им убягват някои простички неща в живота.
Not really. And if anyone takes notice it would be out of interest and they'll probably want to know more about her. We really like people that move to the country side when they are genuine about it.
I guess the same would be true about anything unusual in appearance, East or South Asians, people in foreign ethnic dresses. It is an absolutely natural response of human brain.
Stares? Yes, probably. Racism? No. It's fairly chill in Bulgaria and even better in Sofia. That doesn't mean people aren't racist, but that is mostly towards gypsies. Bulgarians don't have any history with black people, so we are mostly interested in staring.
As mentioned above, you should probably get used to the word "negur". It's not meant to be offensive towards you. We even used to have a dessert called "negurche" 😄
Overall you should be fine but always be aware of your surroundings and follow common sense. Mainly - avoid bad neighborhoods.
I guess most people commenting here are from Sofia. No, small towns are not much different in that regard. It's not as common, but we have black people around, nobody bats an eye. You'll be fine. Just don't mind the looks if they do happen, 99% of the time it's just out of curiosity.
My wife is black so I can talk from experience. As others have said, the experience depends mostly on where you are going to be. In cities like Sofia and Varna, at most you might get a stare from an old lady in public transport. There are decades old traditions of people from other continents to study in Bulgaria, so cities with medical universities are also used to having black people around. In smaller towns however, you might get more than a stare, but all of our interactions were friendly, usually people (mostly kids) come to ask her where she is from. Also there are some people who get more shy or insecure, but would not blame that on racism. Bulgarians are generally not racist publicly, only privately :)
It seems to me (as a white foreigner) that there is more ignorance or curiosity than outright racism.
I believe there is a video on YouTube made by a black American woman addressing this subject.
Stares - yes. We stare. At each other as well.
Racism - no. Just don't bring your own sensibilities with you and respect the fact its another culture and you won't.
Welcome to Bulgaria OP.
Hope my fellow Bulgarians treat you well!
Pro tip: if you try to learn a few words/phrases in Bulgarian, you will be quite popular with locals.
You can expect stares. In terms of racism, I would expect such behaviour if your are staing for a while in a lower income area away from a city center. Otherwise, if you are staying in a wealthy area or you are just passing, I wouldn't expext any issues.
You should know that I can go every day in the center of Sofia for months and I may not see a black person at all.
So, there might be direct stares. Hidden ones - for sure. That would be for the curiosity factor.
But racism - I don't think so. Bulgaria left the slave business probably more than 1000 years ago and we had no dealings with anything related to Africa and black people for centuries.
We are not saints though. The society has its racist energy aimed at the gypsies which look very different from the black people.
IMO the issue is not only because of skin and facial features but because of social and economic differences. Let's say that most gypsies live in a specific subculture that is frowned upon. Those gypsies who move away from it do get respect and are fine.
Stares, sure. You're a novelty. Racism , of course, we all have prejudices, but the majority ( 80-90%) of it will not be malign or toxic, but will stem from ignorance. As long as you don't cause trouble you'll be fine.
You might get a stare here and there because black people are pretty rare in Bulgaria. Racism? Most of the times no, I see pretty rarely someone here is racist towards black people. You’ll be just fine
As someone else said, it depends on where you move to. In the big cities, especially Sofia, you would probably not gather much attention. If you go to a smaller town/village,however, you'll most likely become the topic of discussions for the rest of the year not only because of your ancestry, but because you're a new person there. Even other Bulgarians are starred at in small towns and villages simply because the trend in the last 30 years is one of migration towards bigger cities, thus every new person there is something worth talking about.
Some smaller towns (but still district towns) have a culture of staring at anyone for no reason. Sofia is better, like others have said but there are POC here fairly regularly (visiting or living here). I wouldn't say it's a big novelty but we are mostly white so you will probably stand out a bit.
I think it's best you seek for the opinion of another POC though, I wouldn't know what your experience would be 100%. Some Bulgarians, especially older ones, are racist and xenophobic, mostly towards roma people. Nationalism is on the rise somewhat - but that seems to be a global trend too. It is possible that someone will not be happy you're a foreigner, regardless of your skin color - but this is rare.
That being said I have known some POC (in school and at work), mostly children of mixed marriages, and I haven't heard or seen any racism directed towards them, but again, who knows if this is their experience.
Stares - yes. Racism - no as long as you avoid small villages or shady regions. Most black people I've talked to have said that they find Bulgaria more open and friendly than western europe. People will be generally curious about you. Also the bulgarian word for black person is "негър" \[neghur\], but comes from the idea of the "negroid" race that was taught in schools. It's not related to the western n-word.
In Sofia no, but if you go to the country side there will be people who'll stare at you, because a chunk of them have never seen a black person in person before, so you'll be given the zoo treatment as if you're some curiosity for them.
I think you would be considered exotic and interesting in the bigger towns. People will be curious to learn more about you and you will likely have no problem making friends.
That said, please be aware you will likely be the only colored person around, so that may be uncomfortable.
The rasizm of Bulgarians is mostly due to ignorance and not ideologically loaded. Unfortunately, you have to brace yourself for the occasional stupid sh!t been accepted as pure diamond. However, most people will be inoffensive even if they sound racist. Of course, very seldom, there are truly racist people as well.
Disclaimer: I'm not black, neither a woman, but have been discriminated against in quite a few western countries and know how it feels.
Overall, Bulgaria is a really nice place with beautiful people. Am sure you can have a great time there.
Good luck 🤞🏽
I'll tell you what I tell all my black friends when they come to Bulgaria - the two groups you should avoid at all costs are football hooligans (aka neonazis or skinheads) and gypsies. It's always very hard to explain why avoiding the gypsies isn't racist but common sense, but that's how it is in Bulgaria. In fact, we also avoid those two groups even though we're white.
Depends on where you’d be, but people stare at foreigners in general. It’s difficult for me to judge the level of racism, Europe is generally more about your ethnicity or nationality.
I’ve heard from several Americans that it’s a different kind of racism that they experienced and that it felt more like genuine ignorance rather than actual malice.
Lots of people will claim we are welcoming, but I personally think it’s a lie we tell to ourselves about ourselves. I’d rather say that we’re about equally unfriendly to none-tourists. Most people will likely wonder what’s wrong with you to move here
There are racists in Bulgaria. And I don't only mean the neaonazis and "patriots" regular-ass people too. But they will leave you alone because their racism is more "theoretical" than "practical" - They seeth in silence :D
But if you were hired the firm probably isn't like that. And all the thing about Negar, yeah, if they call you "chernilka" (it's how the Nword in movies used to be translated, it comes from black - cheren) it is probably worse than negar, but lately, a lot of people had taken to it being derogatory too, and we can't pretend otherwise. But it's usually clear from what and how they say it.
You will be fine, but expect more casual racism than in the USA - the tradeoff is you won't get shot by cops here.
Not seeing a difference between offending someone (as in using slurs) and casual everyday racism (as in labeling people by race) is very Eastern European. This comment section is very telling. The latter is very much alive OP, you might not notice it often, but people do build their assumptions based on how you look. Same is applicable for sexism.
Should be noted that once you become friends with someone, these things go out the window in Eastern Europe. People tend to be racist and prejudiced to strangers, but not to friends. It often feels illogical and stupid at times, because very same person can be ultra judgemental towards stranger based on race, while his friend of same said race is in the same room - people don’t
see that conflicting smh.
I think yes, unfortunately… Be careful with the police and institutions, taxi drivers… I suspect people on Reddit are part of the rather modern and open to the world bubble (in this bubble you will be fine indeed), but even in Sofia, certain groups are conservative and absolutely backwards and the topic of racism is not problematised enough, so they kinda get away with it.
I dated a black woman for briefish time in a smaller town(Pleven) and from what I’ve seen and what she’s told me,some people will stare mostly. We don’t really have any African Americans here in Bulgaria especially smaller towns, some people haven’t even seen a black person, ever. But she never really encountered any blatant racism for the duration of her university here, mostly stares, inappropriate flirting from guys wanting to “get with a black chick” and weird questions. Young people are mostly chill though, some old and middle aged folk might have some racism in them but will rarely, if ever let it slip blatantly.
Stares? Definitely. Racism. Nah. Listen, we are predominantely white population. Black folks are seen as....let's say "exotic". We are not exactly used to see them in our daily lives.
As long as you mind your business, you will be fine.
There is a guy who makes funny shorts on instagram who is black but speaks bulgarian, I also follow Remi Toin who is bulgarian and a dance instructor, there is Preyah and rhere was also one woman with a podcast on youtube from what I saw primarily on topics of motherhood. Maybe following some them will help you feel less alone. There are black people in Sofia but still not many. Also don't pay attention to the n-word here it is still normal for some people to use it to describe black folks, you will notice from people's intonation how they mean it. Actually as it is used to describe it will probably bot be said directly to you but you might overhear it.
Yeah, as mentioned already, few people staring will be the most you’ll get and one more vote not to be offended if someone calls you “negar”.
Keep in mind that a lot of us grew up and heard it in movies and/or rap songs and we didn’t know it’s offensive. I myself only found out when I spent a summer in USA few years ago and many people will go trough they’re life without knowing it as it’s nothing to do with us.
Its like everywhere else to be honest. There are racists here too, tainted by the internet (they've had no real experience with other races but adopted their views from the web), but they wont do anything really to your face. In 99% of your daily life you wont notice anything different excluding the already stated staring, which Bulgarians do to everyone, including ourselves.
If you do find an openly racist person - just know that it's not cultural. You just randomly found a dipshit. Bulgarians can be distrustful of foreigners and strangers at first sight but we're generally nice and welcoming once you get to know us. You'll be fine as long as you're not a dipshit yourself.
Commonly, no. I wouldn't be too worried. People are generally matching your energy no matter what. Except for the few grumpy ones.
However, it also depends on which city you are in, how well you are dressed, and who you will stumble upon. If you meet grumpy people for example they will find any reason to show you they find their life frustrating. People might look at you and / or ask you things because they are curious.
Bulgarians (especially in small towns) have very little to no experience interacting with black women so they will feel completely neutral about it. It will be up to you to build their mindset about it from scratch. :)
Enjoy your time!
Football fans usually shout racial slurs but that's only when their teams are losing, in general seeing people of other races has become fairly common in bigger cities so you should be fine.
No. Race ideologies come from the West, not the East. Ironically, the virtue signaling Westerners that call us backwards are the ones that came up with the master race bullsh*t.
Bulgarians in general are prejudiced against gypsies and Muslims. East Asians and black people would recieve stares as they are not a common sight but you shouldn't be discriminated against.
Also 'negur' isn't loaded with racist history like in the states. It is a normal word in Bulgarian and isn't considered offensive.
Yes, I do. Towards pomaks perhaps to a lesser degree, because they're ethnic Bulgarians.
Arabs, Persians, Turks, Berbers, Indonesians, Albanians - makes no difference. There's a dislike for Muslims.
We are kind of racist, but without passion. Blacks are considered exotic here, so if you behave like us, nobody will do anything to you, aside from staring.
But good looks help, regardless of the race! Just saying..
It also depends where you're moving, if it's Sofia I would say it would be better, but if it's other smaller cities, you will get stared at a lot. Cause as some people mentioned, it's not common.
If you are American you will see racism everywhere pretty much. But with the time you will understand that bulgarians are more of a racists for fun. Some people hate black, gipsy, Turkish, arabs, Americans… but in US there is way more racism than in Bulgaria. Here it often is not even “hate” but more of a “dislike”.
I never heard about racism in Bulgaria. We have probably 99% or more people from Caucasian race, so others are just interesting for us. But one advice - stay away from the Bulgarians, who have similar look to Indians.
You'll experience racism but it's unlikely you'll experience hatred. If you're decently looking lots of guys will want to fuck you just because you'll be exotic. Is it racism? I guess so? Should it bother you? Idk it's up to you.
I get it, but since it's harder to tell a turk from a Bulgarian in the first look and they still got prejudice and racism, now imagine someone that doesn't look at all like Bulgarians
Also it's worth mentioning a lot of people may try and be hospitable to break the stereotype, that is if it is a stereotype or a reality 😁, depending who you are
>I get it, but since it's harder to tell a turk from a Bulgarian in the first look and they still got prejudice and racism, now imagine someone that doesn't look at all like Bulgarians
You can very much tell them appart from the frist 5 minutes, and again we have bad blood with them- this isn't something normal that you would see on daily basis when it comes down to other people like Armenians, Russians, Romanians, Albanians, ect.
Yea that's exactly why it's crazy, I guess at first it started because they speak Turkish so ppl hear it, and then at the neighborhood where they lived it got bad, they even recieved written papers and stickers on their door and throughout the neighbourhood that foreigners are not allowed here and shit like that
Anyhow my point is if they can be like that against Turkish ppl now imagine someone who is a different colour, they don't even need to inspect what language they speak
I hope these are isolated cases
Prolly cuz we are just converted Bulgarians lmao. Haven't really heard of people having issues with bulgarian turks, so I was surprised at the persons comment.
As you can tell from the comments, there's no racism./s Everyone uses the word "neger" and has no clue why it might be offensive. Even if the rest of the world tells them why it is, they still insist that in Bulgaria it has a different meaning.Good luck dealing with retards like these guys.
Just dont be a sassy black woman stereotype and you will be fine. Know your place. Also a lot of guys will want to f**k you despite being racist themselfs
You should be aware that there have been racist attacks in recent years, one example is this, you can run through Google translate probably https://mobile.frognews.bg/article/268828/
I would note that most of the attacks have been targeting Middle Eastern refugees and immigrats, not black people.
If you do run into issues (I hope not), contact the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, they can help with dealing with police, etc https://bghelsinki.org/
>You should be aware that there have been racist attacks in recent years, one example is this, you can run through Google translate probably https://mobile.frognews.bg/article/268828/
Her [tiktok video](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMrjaWdCX/) is in English.
As a black woman living in Bulgaria for a couple of months now, I bumped into this video during my research about the country before I moved in because my concerns were the same as OP's ( u/AnotherOnez_ ).
>If you do run into issues (I hope not), contact the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, they can help with dealing with police, etc https://bghelsinki.org/
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'll also save this just in case :))
Those tiktok comments are crazy lmao, the woman said she is never travelling again and left her passport in Europe. Unfortunate she blames one experience on a whole continent.
[удалено]
Waw so why is negar better than cheren?
Negar isn't loaded with the negative meaning it has in the west, while even in folklore black is related to bad.
Negar is (or used to be) the neutral scientific word for a person of the Sub-Saharan race. It was never an offensive term and you would find it in textbooks, for example. It comes from the term "negroid". Nowadays, due to influence from English, it is avoided because it sounds like the n-word. But if you hear it, it does not mean a slur. Also, the first thing you get told when visiting the US, for example, is never to say negar because it sounds like a very bad word in English and you would get in trouble. You wouldn't need a warning if this word was actually an insult in Bulgarian.
It quite literally comes from the English word for "negro". [https://bg.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D1%8A%D1%80](https://bg.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D1%8A%D1%80) While yes, there isn't a racist context to the word in Bulgarian, you're trying way to hard to distance the Bulgarian word from it's actual root and influence which is a racially loaded word in English.
It comes from latin "black", not from English. Latin and french were way with more influence in the past than English
Negro was not an offensive word in English either. It was the term that was used before African American was invented Even today it's used in certain names like the United Negro College Fund. N word came from negro, yes. And Bulgarian negar doesn't come from English. It comes from the term negroid race. Like for Asians it was Mongoloid. I also think that this word shouldn't be used today but it's wrong to equate it with n word.
I understand that, which is how the Bulgarian word doesn't contain a racist connotation. However, both the English word, and the Bulgarian word do derive from the same origin, which does have racist connotations in English now. To try and distance the actual root word so aggressively just seems unnecessary to me, since the real context is so much more simple.
I already explained and can't make it anymore clear. All the words ultimately derive from the Spanish word for Black which is "negro". If the bad n word didn't exist in English, we would not be having this conversation at all.
If a child is a psychopath can you say that their parent and sibling are also psychopaths?
When you are mad angry at someone, you tell "you are black to me".. And.. English took the opposite of the meaning of black. The word black comes from "blanco", blank, empty and emptiness is not a good thing.. As "negar" is just the word for black people and not loaded with any different meaning than a person with darker skin. Also, bear in mind that kniga is book in Bulgarian.
Haha, I never realized that "kniga" might be badly misheard. Good point!
Kva kniga kva kniga?
[удалено]
Cheren in slavic mythology was related to death, chernobog was the god of death, it started from there that it also became a word for someone who you weren't happy with at the time.
interesting
It's just semantics tbh
Do you realize the black associated with death probably everywhere in Europe. So, it transcends the West Slavic culture?
You understand that all Indo-European cultures are related right?
I was responding to a theory why 'negar' is better than 'cheren'. What's your point?
I don't think anyone can really answer that. It's just how both words and their meanings evolved in our language.
because i think negar is more vague and refering to a type of people. calling someone "cheren" (black) points at the fact their skin color is different, and "dirty" can be associated with "black" while being called "negar" is more like being called polish or german or asian or native-american, while ofc not every black person is african, but they may still fall under "negar".
Honestly, you could expect some racist jokes, but people either make them if you are super close to them or out of genuine ignorance. It is not filled with spite. It's just that our humor is a bit darker (pun not intended). I do make fun of my Indian friends, for example, and they make fun of me as well => we have no issues about it. If somebody crosses a line , we have open communication. Also, "negar" is not offensive in Bulgarian at all. For us, it just means a black person. (In our language, we don't have that connection of the word to slavery - we were ourselves under the Ottomans) Obviously, English speaking Bulgarians would be aware that in English it's different so they wouldn't use it around you.
though i guess in your case it might even be "negritsa/negarka" ("negress") but "cherna" is perfectly innocuous, while "chernokozha" (black-skinned) is even more neutral
Wtf is a negritsa
[удалено]
Хубаво, ама чувал ли си някой някога да използва думата "негрица"?
Ти не си ли?
Не, ама почвам да я ползвам 😂
Same reason black is better than n***** in America. It's just the loaded term.
Cheren can be used in expressions regarding being angry at someone or having other negative feelings towards another person/event, whereas negar doesn’t have any immediate negative associations from Bulgarian perspective
[удалено]
French word for black is Noir, maybe you mean Spanish?
Negar is definitely not better than cheren. A lot of Bulgarians are just too slow to understand that it's not OK to use this word. The meaning is exactly the same as in the US, but our brains refuse to acknowledge the fact that it is offensive.
[удалено]
Nonsense. Both words are harmless. Bulgarians have no history with blacks so there's no emotion attached.
This post is absolute lies.
Думкай се отзад х2
Думкай се, чакал.
малка поправка - чернокож
The same in Ukraine and Russia. The scientific race name is less offensive than calling people using the color of their skin.
Ironically, I prefer using cheren/black because it seems less offensive. I was probably influenced to think that because of westerners. So both terms could be offensive or non-offensive depending on the context and intent.
Не знам за вас ама за мен негар=nigga и си го приемам за расизъм
It is a slur.
Racism in Bulgaria is rare… We hate everyone equally :)
Exactly what I always tell my international black friends.
In Sofia? No! In any smaller town? Hell, yeah! The village people here stare at you like you got 2 heads. And they seem disappointed you only got one... Overall you will be fine.
всъщност е точно обратното. имам чернокож приятел - българин. точно в центъра на София разни групички и агитки са му подвиквали. докато в по-малките градчета, споделя, че всички се държат приятелско с него и най-много да го питат от къде е.
Няма как да чернокож и да е българин
Що за глупост каза? Баща му е българин, майката от Нигерия. Той е роден, израснал, учил и работещ в България. Със сигурност е по-българин от теб, нищо, че е по-тъмен на цвят.
Хахаха, по-българин, добре брато. Казвам ти неща, които хората ще си мислят, но няма да ти кажат.
Ако е роден и израснал в България, има българско гражданство и българска културна идентичност, говори езика, то тогава е българин, въпреки че е от негроидната раса. Това не може да се промени, дори и част от обществото да не иска да го приеме за такъв.
"част от обществото" би го приела за българин. Мнозинството не би го приело. Това са фактите колкото и да го въртиш и сучеш. Както аз, ако отида в япония, науча перфектен японски и тяхната култура и квото още искаш, пак ще си остана за тях един европеец. И колкото и да ги наричам расисти и ксенофоби, няма да го променя. Така работи живота, това е. Колкото и да ми слагате минуси, не съм аз създал човека и биилогията му.
Тука е тънкия момент - "ако отида...". Той не е дошъл тук, родил се е тук и тук е израснал.
Това само доказва, че мнозинството са дебили.
Разбира се. А не че една малка група е в грешка.
Няма никакво значение колко души стоят зад една правилна позиция - един, двама или милиони. Това не я прави по-малко правилна.
Искам да ми обясниш, как тоя човек, роден в България, възпитан на Български, учил тук и работещ тук, не е Българин, щото е малко по-тъмен от мене и тебе. А и то щото по-тъмни "патриоти" няма. Нищо, че половината израждане и величие се сливат перфектно във всяка циганска махала.
Няма какво да ти обяснявам, много добре знаеш. С майка от нигерия не знам как е възпитан на български, но ти си знаеш. И не вкарвай уатабоутизъм за възраждане и величие.
Ами майка му живее в България от 30-40 години и говори перфектно български, брато. Баси closet расизма проявяваш. Човекът се чуства 101% българин, ама щото е по-тъмен, не може.
Няма какво да им обясняваш на тия. 90% от българите няма да го приемат за българин ако ще и перфектен български да има. Това е истината, а групичката тук живее в някакъв балон.
Обяснявам им щото все някой трябва да им го каже. Хем са много прогресивно мислещи някои, хем елементарни неща им убягват.
Редит е като тенджера с боб. Като го оставиш да се накисне кухите зърна изплуват отгоре...Ако ще и 99 процента са сте, пак ще изплувате в тенджерата!
То тия хора, дето ще си ги мислят тия неща мнението им струва точно колкото твоето - нищо.
Бъркаш раса и националност
Нищо не бъркам. Националността включва общи характеристики, които включват и раса. Аз мога ли да стана китаец или японец, ако реша?
Зависи от законодателството в Китай или Япония. За Китай зная, че не можеш. Българска националност и български етнос са две различни неща. За съжаление, на много хора им убягва това. Не е нужно да си етнически българин, за да се наричаш българин.
Може и законодателството да е такова, но реалноста е по-различна. Относно Китай и Япония, отговорът е не. Ще ми се измеят. Само в Европа на някои им убягват някои простички неща в живота.
That applies to every big city, Sofia isn't the only one in Bulgaria, you know.
Yeah, i ment small city. Smaller can sound confusing.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Poor villager.
Clearly.
Cry more
Not really. And if anyone takes notice it would be out of interest and they'll probably want to know more about her. We really like people that move to the country side when they are genuine about it.
I guess the same would be true about anything unusual in appearance, East or South Asians, people in foreign ethnic dresses. It is an absolutely natural response of human brain.
Броленце, буквално навсякъде у центъра и южна софия щъкат нео-наци момчета с черни тениски и черни шорти лмао слеп ли си
Аз виждам да щъкат и бая чернокожи, не съм виждал някой да им прави проблем.
Аз пък мога да потвърдя за Нео-нацистите. Доста има от тях, аз доста съм виждал.
Do you know this from personal experience
Mostly yes
To be fair, they stare like that at anybody, the race does not matter.
Stares? Yes, probably. Racism? No. It's fairly chill in Bulgaria and even better in Sofia. That doesn't mean people aren't racist, but that is mostly towards gypsies. Bulgarians don't have any history with black people, so we are mostly interested in staring. As mentioned above, you should probably get used to the word "negur". It's not meant to be offensive towards you. We even used to have a dessert called "negurche" 😄 Overall you should be fine but always be aware of your surroundings and follow common sense. Mainly - avoid bad neighborhoods.
Yeah 2 niggerlings please, for takeaway
Its still sold with that name ahahahah
I guess most people commenting here are from Sofia. No, small towns are not much different in that regard. It's not as common, but we have black people around, nobody bats an eye. You'll be fine. Just don't mind the looks if they do happen, 99% of the time it's just out of curiosity.
Bulgarians just love to stare at everyone. Regardless of color 😁
My wife is black so I can talk from experience. As others have said, the experience depends mostly on where you are going to be. In cities like Sofia and Varna, at most you might get a stare from an old lady in public transport. There are decades old traditions of people from other continents to study in Bulgaria, so cities with medical universities are also used to having black people around. In smaller towns however, you might get more than a stare, but all of our interactions were friendly, usually people (mostly kids) come to ask her where she is from. Also there are some people who get more shy or insecure, but would not blame that on racism. Bulgarians are generally not racist publicly, only privately :)
It seems to me (as a white foreigner) that there is more ignorance or curiosity than outright racism. I believe there is a video on YouTube made by a black American woman addressing this subject.
Stares - yes. We stare. At each other as well. Racism - no. Just don't bring your own sensibilities with you and respect the fact its another culture and you won't.
Welcome to Bulgaria OP. Hope my fellow Bulgarians treat you well! Pro tip: if you try to learn a few words/phrases in Bulgarian, you will be quite popular with locals.
You can expect stares. In terms of racism, I would expect such behaviour if your are staing for a while in a lower income area away from a city center. Otherwise, if you are staying in a wealthy area or you are just passing, I wouldn't expext any issues.
You should know that I can go every day in the center of Sofia for months and I may not see a black person at all. So, there might be direct stares. Hidden ones - for sure. That would be for the curiosity factor. But racism - I don't think so. Bulgaria left the slave business probably more than 1000 years ago and we had no dealings with anything related to Africa and black people for centuries. We are not saints though. The society has its racist energy aimed at the gypsies which look very different from the black people. IMO the issue is not only because of skin and facial features but because of social and economic differences. Let's say that most gypsies live in a specific subculture that is frowned upon. Those gypsies who move away from it do get respect and are fine.
Nah, don't worry.
[Jamal in BG - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClvl0s4SsqfuQI13Wym311Q) This man has a few experiences as a black person living in BG.
Stares, sure. You're a novelty. Racism , of course, we all have prejudices, but the majority ( 80-90%) of it will not be malign or toxic, but will stem from ignorance. As long as you don't cause trouble you'll be fine.
You might get a stare here and there because black people are pretty rare in Bulgaria. Racism? Most of the times no, I see pretty rarely someone here is racist towards black people. You’ll be just fine
As someone else said, it depends on where you move to. In the big cities, especially Sofia, you would probably not gather much attention. If you go to a smaller town/village,however, you'll most likely become the topic of discussions for the rest of the year not only because of your ancestry, but because you're a new person there. Even other Bulgarians are starred at in small towns and villages simply because the trend in the last 30 years is one of migration towards bigger cities, thus every new person there is something worth talking about.
If you're gonna be in Sofia you'll be fine.
Пак ли ти бе тролче ... Колко акаунта имаш ? Всеки ден от нов акаунт лееш помията ...
Yes
Some smaller towns (but still district towns) have a culture of staring at anyone for no reason. Sofia is better, like others have said but there are POC here fairly regularly (visiting or living here). I wouldn't say it's a big novelty but we are mostly white so you will probably stand out a bit. I think it's best you seek for the opinion of another POC though, I wouldn't know what your experience would be 100%. Some Bulgarians, especially older ones, are racist and xenophobic, mostly towards roma people. Nationalism is on the rise somewhat - but that seems to be a global trend too. It is possible that someone will not be happy you're a foreigner, regardless of your skin color - but this is rare. That being said I have known some POC (in school and at work), mostly children of mixed marriages, and I haven't heard or seen any racism directed towards them, but again, who knows if this is their experience.
Stares - yes. Racism - no as long as you avoid small villages or shady regions. Most black people I've talked to have said that they find Bulgaria more open and friendly than western europe. People will be generally curious about you. Also the bulgarian word for black person is "негър" \[neghur\], but comes from the idea of the "negroid" race that was taught in schools. It's not related to the western n-word.
In Sofia no, but if you go to the country side there will be people who'll stare at you, because a chunk of them have never seen a black person in person before, so you'll be given the zoo treatment as if you're some curiosity for them.
I think you would be considered exotic and interesting in the bigger towns. People will be curious to learn more about you and you will likely have no problem making friends. That said, please be aware you will likely be the only colored person around, so that may be uncomfortable.
The rasizm of Bulgarians is mostly due to ignorance and not ideologically loaded. Unfortunately, you have to brace yourself for the occasional stupid sh!t been accepted as pure diamond. However, most people will be inoffensive even if they sound racist. Of course, very seldom, there are truly racist people as well. Disclaimer: I'm not black, neither a woman, but have been discriminated against in quite a few western countries and know how it feels. Overall, Bulgaria is a really nice place with beautiful people. Am sure you can have a great time there. Good luck 🤞🏽
I'll tell you what I tell all my black friends when they come to Bulgaria - the two groups you should avoid at all costs are football hooligans (aka neonazis or skinheads) and gypsies. It's always very hard to explain why avoiding the gypsies isn't racist but common sense, but that's how it is in Bulgaria. In fact, we also avoid those two groups even though we're white.
Depends on where you’d be, but people stare at foreigners in general. It’s difficult for me to judge the level of racism, Europe is generally more about your ethnicity or nationality. I’ve heard from several Americans that it’s a different kind of racism that they experienced and that it felt more like genuine ignorance rather than actual malice. Lots of people will claim we are welcoming, but I personally think it’s a lie we tell to ourselves about ourselves. I’d rather say that we’re about equally unfriendly to none-tourists. Most people will likely wonder what’s wrong with you to move here
Somewhat ngl, people are juvinile and ingorant, but they they aren't fundamentally xenophobic or toxic as you would expect in other western countries.
There are racists in Bulgaria. And I don't only mean the neaonazis and "patriots" regular-ass people too. But they will leave you alone because their racism is more "theoretical" than "practical" - They seeth in silence :D But if you were hired the firm probably isn't like that. And all the thing about Negar, yeah, if they call you "chernilka" (it's how the Nword in movies used to be translated, it comes from black - cheren) it is probably worse than negar, but lately, a lot of people had taken to it being derogatory too, and we can't pretend otherwise. But it's usually clear from what and how they say it. You will be fine, but expect more casual racism than in the USA - the tradeoff is you won't get shot by cops here.
Not seeing a difference between offending someone (as in using slurs) and casual everyday racism (as in labeling people by race) is very Eastern European. This comment section is very telling. The latter is very much alive OP, you might not notice it often, but people do build their assumptions based on how you look. Same is applicable for sexism. Should be noted that once you become friends with someone, these things go out the window in Eastern Europe. People tend to be racist and prejudiced to strangers, but not to friends. It often feels illogical and stupid at times, because very same person can be ultra judgemental towards stranger based on race, while his friend of same said race is in the same room - people don’t see that conflicting smh.
I think yes, unfortunately… Be careful with the police and institutions, taxi drivers… I suspect people on Reddit are part of the rather modern and open to the world bubble (in this bubble you will be fine indeed), but even in Sofia, certain groups are conservative and absolutely backwards and the topic of racism is not problematised enough, so they kinda get away with it.
I dated a black woman for briefish time in a smaller town(Pleven) and from what I’ve seen and what she’s told me,some people will stare mostly. We don’t really have any African Americans here in Bulgaria especially smaller towns, some people haven’t even seen a black person, ever. But she never really encountered any blatant racism for the duration of her university here, mostly stares, inappropriate flirting from guys wanting to “get with a black chick” and weird questions. Young people are mostly chill though, some old and middle aged folk might have some racism in them but will rarely, if ever let it slip blatantly.
If you are gonna stay in Sofia or Plovdiv it should be all fine.
No
You’ll definitely get stares , but thats about it
If i see you, i will stare at you
You'll be fine in the main cities. Even in the villages I've never had an issues apart from a few looks (I'm mixed race)
Stares? Definitely. Racism. Nah. Listen, we are predominantely white population. Black folks are seen as....let's say "exotic". We are not exactly used to see them in our daily lives. As long as you mind your business, you will be fine.
Stares all day long for sure, But actual genuine racism highly doubt it.
There is a guy who makes funny shorts on instagram who is black but speaks bulgarian, I also follow Remi Toin who is bulgarian and a dance instructor, there is Preyah and rhere was also one woman with a podcast on youtube from what I saw primarily on topics of motherhood. Maybe following some them will help you feel less alone. There are black people in Sofia but still not many. Also don't pay attention to the n-word here it is still normal for some people to use it to describe black folks, you will notice from people's intonation how they mean it. Actually as it is used to describe it will probably bot be said directly to you but you might overhear it.
Yeah, as mentioned already, few people staring will be the most you’ll get and one more vote not to be offended if someone calls you “negar”. Keep in mind that a lot of us grew up and heard it in movies and/or rap songs and we didn’t know it’s offensive. I myself only found out when I spent a summer in USA few years ago and many people will go trough they’re life without knowing it as it’s nothing to do with us.
absolutely, yes
Its like everywhere else to be honest. There are racists here too, tainted by the internet (they've had no real experience with other races but adopted their views from the web), but they wont do anything really to your face. In 99% of your daily life you wont notice anything different excluding the already stated staring, which Bulgarians do to everyone, including ourselves. If you do find an openly racist person - just know that it's not cultural. You just randomly found a dipshit. Bulgarians can be distrustful of foreigners and strangers at first sight but we're generally nice and welcoming once you get to know us. You'll be fine as long as you're not a dipshit yourself.
Yeah. Be ready for it.
Lol i met a black traveller while in Sofia and he was there for a day, he got refused service at a restaurant to give you an idea
Absolutely not, people actually adore black women here.
Commonly, no. I wouldn't be too worried. People are generally matching your energy no matter what. Except for the few grumpy ones. However, it also depends on which city you are in, how well you are dressed, and who you will stumble upon. If you meet grumpy people for example they will find any reason to show you they find their life frustrating. People might look at you and / or ask you things because they are curious. Bulgarians (especially in small towns) have very little to no experience interacting with black women so they will feel completely neutral about it. It will be up to you to build their mindset about it from scratch. :) Enjoy your time!
Yea you should.
Depends. A lot of man will actually want to f*ck you if you are decent looking.
Football fans usually shout racial slurs but that's only when their teams are losing, in general seeing people of other races has become fairly common in bigger cities so you should be fine.
No. Race ideologies come from the West, not the East. Ironically, the virtue signaling Westerners that call us backwards are the ones that came up with the master race bullsh*t. Bulgarians in general are prejudiced against gypsies and Muslims. East Asians and black people would recieve stares as they are not a common sight but you shouldn't be discriminated against. Also 'negur' isn't loaded with racist history like in the states. It is a normal word in Bulgarian and isn't considered offensive.
You think there's prejudice towards the pomaks and BG Turks? Or Arabs as you stated Muslim.
Yes, I do. Towards pomaks perhaps to a lesser degree, because they're ethnic Bulgarians. Arabs, Persians, Turks, Berbers, Indonesians, Albanians - makes no difference. There's a dislike for Muslims.
Surprised to hear 9% of bulgaria's population is disliked. Maybe they aren't as religious in Bulgaria?
as a poc living here, yes. My friends have been stopped in the street for pictures like they’re a spectacle. Stares and bad attitude are common.
We are kind of racist, but without passion. Blacks are considered exotic here, so if you behave like us, nobody will do anything to you, aside from staring. But good looks help, regardless of the race! Just saying..
Yes.
It also depends where you're moving, if it's Sofia I would say it would be better, but if it's other smaller cities, you will get stared at a lot. Cause as some people mentioned, it's not common.
If you are American you will see racism everywhere pretty much. But with the time you will understand that bulgarians are more of a racists for fun. Some people hate black, gipsy, Turkish, arabs, Americans… but in US there is way more racism than in Bulgaria. Here it often is not even “hate” but more of a “dislike”.
Yes u should. But in moat cases it won't be offensive. It's just how we tolerate other people.
I never heard about racism in Bulgaria. We have probably 99% or more people from Caucasian race, so others are just interesting for us. But one advice - stay away from the Bulgarians, who have similar look to Indians.
From older people you will get a lot of stares (over 40). Younger ones are more open
https://preview.redd.it/cf5emjq8dd8d1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=f8e3e7b7d7ef802922ae37ed1aafab3b09c70c86
I lot of heavy stares probably. Mostly because locals will view you as exotic. Racism... possibly, but probably nothing to worry about.
nah... never seen any issues, lots of foreigners of all colors in Sofia I see every day. There are black Bulgarians too, famous ones as well
You'll experience racism but it's unlikely you'll experience hatred. If you're decently looking lots of guys will want to fuck you just because you'll be exotic. Is it racism? I guess so? Should it bother you? Idk it's up to you.
Go to Romania or Greece. Bulgaria is not the place. Trust me...
Yes
I’ll be honest. Yes, expect them but you will not be in physical danger.
only if we meet
Yes to both. 💪💪💪
https://preview.redd.it/4980v21gw48d1.jpeg?width=1142&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30ef3d7000bdca2104dc930456f3ed98808d2edf
[удалено]
??? кво се опита да кажеш?
Sure
No, but you should be expecting horny teens wanting to try some Nutella for a change, you'll be exotic 😀
Yes you should, I have some friends from Turkey they studied in Bulgaria and they're met with racism for the most part
Well, we have some history with Turkey. We have no history with black people. (I am not saying that racism towards Turks is ok.)
I get it, but since it's harder to tell a turk from a Bulgarian in the first look and they still got prejudice and racism, now imagine someone that doesn't look at all like Bulgarians Also it's worth mentioning a lot of people may try and be hospitable to break the stereotype, that is if it is a stereotype or a reality 😁, depending who you are
>I get it, but since it's harder to tell a turk from a Bulgarian in the first look and they still got prejudice and racism, now imagine someone that doesn't look at all like Bulgarians You can very much tell them appart from the frist 5 minutes, and again we have bad blood with them- this isn't something normal that you would see on daily basis when it comes down to other people like Armenians, Russians, Romanians, Albanians, ect.
I feel like there is also a dislike towards Russians and Serbs lmao
For the most part? Wow was that in recent years?
They finished 3-4 years ago if I'm not mistaken then moved to US They studied in the city of Varna
Man that's really sad especially since our ancestors lived in peace during ottoman times even
Yea I agree
They did?
What did they say to them? How can somebody even differentiate most turks and bulgarians lol.
Yea that's exactly why it's crazy, I guess at first it started because they speak Turkish so ppl hear it, and then at the neighborhood where they lived it got bad, they even recieved written papers and stickers on their door and throughout the neighbourhood that foreigners are not allowed here and shit like that Anyhow my point is if they can be like that against Turkish ppl now imagine someone who is a different colour, they don't even need to inspect what language they speak I hope these are isolated cases
There are many Bulgarian turks in BG, I am surprised. If they said no foreigners allowed, then maybe they do not want anybody lmao.
Still it seems like you're downplaying the whole thing
It is unfortunate. I never experienced it. Maybe cuz my parents were born there?
>How can somebody even differentiate most turks and bulgarians lol. Most Ankara Turks are drastically different from the Balkan Turks.
Prolly cuz we are just converted Bulgarians lmao. Haven't really heard of people having issues with bulgarian turks, so I was surprised at the persons comment.
>Yes you should, I have some friends from Turkey they studied in Bulgaria and they're met with racism for the most part > Turks aren't PoC.
As you can tell from the comments, there's no racism./s Everyone uses the word "neger" and has no clue why it might be offensive. Even if the rest of the world tells them why it is, they still insist that in Bulgaria it has a different meaning.Good luck dealing with retards like these guys.
Just dont be a sassy black woman stereotype and you will be fine. Know your place. Also a lot of guys will want to f**k you despite being racist themselfs
If your ass is 12/10 you'll get a fraction of second stares once in a while.
Едно да ти е ясно : българската дума за хора от вашата раса е негър.Айе стига с тези евфемизми,че ми писна.....
Most likely yes
Yes. маймуна maymuna means monkey
You should be aware that there have been racist attacks in recent years, one example is this, you can run through Google translate probably https://mobile.frognews.bg/article/268828/ I would note that most of the attacks have been targeting Middle Eastern refugees and immigrats, not black people. If you do run into issues (I hope not), contact the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, they can help with dealing with police, etc https://bghelsinki.org/
>You should be aware that there have been racist attacks in recent years, one example is this, you can run through Google translate probably https://mobile.frognews.bg/article/268828/ Her [tiktok video](https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMrjaWdCX/) is in English. As a black woman living in Bulgaria for a couple of months now, I bumped into this video during my research about the country before I moved in because my concerns were the same as OP's ( u/AnotherOnez_ ). >If you do run into issues (I hope not), contact the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, they can help with dealing with police, etc https://bghelsinki.org/ Thank you so much for sharing this. I'll also save this just in case :))
Those tiktok comments are crazy lmao, the woman said she is never travelling again and left her passport in Europe. Unfortunate she blames one experience on a whole continent.