Cultural ‘Development’ in Plovdiv: Visiting Kapana District

When driving from the outer areas of the European Capital of Culture Plovdiv to the hostel in the central Old Town, our group of Amsterdam anthropologists ‘in the wild’ experienced a sharp contrast between these areas. Visible differences were even more apparent between the outer neighbourhoods and the hipster district of Kapana, where we decided to have our first Bulgarian dinner. Whilst the outskirts of Plovdiv seemed damaged, stagnant, and rundown, the Old Town and the neighbourhood of Kapana looked well maintained and were met with various exclamations of appreciation and admiration in our group. This is in line with the way in which Kapana district is framed as one of the most successful projects of ‘cultural development’ of the European Capital of Culture programme.

Our first encounter with Kapana was when we emerged from a grey walking tunnel full of empty shops and graffiti in order to find its lively streets full of bars and restaurants. The district had sounded promising when we were still in Amsterdam and it did not disappoint: it provided us with the sight of pretty old buildings, renewed stores and cafes, cute flags, hip letters, and a type of styling that is very recognisable for those who have lived or stayed in trendy cities like Berlin and Amsterdam. Unsurprisingly, we opted for a restaurant in this area and enjoyed being in its lively spaces, shared by both tourists and locals. The great enthusiasm for Kapana in our group of Amsterdam students shows that we partly look for that which signifies joy and beauty to us (or familiarity?). Yet, we were also happy to find traditional Bulgarian food on the menu, such as a dish with baked beans. It is important to think about the spaces in which certain tourists enjoy being and the politics of these spaces.

Kapana district was actively ‘developed’ as part of the ECOC. As one of our guides explained the following day, the European Capital of Culture programme is seen as a tool for the cultural advancement of the city of Plovdiv. Terms such as development and advancement raise questions about the specific direction in which Plovdiv and its cultural spheres transform into and the politics of corresponding decisions. They bring with them issues of agency, hegemony, and power. Who decides what ‘good’ or desirable culture is and what it should be used for? Why are Western-looking districts such as Kapana seen as successful cultural projects? Some signs seem to suggest that the most innovative art and culture, the ‘really European’ come from the West of Europe, not the East. This is clearly visible in Kapana, where the aesthetics of the place resemble the cafes and streets of Western cities. The perceived success of this area thus illustrates a hegemony of culture from Western-European countries.

The ECOC of 2019, the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, can function as a case study for thinking about dynamics between the West and East (or North and South) of Europe. Our positive experiences as students from Amsterdam in Kapana illuminate some of the ways in which the ECOC of Plovdiv is in dialogue with Western cultural dominance. Deconstructing the politics of cultural development and its directions opens up ways of envisioning all areas of our continent as spaces for cultural expressions and local initiatives that might differ from what the tourist hopes to find or what the cultural norm is and, additionally, as spaces that deserve to be supported by funding through the European Capital of Culture programme.