The collection presents the life and work of Sevdalina Panayotova - a teacher of literature at a school in Chepelare, an amateur theatre director, a public figure, and a citizen. Sevdalina Panayotova was not a well-known writer, director, or a popular dissident but her whole life and creativity was a rebellion against the attempt of the socialist state to impose narrow standards and norms, against pseudo-morals and pseudo-arts, against the principles of socialist realism in literature and theatrical art.
The collection shows the attempt of a "life of truth". The daughter of Sevdalina Panayotova, Teodora, who together with her sister Boryana created and maintain the collection, explains: "Opposition discourse and opposition activity were part of the everyday life of Sevdalina Panayotova. They are expressed in a series of non-eye-catching acts, gestures and words, such as a non-traditional reading of a work (for example of the proletarian poets Hristo Smirnenski and Nikola Vaptsarov); an 'inappropriate' statement of a teacher's meeting; a reference to a forbidden fact or an author in front of the students; lecture with the students of forbidden or semi-forbidden books; education in non-fear and non-obedience; rehearsal of the literary-club scene after the evening hours; singing of free-guitar songs; giving lessons for free, i.e. refusal to participate in the natural exchange of services against goods; integrity, dignified behavior, and assertion of principles. Accumulated over the years, these 'little' things seem to turn into a dissension/dissent with no less importance than the impressive escapades across borders and the talks on Radio Free Europe. The cultural and, above all, moral opposition of Sevdalina Panayotova prevented many from losing the measure for good and evil, honest and low, responsible and irresponsible, bold and sneaky, and so on. And the preservation of moral values is the first condition for building civic behavior."
Sevdalina Panayotova was a characteristic and vivid representative of the cultural opposition to the socialist regime. The life credo of Sevdalina Panayotova, a third-generation teacher, was that education and upbringing are key factors in the formation of one’s personality and the path to emancipation. Education in the sense of knowledge, scientific approach, and analytical thinking; education, in the sense of observance of basic moral norms, regardless of the circumstances. Therefore, building critical thinking (i.e. questioning common and imposed top-down "truths") among relatives, friends, and especially among students was Sevdalina Panayotova’s approach to opposition. It took different forms: a literary circle, a theatrical performance, a script, and above all, teaching literature in high school with an approach different from those officially accepted.
The scenes and performances of Sevdalina Panayotova were not only popular at the regional level (Smolyan); they have also won first place in national reviews of school and amateur theater and have been highly appreciated by lecturers at the Krastyo Sarafov Higher Institute for Theater Arts (since 1995 known as the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts). A number of students of Sevdalina Panayotova graduated from theatrical institute and went on to become professional actors.
Sevdalina Panayotova's activity provoked the constant disapproval of the socialist power - from the national party to city and district party committees, State Security, and other structures of the totalitarian system. As a teacher, screenwriter, and theater director, Sevdalina Panayotova has created numerous scenes and plays that have been blocked and hindered by state institutions, but which have imbued different generations with courage, and anti-totalitarian thinking.
