 |
| Site Admin |
 |
Joined: 12 Feb 2003 05:49
Posts: 7868
Location: Toronto
|
Private School Divides Macedonians in Greece
Nova Makedonija - April 28, 2009
http://www.novamakedonija.com.mk/Deskto ... leID=23430
"Mori chupi Kosturchanki, rashirete go oroto, rashirete go oroto, da vi vi'me fustanite..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p5XfYtESr0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gT6CQHX3o (traditional version)
This is an excerpt of a traditional Aegean folksong in the Macedonian language mentioned on the website of the Educational and Cultural Organization of Voden, a recently formed group by Macedonians from Northern Greece.
The newly formed group plans to open the first private school in Greece where one can learn the Macedonian language. However, this poses a dilemma for the Macedonians in Greece some of whom wonder whether it is a good idea.
Our sources, which prefer to remain anonymous, tell us that most Macedonians who live in Northern Greece won't allow their children to attend a private school to learn Macedonian because they are afraid that Greek authorities will cause them problems. Consequently, Greek officials will use this lack of attendance to claim there is no interest to learn the Macedonian language.
Supporters of the new group, who refuse to speak publicly, say they will not give up on the idea of opening a Macedonian language school. "We will not abandon our plan to open a private school where one can learn the Macedonian language."
The first courses are planned to be held this summer in the Voden area.
The website of the new Educational and Cultural Organization of Voden is only written in Greek, but there are plans that soon the information on the site will also be presented in Macedonian.
The site mentions that one of its purposes is to educate the Macedonians in Greece about Macedonian traditions, culture, and dress, through organizing seminars, concerts and events. The group also plans to open a library of Macedonian books and other items.
------------------------------------------------------------
Greek Nationalists Move Against Macedonians in Voden
NovaMakedonija - April 29, 2009
http://www.novamakedonija.com.mk/Deskto ... leID=23503
Greek nationalists are upset with the formation of a new cultural organization in Voden where the Macedonian language will be taught. The names, telephone numbers and addresses of some of the cultural organization's members have been posted on Greek blogs, which make reference to a "Bulgarian language".
Petre Kaziev, former member of Vinozhito and member of the new cultural organization, says the new cultural group has already had early reactions from Greeks, not only via blogs but also through their website.
Kaziev declined to comment as to why the organization's registration documents omit mention of the word "Macedonian". The statues describe a cultural organization in Voden which endeavours to promote local culture and history in cooperation with other groups in the region through organizing cultural events, theatre productions and book promotions.
Greek nationalists are threatening to bring the organization before the courts and have it banned using the argument that it is secretly going to offer lessons in Macedonian - information they gleaned by reading a Macedonian website in the Diaspora.
Kaziev says the organization will open the school and offer its first course within a month. Despite the argument from some Macedonians from Lerin that there are too few Macedonians who would allow their children to learn the Macedonian language in a private school out of fear of reprisal from Greek authorities, Kaziev responds that the courses are organized locally, in Voden, and they should not be afraid.
A few years back Macedonians from Greece would learn Macedonian at international seminars on the Macedonian language, which are held annually in Ohrid. However, in the last three years, according to the director of the seminars, Emilija Crvenkovska, not one Macedonia from Greece has registered to attend.
They are afraid to register because they will encounter problems [from Greek authorities and Greek nationalists] still, some come secretly to the seminars, notes Atanas Parisis of Vinozhito.
-----------------------------------------
Website of the new Educational and Cultural Organization of Voden
http://www.edessavoden.gr/page1.aspx
The NGO "Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa" was created by people who love the local Macedonian tradition and want to preserve and spread this rich cultural heritage, which for historical and political reasons did not have protection and promotion in our country.
Our Institution, in collaboration with other educational and cultural associations and other institutions in the province of Macedonia, in all of the Greek territory and in the countries in the Balkans, will help in the promotion of each local Macedonian cultural expression, old and modern.
One of the most important initiatives of the NGO will be the recording and publication of all folklore elements which tend to be close to extinction, as is the local Macedonian language in every region of Macedonia, the traditional songs that are sung in this language as well as the old customs, fairy tales and histories of these regions.
The NGO will help also in the promotion of new artists who many times do not have the means to present their art.
The "Educative Cultural Movement of Edessa" will make up a living cell of culture as well as preserve and continue our rich heritage. Our responsibility toward future generations is big and the transfer of morals, customs, tradition, culture and the language of our ancestors is our obligation and our aim.
-----------------------------------------
Ka mi ispadnala moma Katerina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7A80vzK0Lk
-----------------------------------------
http://belomorskamacedonia.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------
State Obligations Regarding Persons Belonging to National Minorities
1. States should guarantee the right of everyone, including persons belonging To National Minorities, to equality before the law and to equal protection under the law. In this respect, discrimination based on belonging to a National Minority or related grounds is prohibited. Achieving substantive equality may require special measures and such measures should not be regarded as being discriminatory.
2. States should respect and promote the rights of persons belonging to National Minorities, including the right freely to express, preserve and develop their cultural, linguistic or religious identity free from any attempts at assimilation against their will.
3. States should promote the integration of society and strengthen social Cohe- Sion. This implies that persons belonging to National Minorities are given an effective voice at all levels of governance, especially with regard to, but not limited to, those matters, which affect them. Integration can only be achieved if persons belonging to National Minorities, in turn, participate in all aspects of public life and respect the rules and regulations of the country they reside in.
4. States should not unduly restrict the right of persons belonging to National Minorities to establish and maintain unimpeded and peaceful contacts across frontiers with persons lawfully residing in other States, in particular those with whom they share a National or ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious identity, or a common cultural heritage.
We the Macedonians throughout the world have a responsibility to take every legal action to ensure that all states fulfill the above obligations.
-----------------------------------------
Το Μακεδονικό και η Βουλγαρία
http://iliden.blogspot.com/ (...in Greek)
This was posted in the iliden blogspot after the posting in many anti-macedonian blogs, about the new NGO "Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa", translated into English.
"The “Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa”, is the new Macedonian association, that these last days was the object of fierce fascist attacks. The attacks began, as usually, via the anti-macedonian blogs and are expected to be continued via racist papers and mechanisms of black propaganda that flourish in our region.
The association, by what I understood, is a Non Governmental Organisation with educational and cultural character. It is not limited to Macedonian culture, but because its founders are of Macedonian origin (from Edessa), automatically were considered suspicious. Especially at the moment that it appeared in some web page of the Macedonian Diaspora, it had to be exterminated. The persecutors immediately said that, “In Edessa was created a "skopian" Association called .....” followed by a sewer of mud-talking and calumny.
Were reported also certain names of leaders, the names of whom were covered with mud and infamy. They sought also the names of the founding members. Why, I wonder? The founders, who ever they are, certainly created the association with a view to make public events and their activities will be addressed to all citizens. Hence they do not have aim to be hidden. To what, therefore, this hastiness to know the names?
The reason is one and only. The anti-macedonian racists know they cannot anymore deter the creation of any association that cultivates any form of Macedonian culture. The pioneer activists of MAKIBE, Rainbow and others, individually, are acting in broad daylight and undisturbed. They are employed by the state, they take public work or government subsidies and the official state does not bother them, as in the past.
The Rainbow congress took place under government protection, the festivals are protected from annoying racists (for example that of Meliti, recently), the same goes for activities of Macedonian cultural associations, too. This cannot "digest" the fascists and the racists. And because they cannot prevent them anymore, they resort to the tactic of calumny and mud-talking. The calumny is characteristic weapon of invalid intellectually persons.
They know that the named and continuously increasing in number activists are not intimidated and will continue, and neither these racists hope in something like it. Their objective is the big majority of local people who are deceived, trapped by the anti-macedonian propaganda, the fears of the past and deficiently informed. Striking the pioneers, they send the messages to the majority:. “This will suffer whoever dares”.
This effort is not unique, nor makes a first-time appearance. By this way is faced each effort of invigoration of local Macedonian culture. By this way was faced even the initiative of establishing the annual Festival of Macedonian Dances in 1992. And we talk only for dances. Not only is not prohibited the Festival of Pontian Dances, but also is granted by air-conditioned closed gyms, is subsidised and appears at the television.
The festival of Macedonian Dances, instead of being faced equivalently and be helped by the state, as the Pontian is, was faced in the same way as the new-founded association in Edessa. Macedonian associations should limit themselves only in music and no song in their events, other ways they enter in the foresight of fascists. They should not have relations with the associations of their fellow countrymen in the Republic of Macedonia and in the Diaspora. The Natives should be citizens of limited rights and the limits of their rights are determined by others.
This that happens today is the continuity of the policy of castor oil, exiles, beatings, the fines to all Macedonians they used their maternal tongue. As the situation today does not allow anymore such methods, they have been inventing various other ways: black propaganda, calumny, mud-talking. Maybe someone will say it is exaggeration the use of terms like fascists and racists. Many times we hear to be stressed that basic characteristic of democracy is the respect of the right of others to express themselves with no restriction and no repercussion for their opinion. Many times we hear them repeat the maxim of Voltaire "I disagree with what you say, but I will be defending till my death your right to say it".
The Natives' right to say what they believe, for what it concerns them, not only they do not respect it and they are not defending it up to death, but they undermine it. That is the opposite of democracy, that is to say fascism. And unfortunately this peculiar fascism has a lot of means and many tentacles. Huge responsibilities for this have also all those who tolerate this phenomenon. Even the silence is accomplice.
Accomplices also are those institutions in the nucleus of which are cultivated anti-macedonian propagandas, like the political parties, the institutions kind of IMXA, the "Company of Macedonian Study", the “Pammacedonian Unions”, near the Church organisations, Pontian associations etc There are the nest where the suckling of all these dirty anti-macedonian propagandas take place.
Do they not know that for the Macedonians it is considered an insult the characterization “Bulgar” and the language as “Bulgarian”? When they characterize our ancestors who made the revolution of Iliden as Bulgarians, do they understand that they characterize also us, who are their descendants, as Bulgarians? They know it very well, but they consider that they have the right to offend us, without us to react.
Would they like us to start also to call the refugees Turks or Turks' seeds, as certain Macedonians do the same? Certainly, no. Therefore should take notice those who insult and defame us but also those who are hidden behind them, that if this disrespect is continued, this blog will start to post articles and comments of Macedonians that call those refugees from Asia Turks and Turks' seeds, “knowing well the consequences of law”.
And we do not recognize to the state the right to observe two metres and two levels. To all of them we want to say this: enough is enough. You came in our homeland and instead of respecting our hospitality for you to sit by our side, with respect to our identity and our rights, you sat on our necks. Get down, therefore, from our necks, because we are not compelled to tolerate you as guardians, for ever. We will toss you off and your landing will be very abnormal."
Posted by Karatasho
-----------------------------------------
Recent United Nations Report on Greece
http://www.maknews.com/html/articles/un ... e_2009.pdf
|
|
Login
Register
FAQ
