The Macedonian Digest
“From the readers for the readers”
Edition 32 – August 2008
======oOo======
Editor’s Notes
The Macedonians do not have to change their name
for anyone, nor should they. The Macedonian people decided to be called
the Republic of Macedonia in 1991, and that must be respected by one and
all. More Macedonians need to wake up to the fact that the Greeks want
nothing more than the entire annihilation of the Macedonian culture and
because the Macedonian government has refused to challenge this policy,
directly; it has in fact aided and courted, even facilitated, Greek policy
regarding the cultural genocide of the ethnic Macedonians. Not raising
a single point regarding a century of forcible Hellenization of the ethnic
Macedonians, the Macedonian government has in part sanctioned the policy
of a foreign government whose objective is nothing less than the complete
denial of the Macedonian people. It would truly be a trick of some genius
if they can actually get the Macedonian government to deny their identity,
their own history and their own people, and it looks as though they will.
Macedonia was never Greek (this can be proven quite easily), so anyone
else using the term "Macedonian" is a direct challenge to the Macedonian
ethnic group, and it is up to the current political representatives of the Macedonian
people to challenge anyone else using their name, their identity and their history
in a way that subverts and subjugates the culture and identity of the Macedonians.
Paul
Feature Stories
WMC: Greece planned an attack on Macedonia in 1992
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/2040/45/
Greece has been attempting to wipe out the Macedonians since 1912 when
it illegally confiscated and occupied Macedonian land. The culmination is today
by requesting Macedonia change its name.
Ever since the former Yugoslavia collapsed, the only foreign policy goal
of Athens is to show that Macedonia doesn't have the capacity to organize democratic
and free elections as an alibi to isolate our country from the European Union
and NATO, says the World Macedonian Congress (WMC), in a report sent to all international
organizations.
“For this continuance, from sources close to the Government in Athens,
we would like to inform the international community of the double standards,
and absurdity of the Greek Government in asking for “good neighborly” relations
from Macedonia.
We request the Macedonian Government, European Union, and NATO start an
investigation and sanctions against the Government in Athens for planning an
aggression on Macedonia in October of 1992, under the doctrine of defensive occupation,
in other words taking part of Macedonia (Prilep – Strumica) and keeping it. For
this occasion, the Greek Government mobilized their First Army Corps (out of
four total), in the region of Lerin and Voden, planning to invade towards Pelagonija
by breaching the Medzitlija border as well as in the region of Kukush towards
the Vardar valley.” says WMC President Todor Petrov in today's press conference.
Because of disagreements between Greek Political parties in Parliament,
they all had to agree under Greek law for attack to occur, explains Petrov, the
Athens military aggression on Macedonia was not ordered and it transformed into
a military exercise near the Macedonian border called “Alexandros 92” (using
the name of the Macedonian warrior for the first time.)
“Contrary to all standards, and Copenhagen criteria, under which is forbidden
to have military exercise at the border, rather it must be done deep within a
country's territory, Greece did not inform Macedonia on it even though it must
inform not just Macedonia, rather all neighboring countries. Macedonia was not
invited to analyze nor see the results of the exercise. However, during the Greek
exercise there was a non-neighbor, Serbian Military Delegation present. This
is in time when Slobodan Milosevic, and Mitsotakis (the father of current FM
Dora Bakoyannis) signed an agreement in London to split Macedonia”, says Petrov.
The World Macedonian Congress requests an explanation from Athens and Brussels,
“what neighborly relations are asked of Macedonia as a criteria for EU and NATO,
when a military aggression from Athens is an act of war and an assured entrance
into regional destabilization. Isn't this contrary to good neighborly relations?”
At the same time, the WMC is asking the Macedonian Government, EU as well
as NATO to make an investigation into Athens meddling in Macedonia's elections,
because of, as the WMC points out, outrageous sums of money paid to a political
party to create incidents and irregularities at the elections with the goal of
destabilizing the country and its progress towards the EU and NATO, under the
auspices the country is not free and democratic to enter these organizations.
“It must be taken into account Ali Ahmeti's visit to Athens six months
ago and his meeting with Dora Bakoyannis and Karamanlis. There are indications
the agreement to cause incidents and irregularities happened on this visit."
WMC accuses Brussels and Strasbourg for double standards against Macedonia
and considers the Greek Veto as an unfriendly act, contrary to the good neighborly
politics and regional stability.
“The name for Macedonia is an internal problem for the European Union and
NATO, and they must solve this with Athens. Macedonians aren't giving up on EU
or NATO, and will continue with their reforms not because of EU and NATO, rather
because of themselves. Macedonia will enter these organizations when Brussels
and Strasbourg will take care of the Greek genocide and anti-Macedonianism in
Athens, i.e. when they will publicly accept Macedonia without the additions or
adjectives, Macedonian language, culture and the Macedonian Orthodox Church,
which are historically, the foundations of Europe.
In the wake of UN Negotiator Matthew Nimetz's visit on Skopje, the World
Macedonian Congress with a view that “the name is closed with the referendum
of 8 September 1991, when all of our citizens voted for independent Macedonia.”
Not another BIG Greek Lie?
Eleftheros
Typos just doesn't get Bored
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/2055/1/
For the past month, Greek Daily Eleftheros Typos has published a dozen
'names' as to the possible solution in the name saga between Macedonia and Athens.
I was convinced the daily would run out of names at one point. I was wrong.
Not just the Athens Daily didn't run out of names, under each name it claimed "This
is it, Skopje and Athens agreed" or "This is the name the U.S. prefers" or "Both
parties agreed on this name".
Eleftheros Typos claimed a deal was "struck" for "New Macedonia", "North
Macedonia" "Upper Macedonia" and now, "Vardar Macedonia",
even though these names have been refused years ago by Macedonia.
Now, I don't have an issue with their nonsense information. Dora and Karamanlis
simply send their wishes to the paper and tell them what to publish. Sometimes
they publish names to check on their own population, now that most of them suffer
from hysteria, they wish to test them.
What I do have a problem is the Macedonian Media, unfortunately all of
it controlled by the Opposition (except for one paper). They continue to publish
the nonsense that comes out of Athens, on their front page, in Macedonia. While
Eleftheros Typos is an extended hand of the Greek Government, the Macedonian
Media by default, becomes, an extended hand of the Greek Government. Unfortunately,
they don't realize this.
A1, Utrinski, Dnevnik, Vest, Vreme, Spic are you really under this much
pressure from your boss(es)? Or are you really this limited? Instead of telling
the public what the Greek Media says, here is a revolutionary idea: Tell the
Macedonian Public what You think of the dispute. I don't think the Macedonians
appreciate to be flooded with rubbish coming out of Athens.
Though you are attempting to make life difficult for Gruevski, with the
hope your bosses could come back to Parliament in four years, not going to happen.
They aren't going to Parliament in the next eight or more years. Take a lesson
from the Greek Media, and put yourself not in service of the Government like
they do, but in the service of your Macedonia.
Gorazd V.
From the International Scene
The following article was sent to the Macedonian people from a number of progressive Greek organizations
Translated by Goche
There are three parts:
1 Παράκληση (Plea)
This just informs everyone that if they do not wish to receive emails from this source they can ask to be removed from the mailing list. It also invites anyone who agrees with their ideology to cooperate with them.
2 ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΣΗ (Announcement)
This is an announcement about the letter of support from 5 Greek Organizations, delivered in person to the Ambassador (they used the term Ambassador) of the Republic of Macedonia on May 29/08 they give some background and the reasons for the letter.
Here is some paragraphs: ( quoting )
"The Archbishop of the Republic of Macedonia during his audience with the Pope of Rome did not say anything that was historically inaccurate.
In 1905 in Ottoman Salonika the population numbered 135,000, of which 18-20,000(15%) were Greeks, 8,000 (7%) Bulgars, i.e. slavophone Macedonians, Turks, and the largest percentage was made up of Jews."
It goes on to mention the opening of the Bulgarian high schools in Salonika and the creation of the IMRO (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization) in 1893 by the socialists Delcheff, Grueff, and Tatarcheff. It also says that the 1st meeting of IMRO took place in Salonika in 1897."
Further more ( quoting again)
"Though the slavomacedonian element of Salonika was not large, the Western part of the Prefecture of Salonika was almost exclusively slavophone. For example slavophone were the villages of Sohos (Souho), the village of Mr. Papathemelis Ossa (Visoka), Liti (Ajvatovo) , Asvestohori (Pejzanovo), Melissohori (Baltza), Oreokastro (Daut Bali) Valmatha (Yiudoular), Kymina (Yiungiular), Pentalofos (Gradebor), Neohorouda (Novo Selo), etc, etc.
After 1924, with the arrival of the refugees from Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor, the ethnic make up of the population of Salonika and central Greek Macedonia changed fundamentally not only finally but unchangeably. (the information with complete bibliographic references are included in the undersigned's books. (I think the reference here is to the books by Nakratzas).
According to these, the Archbishop of the Republic of Macedonia did not say anything that was inaccurate, while our frocked Leonidas raves in a comical nationalistic manner. (the reference here is to the Archbishop of Salonika)
The unpleasant thing is that ethnic Macedonians everywhere especially in Australia publicly behave indecently proclaiming their descent from the ancient Macedonians thus competing in stupidity with the Greek nationalists who assert the same tales.
In other words, Greece sowed nationalism but now harvests opposing nationalism.”
3 ΚΕΙΜΕΝΟ ΑΝΥΠΑΚΟΗΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΠΙΣΗΜΗ ΕΘΝΙΚΗ ΓΡΑΜΜΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΒΕΤΟ
TEXT OF DISOBEDIENCE WITH THE OFFICIAL LINE FOR THE VETO
<<NOT IN OUR NAME>>
THE VETO IS AN OFFENSIVE AND UNETHICAL ACT
WE RECOGNIZE THE RIGHT TO SELF DEFINITION AND SELF DETERMINATION OF THE PEOPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
With regard to the recent developments in the issue of relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, the Greek citizens and the collective who took the initiative to present this text to your Embassy wish to distinguish in a clear and categorical manner our position from the official policy of Greece and to express our undivided support to the people of the Republic of Macedonia to whom –in contrast to our government and unfortunately all of the political leadership of our country- recognize without any hesitation the right to national self-determination. In the same way that in the nineteenth century Greece chose arbitrarily its name without the existence within its diverse population any racial or cultural relations between her and the situations of the past, similarly is obligated to accept the name of the Republic of Macedonia without displaying any irritation or entanglement.
We would like to emphasize with all the power of our voice that the use of blackmail politics from Greece’s side towards a country that is in a much less favourable economic and geopolitical position compared to ours constitutes a form of modern day imperialism, which we are in complete opposition to.
We declare directly that it does not represent us at all, the policy of the so called national unanimity, because it excites nationalism, is based on a one sided and dogmatic interpretation of history, promotes hatred among people, fosters meaningless conflicts, obscures the actual conflicts within our society and does not contribute in the building of peaceful relations, good neighbourliness and cooperation which for us constitute a virtue superior to hysterical phobias and insecurities, which unfortunately are acceptable to the Greek governments for purely vote gathering reasons.
On the basis of our international approach, keeping in mind that we constitute a small minority and going against the political current, we consider as dangerous, undemocratic and ethically unacceptable the multiple pressures that Greece is applying over 17 years on the Republic of Macedonia with the illegitimate goal of changing its official constitutional name against the will of its people, at the moment that this Republic never requested that Greece and its people do something similar. The exercise of foreign policy based on systematic formentment of “psychological sensitivities” resulting from the fact that an area of Greece happens to have the same name with its neighbouring Republic is rendered ridiculous and humorous not only for every peacenik and antinationalist, but also for every logically thinking person.
The culmination of the Greek attack towards the Republic of Macedonia was the use of the veto, which not only shows disregard towards the rights of a country to independently and willingly choose to join any international organizations, but is also a blatant violation of the temporary Agreement that was signed by Greece and the Republic of Macedonia in 1995, which allows for the unhindered entry of the latter into any international Unions and Associations with the temporary and commonly accepted name “FYROM” . It is not by chance then that only a few months prior to the Summit in Bucharest that the Greek Nation began raising the issue of a veto in violation of the above mentioned Agreement.
Consequently, we express our solidarity towards the people of the Republic of Macedonia and we hope that they will not buckle nor succumb to the illegal and ethically-politically decayed demands of the “powerful Greece”, as they did not buckle during the time of the one sided infamous embargo imposed by Greece. We declare categorically and we ask that you convey to the people of the Republic of Macedonia that we personally did not empower Greece to act in this particular manner and we plead with you not to consider us together with the masses that wish to carry on political diplomacy with nationalistic fantasies.
Finally we declare – primarily for reasons of recording our disagreement – that we do not accept the scientifically acclaimed view that the Macedonian language or the Macedonian nation do not exist, because this constitutes a severe offense to the people of the Republic of Macedonia and the likely persistence of Greece not to accept that ,and not to recognize the existence of its fully law abiding and peace loving Macedonian Minority that lives within Greece will serve to negatively influence the creation of a climate of trust and mutual respect between the two neighbouring people.
ANTINATIONALIST MOVEMENT
GREEK GROUP FOR THE RIGHTS OF MINORITIES
GREEK HELSINKI MONITOR
LABOUR POWER – COMMUNIST UNION
CIVILIANS AGAINST NATIONALISM
What a mess! Greek land registration
By Alexandros Logothetis
http://www.neoskosmos.com.au/080623/nke ... ndex.shtml
Registering your properties on the Greek National
Land Register (Greek National Cadastre) is proving to be an arduous task.
The Internet site of the responsible authority, Ktimatologio S.A., is not
fully functional. The section under the heading "Omogeneia" (Hellenes
Abroad) is still under construction.
One of the supposed advantages, especially for Hellenes abroad, is the
ability to submit the application electronically. However, a week after the official
launch of the registration process this feature is still not in service. NKEE
attempted to call Ktimatologio S.A. last week but the phone line was constantly
engaged.
Hellenes abroad can also submit forms through relatives or friends in Greece
by securing a power of attorney document (plirexousio) that can be obtained at
Greek Consulates at a cost of $100. The power of attorney can be processed after
the applicant arranges an appointment with Greek Consular officials.
NKEE tested the level of service in regards to the Greek National Land
Register through the Greek Consulate in Melbourne. We called them on Wednesday
June 18 at 1:30 pm but were unable to talk to anyone in the Consulate, despite
the offices being open to the public until 2 pm. The next day we had luck on
our side when an employee answered the phone after 10 minutes. While they were
able to provide us with basic information, NKEE was surprised when told that
the next available appointment to obtain a power of attorney document was on
Tuesday 19 August, two months later. As reported last week, the second phase
of registration commenced on 17 June. 107 new areas will be covered, including
all the municipalities of Attica and Thessaloniki as well as all the capitals
of prefectures that were not included in the first phase. Greek residents will
have to declare their properties in these areas by 30 September 2008 whereas
Hellenes abroad can register on the Greek National Land Register by 30 December
2008.
Meanwhile, the Presiding Board of the World Council of Hellenes met on
10 June with Mr Christos Goulas, the President of the Board of Directors Ktimatologio
S.A., to discuss issues related to the Greek National Land Register project.
Among other things, the two organizations agreed for SAE Regional representative
the to be sent to Greece to undergo training from Ktimatologio S.A, in order
to inform the Diaspora of the process. Mr Giorgos Angelopoulos, Regional Coordinator
for SAE Oceania, informed NKEE that the exact number of people to be trained
in Greece has not been determined however the cost of this program will be financed
by Ktimatologio S.A. According to Mr Angelopoulos, anybody can be eligible for
this program, however he could not provide us with any details of the eligibility
criteria.
He added that specifics on how people can apply for these training positions
in Greece will be advertised through the Greek Australian media. Mr Angelopoulos
said that SAE Oceania, in partnership with Ktimatologio S.A., is planning to
organize information sessions for its member organizations on 31 October.
Asked if there was sufficient time available given the long waiting period
at the Greek Consulate of Melbourne, he was confident that the timelines are
adequate. It is now June and the deadlines are looming.
Issues
Confederation plan from 1992
Despite strained ties during Tito's rule of Yugoslavia, Serbian-Greek relations
reached the point where the creation of a state for Serbs and Greeks was seriously
proposed by Slobodan Milošević in 1992. According to the proposal Greece,
Serbia, and the Republic of Macedonia would all be members of the tripartite
confederation. In 1994, Milošević invited Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou
to consider the longstanding proposal of the Athens-Belgrade-Skopje confederation.
Papandreou characterized the idea as "a pioneering, interesting proposal" but
noted that it had not yet been examined. Main opposition New Democracy party
leader Miltiadis Evert, who had also met with Milošević, said that all Balkan
countries should instead gain accession to the European Union. Political Spring
party leader Antonis Samaras said that the proposal was "interesting but
should be thoroughly examined." These proposals failed to gain any significant
response from the Greek government, mostly because of the precarious state of
Yugoslavia at the time. A book by Greek journalist Takis Michas «Unholy Alliance:
Greece and Milošević's Serbia» provides serious evidences of these initiatives.
The position of the Republic of Macedonia regarding the tripartite confederation
was widely supported by politicians and intellectuals. Immediately following
Milošević's renewed call for a loose confederation between Greece, Serbia,
and the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian Socialist party president Kiro Popovski
deemed the longstanding proposal as a "present utopia but a feasible future
prospect." In 2001, former president of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov
noted the wide support for the proposal amongst ethnic Macedonian intellectuals: "This
begun when Yugoslavia was beginning to fall apart, when intellectuals and politicians
gathered in order to examine the perspectives that we had for our country. Our
common position was that a confederation with Greece was the best solution." Macedonian
novelist Ante Popovski in an interview with the French newspaper Libération on
March 27, 2001 stated, "I am supporting the idea of a confederation with
Greece. We shall not be in danger of losing our identity, because our language
is entirely different from the Greek one, while it resembles with the languages
of the two other large neighbors, the Serbs and the Bulgarians."
Posted by VMRO
[What were they thinking?... Risto…]
Opinions
There Is No
Such Thing As A "Greek" Language And Ethnicity Today!
"Greek", In Reality, Was Just Another Ancient Pre-Christian Religious Term!
Before the Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic invasion of Morea
(the modern day Peleponnesus) and the Aegean islands around 1,600 BC,
there were already major towns called 'Argos' at Morea and to the northwest
of Mt.Olympus. The term 'Graikos' referred to both peoples
from the two towns of Argos.Ar-gos > Ar/the Sun god 'Ra', gos > kos/'zeus'.
(G)-ra-i-kos > Zh(ive)-ra-i-kos/the 'life giving' Sun god 'Ra' 'and'
'zeus'.
The 'Graikos' from "Argos" were a people whom believed in
the 'life giving' Sun god 'ra' and 'zeus'. The 'Graikos' from the 'Argos'
which was to the northwest of Mt. Olympus also called themselves 'Sloveni'.
S-lo-ve > Zh(ive)-li (Zhi)vee/the 'life giving' Sun god 'li' 'lives'.
The 'Graikos' from the 'Argos' at Morea also called themselves 'Elleni'.
E-lle > (zhiv)E-lle/the 'life giving' 'Sun god' 'le'.
After the Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic invasion of Morea and the Aegean islands
around 1,600 BC (and the subsequent assimilation) the 'Elleni'
there became "hybrids" and started to call themselves "Ellines".
Their indigenous language and alphabet had changed to an early form of 'koine'.
Ironically, the Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists themselves had already
believed in 'Ra' and 'Ko' (zeus)!
From 825 BC, north of Mt. Olympus, the indigenous 'Sloveni' there became
unified within the early state of Makedon (Mothers home).
After the early state of Makedon was formed, the "Ellines" south
of Mt.Olympus, particularly around Morea, started to form independent of each
other City State!
It doesn't come as a surprise that later Roman maps refer to the territory
of Morea as "Achaea".
A(r)-chae-a > A(r)-gae-a. Achaea is derived from the original town at
Argos!
The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" is an artificial
creation! It is not "Greece"!
The 19th century cold blooded Western Powers wrongly imposed the
name "Greece" on this forged, anti-Slav/anti-Russian
buffer state!
Bastardized Koine, (not Greek!) too, was artificially imposed on its
ethnically diverse population!
In 1913, backed by the west, the "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean)
Republic" (not Greece) illegally annexed 51% of Southern Macedonia
from the Ottomans!
Recent Politics:
-Artificial Greece objects to the use of the name "Republic of Macedonia" by
its northern neighbour!
-Artificial Greece denies the existence of the Macedonian language and ethnicity!
-The Artificial Greek Foreign Ministry's website claims that the
Macedonian national identity is fake "as their country was formed from
scrap during the former Socialist Yugoslavia"!
-Artificial Greece says "Macedonia" is a geographical term and
not an ethnicity! Skopje should accept a geographical descriptor such as
North Macedonia!
*Recently (in early April) Artificial Athens protested US Deputy Secretary
of State Daniel Fried's statement that there is a Macedonian language and
a Macedonian ethnicity!
"The Macedonian language exists. Macedonian people exist", Fried told
Media at a recent press conference in Washington. "The ethnicity is - you
know, it’s just a fact as far as I can tell".
Artificial Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis told media soon after that "these
kinds of comments are not useful for talks". The artificial Greek daily
Ethnos reported that the artificial Greek ambassador Alexandros Mallias had
sent a protest to Washington!
By Dusko L.
Concerns
The Greeks have consciously decided on a calculated ploy to refer to the Republic of Macedonia as “Skopje”. First they decided to call the country FYROM, this has not worked out well for them, as most people know the country as Macedonia. Therefore their new strategy is to call the Republic of Macedonia, “Skopje”. This serves several purposes. 1, By calling the country Skopje the word “Macedonia” does not have to be used by them and they hope others; 2, They are trying to cause confusion on all things relating to Macedonia, as they have of course done so many times in the past. 3. They are playing psychological games. If they cannot erase Macedonia completely, they are going to diminish it, mentally in size in people’s perceptions, then they hope to have another go at eliminating Macedonia. After all they were hoping all things relating to Macedonia and its people would have been eradicated after the Ottoman Empire and the partition of Macedonia. For a while it was working well for them, however when the Republic of Macedonia got its independence, this unsettled Greece in a big way. Then the Republic of Macedonia had the cheek to want to be acknowledged by its constitutional name and be accepted by EU and NATO. The Greeks thought this is not looking good, what can we do? For all the reasons above they decided to diminish the Republic of Macedonia, from the total area of the country to the size of its capital Skopje. The smaller the area, even if it is only mentally, the thinking is the less significant. They are hoping that other countries would think Macedonia as not important enough to bother with, in respect to defending rights. Certainly not against Greece’s wishes they hope, with its supposed long history. Therefore the ploy is to diminish the size and remove the name Macedonia.
I have actually heard on the Greek radio program the announcer saying “Macedonia that which we call Skopje”, in Greek. So the use of “FYROM” and “Skopje” are just strategies to serve Greece’s purpose. How ridiculous. What I don’t understand is how Greece gets its people to do their bidding, even as far as Australia. Don’t their people have their own independent thoughts? Do they just play the Greek game without questioning anything? I repeat Skopje is a capital not a country. Calling the Republic of Macedonia Skopje, is the same as calling Greece, Athens or calling Australia, Canberra or the United States of America Washington DC. It is ridiculous. It simply shows ignorance. Greece is also hoping to frustrate and anger Macedonians to such an extent that we give in to their wishes. Sorry it is not going to happen. Greece is simply wasting time by playing such silly games. In fact it is making the Greek people who refer to Macedonia as “Skopje”, seem not only disrespectful but also ignorant. Why bother, there is only one truth and it will come out. The lies, strategies and manipulations are only buying Greece a bit more time, nothing else. It would be interesting to observe how the average Greek person will react when they find they have been conned by their own Greek government. We will wait and see.
LG
Choices
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/2065/49/
After 60 years, Macedonia finally put the question
of the Aegean Macedonians' land, rights and properties on the negotiation
table. Nimetz with a view 'everything that may impact the name negotiations,
I will consider'.
I can't confirm this information (it is based on local media), however,
the Greek Government has acknowledged that Macedonia has the right to raise the
issue of the Aegean Macedonians and their confiscated land and properties.
Nimetz on several occasions has expressed that he is not bothered by the
ever 'evolving' 'name dispute'. "There are several questions which are not
connected to the name, but are connected with our general topic. It's not outside
my mandate to discuss this, and we are discussing it", said Nimetz before
he left Skopje.
It's no secret Nimetz has been much more lenient toward the Greek side
in this negotiation, most of his proposals are tailored to Athens' demands, though
needless to say things have become more complicated now.
It's also no secret, even various Athens Government Officials have said
it publicly in the past 20 years, that the Aegean Macedonians are a problem for
Athens. Mitsotakis said it best "If they (Macedonian Government) would just
say there are no Macedonians in Greece, there would be no problems". It's
not so easy, because there are Macedonians in Greece, and not the ones you told
them 2 years ago to call themselves 'Greek Macedonians' or 'Macedonians of Greek
ethnicity' (no such thing), and no need to further confuse your people, you already
have enough trouble telling your settlers they were "Greek" as it is.
The Aegean Macedonians who were forced out are demanding billions of euros
in compensation, some of them are already suing the Greek Government, some of
them have won their case at the Strasbourg Court, however, most of the Aegean
land owners are blacklisted by the Government in Athens and can't visit their
properties. As an example, I remember my 8th grade teacher speaking to her class,
about a huge house in Lerin that was confiscated from her family in 1947, and
in it are settlers from Asia Minor. She was able to find out that a Lerin Attorney
presently occupies her home. Her family is also blacklisted by Athens.
The question of the Aegean Macedonians should have been dealt with in the
late 1940's or 1950's when Greek Government offered not just compensation, but
the return of Aegean Macedonia (without Solun). This happened in 1956 out of
fear Yugoslavia might take not just Aegean Macedonia, but more. Tito didn't like
the idea, because he already had enough trouble to keep Macedonia in the Yugoslav
Union as it is. If Macedonia got its territory back, it would have become too
powerful to stay in Union with Yugoslavia. During this period and until 1988,
dozens of proponents for Macedonian independence were assassinated by the Yugoslav
Secret Services (21 in Berlin, 14 in Hamburg, 19 in Skopje, 8 in Veles, 6 in
Prilep, 4 in Chicago). One of the individuals assassinated in Berlin was my uncle.
All of the individuals assassinated were publicly active for free and independent
Macedonia. Metodija Andonov Chento in my mind one of the most prominent Macedonians
(on par with Delchev), was also killed, though it was made to look as he died
in jail from poor health.
Aegean Macedonians should and must get compensated for their land and properties.
Because it had been theirs hundreds of years beforehand. Macedonia should
Not, under any circumstances change the name so Greece, a country on the fringes
of lunacy can further suppress the Macedonians living there. I don't think
my uncle, Chento, Delcev, Gruev... would approve these shameful negotiations.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n144534
Official Athens is surprised by the Macedonian government’s
demand in the name talks that Matthew Nimetz should include in the negotiations
the rights of the Macedonian minority in Greece and children of refugees
from Aegean Macedonia, the Macedonian A1 television announced.
Greece is content with the pro-Greek package presented in Skopje and Athens,
but Greek administration sources admit that Greece cannot prevent the issue of
Macedonians’ rights and property in the country from being included in the negotiations.
On Friday UN special envoy Nimetz admitted that if any of the parties wants to
discuss issues that are directly or indirectly related to the name issue and
are not mentioned in the Interim Accord, he has to put them on the agenda.
In an official announcement after Nimetz’s visit to Skopje, the UN says
that the special envoy heard the positions and reactions of the Macedonian President
and Prime Minister. The announcement also reads that soon, most probably next
week, Nimetz will announce his next steps. According to informal information
by July 9th Nimetz in coordination with the U.S. Department of State
plans another round of intensive diplomatic contacts and direct meetings with
representatives of both countries.
Posted by Dimko-Piperkata
Free Advice
History
Georgi Pulevski, the 19th century Macedonian warrior-poet
clearly explains the reasons as to why he used the 'Slavjano' prefix, and
this is simply because Old Slavonic is an ancestor tongue of the Macedonian
and is added as a label of respect and acknowledgment of the past glory
of our language. He does, in many other instances, simply refer to the
language and people as MACEDONIAN.
The 'Slavjano' prefix was also used by Bulgars and Serbs, another little
fact that the local Hellenic banana chooses to ignore.
Here it is, originally posted on www.maknews.com on
June 22, 2007, with slight modifications.
It is always interesting to watch our neighbours go through our history
with scrutiny to merely point out certain attributes while they avoid doing the
same for themselves. It is truly Macedonia's curse that she finds herself in
the middle of hostile groups and that she was the last to see some form of freedom
and recognition. The fight was on before we could even become prepared, Greeks,
Bulgars and Serbs were quickly forgetting their own humble origins and focusing
all energy on negating ours in order to strengthen the image of theirs.
Let us take the naming of the national languages as a subject. Prior to
the independence of any Balkan state during the 19th century, commonly the Greek
language was known as Romaika and the Slavic language as Bulgaroi, however this
included the Slavs of Bosnia and Serbia also. Some facts:
Bulgarian
Stemming from an Asiatic horde that conquered parts of Thrace in the 7th
century, the name has outlasted its progenitors by well over a millennia and
is also used in some similar variants among the Turkic/Tatar peoples in Russian
lands. In the Balkans it came to represent Slavic as the Slavic language pre-dominated,
in the 19th century the modern-day Bulgarians appropriated this generic term
for all Balkan Slavic languages and transformed it into a national one. According
to some writers, the "educated" Bulgarians would use the term "Slavo-Bulgarian".
Greek
In the 19th century, the modern-day Greeks not only abandoned the Romaika
title and ignored the less common Graikoi, they utilized a name, Hellenic, which
had no significance or significant connection in the region for the better part
of 2,000 years.
Serbian
Apart from an alleged inscription from the 14th or 15th century, the first
time the language of the north Balkans becomes known as Serbian is during the
19th century, as with Croatian, which were previously known only as Pucki, Bugarski,
Ilirski, Dalmatinski and/or Slovenski.
The late history of the Macedonian language differs
very little than that of her neighbours, we can see that neither Serb nor
Greek used their official language names prior to the 19th century, and
that the Bulgarian name was used for Serbs, Macedonians and Bosnians also
meaning that it cannot have been an exclusively ethnic name for a language.
Both "Serbian" and "Hellenic" usage begins around the
time of independence, the free states a necessary tool to further the widespread
recognition of the new names for the languages, the Macedonian language name
has been in common use since the same period and persisted despite all the various
difficulties coming from their newly "established" neighbours.
We have every right to call our language Macedonian without the need for
prefixes or suffixes which were in use among the educated during the 19th and
early 20th century. Prefix or not, at least it was Macedonian, unlike the modern
bird-brain republic of Hellenised Turkosporoi who went from Roman to Hellenic
overnight.
By Soldier of Macedon
Oppressing the Macedonians
The Macedonians under Greek occupation were subject
to the most brutal form of denationalization and assimilation. The Greek
oppressors attempted to make Greeks of Macedonians, in their attempt to
achieve this they committed mass liquidations and conducted a policy of
forced emigration. The Macedonians under Greek rule suffered tragically,
and successive Greek governments have relentlessly continued this process
of attempting to Hellenize the Macedonians (and Macedonia).
Toponyms
The existence of a distinct Macedonian ethnicity was denied, and the Greeks
obsessively attempted to wipe out all traces of Aegean Macedonia’s indigenous
Macedonian ethnic character. Law number 1051 was passed in 1917, Article 6 of
the Law stipulated the establishment of the formation and functioning of the
town and village municipalities of the "New Lands". The Commission
on Toponyms in Greece presented a choice of new place names in a circular letter
on October 10, 1919. The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Greece published a booklet
by N. Politis titled "Advise on the Change of the Names of Municipalities
and Villages" (Athens 1920). At the same time in Aegean Macedonia, sub-commissions
were formed whose role was to suggest new names for the villages and towns.
Between 1918 and 1925 a total of 76 towns and villages were renamed in
Aegean Macedonia. It was not until the Legislative Orders of 17.09.1926, 21.09.1926,
10.11.1927 and 13.11.1927 that the process of renaming places was intensified.
By the end of 1928 most places in Aegean Macedonia had been given new names.
On November 21 1926 the government gazette "Efimeris tis Kiverniseos" (Edition
Number 322) announced new Greek names for all Macedonian villages, towns, cities,
regions, rivers and mountains.
The Hellenising of the Macedonian Christian and surnames was formalized
by a legislative edict printed in the Greek government gazette in February 1927.
Macedonian surnames commonly end in ov/ova, ev/eva and ski/ska. These were changed
to reflect a Greek character - "os", "es", "opoulos", "as", "iou",
etc.
The following is an example of one Macedonian region which illustrates
the change in village names. All villages mentioned below are from the region
of Lerin, renamed Florina by the Greek oppressors.
Original Macedonian Name to Artificial/Hellenized Name
Armenoro to Armenohori, Armensko to ‘Alona, Banica toVevi, Bitusha to Parori,
Brezhnica to Vatohori, Buf to Akritas, Grazhden/Prespa to Grazdano/Vrondero,
Kabasnica to Proti, Kalenik to Kaliniki, Klabuchishta to Poliplatano(s),
Kladorabi to Kladorrahi, Kleshtina Gorno to Ano Kline,
Kleshtina Dolno to Kato Kline, Kotori to Idrusa, Krapeshina to Atrapos, Krushoradi
to Ahlada, Kuchkoveni to Perasma, Lagen to Triandafihla, Nivica/Prespa to
Psarades, Negochani to Niki,
Nered to Polipotamo(n), Nevoljani to Skopia, Opsirina to Ethniko(n), Orovo/Prespa
to Rahovo/Piksos, Ofcharani to Meliti, Oshchima to Trigono, Papazheni to
Pappayanni(s), Rakovo to Kratero(n), Rula to Kota(s), Sveta Petka to Aya
Paraskevi, Trnaa to Prasino, Tune to Korifi, Visheni to Vissinea, Vrbeni
to Itea, Zabrdeni to Lofi, Zhelevo to Andartikon, etc.
The Greek authorities were not content with changing the names of all geographic
places and people. They commenced to change all Macedonian inscriptions to Greek,
including the churches, schools, books were burned along with all documents,
cemeteries were either completely demolished or the tombstones changed to Greek,
etc. Nothing was spared, everything was demolished or modified.
Greco-Turkish War
Through its occupation of Aegean Macedonia the boundaries of the Greek
state expanded to an extent never before seen in Greek history. The ethnographical
boundaries of the Greek state are surprisingly small, only through expansionism
into non-Greek territories has Greece managed to attain her present state boundaries.
Greek illusions of a vast empire much larger than today’s administrative state
have been sought since last century through the doctrine of the "Megala
Idea" (Great Idea). Due to illusions to further extend its boundaries, Greece
attempted to occupy the Turkish territory of Anatolia. This resulted in the Greco-Turkish
War of 1919-1922. The Greek campaign failed disastrously.
Macedonians were forced to take part in the Greek attack on Turkey and
were thrown in the front lines of battle. The same occurred during the First
World War, but the Macedonians were not proud defenders of the Greek state, they
often deserted or avoided conscription.
Forced Migration
Due to the compact nature of the indigenous Macedonian people in Aegean
Macedonia, the Greek government did everything possible to change the Macedonian
ethnic character of Aegean Macedonia. The Greek authorities adopted a policy
of forcing the Macedonians to migrate, whilst colonizing Macedonia with new settlers
from Asia Minor and the Caucasus who were of a mixed ethnic stock and found themselves
under the influence of the Greek Church. Macedonians commonly refer to these
people as "Medgiri", denoting foreigners.
Macedonians were beaten by the Greek police for speaking to one another
in their native Macedonian language and were regularly taken before the courts,
imprisoned, and sent to barren Greek islands where they underwent cruel physical
and psychological torture.
The forced migration of Macedonians was temporarily interrupted by the
First World War (1914-18), however this was to prove favourable for Greek plans
on Aegean Macedonia. On 27 November 1919 the Treaty of Neuilly was signed between
Bulgaria and Greece. Greece as a partner to the victorious allied forces was
able to impose on defeated Bulgaria a condition in the Treaty allowing for an
exchange of populations between the two states. Greece took the opportunity to
unload itself of the Macedonians in a seemingly legal manner, according to the
Treaty the Macedonians were recognized as "Bulgarians". This served
the long term interests of both states. Subsequently 66,180 Macedonians largely
from Eastern Aegean Macedonia but also from the districts of Kukush, Enidzhe
Vardar and Solun were forced to migrate to Bulgaria (they were not permitted
to settle in the Bulgarian occupied region of Macedonia).Bulgaria sent 22,800
so called Greeks, the Greek government settled them in Aegean Macedonia.
In 1923 the Lausanne Agreement was signed between triumphant Turkey and
defeated Greece. The agreement stipulated a compulsory exchange of populations.
Greece expelled 394,108 Turkish Moslems to Turkey, this figure included over
40,000 Macedonians of the Islamic faith who were uprooted from their homeland.
On the other hand Turkey transferred 1,221,849 Christian Medgiri to Greece.
The Greek authorities strategically placed 538,595 of the newly arrived
refugees into Aegean Macedonia to facilitate the denationalization of the Macedonian
people, attempting to modify the Macedonian ethnic character of Aegean Macedonia.
Many Macedonians were evicted from their homes and property in order to
house the Medgiri. The refugees quickly adopted their new Greek identity, they
were given special privileges because of their new found Greek-ness and they
became an instrumental tool for the Greek state against the Macedonians. With
the support of the Greek government the Medgiri actively engaged in the persecution
(physical beatings, murder and rape) of the Macedonians. The authorities disregarded
the crimes committed by the Medgiri as they served "Greek national interests".
With the emigration of the Macedonians more housing and land became available
for the Medgiri. The Medgiri also applied similar methods against the Vlachs
and Jews. It is interesting to note that those Medgiri which were settled in
the South of Greece found that they were not welcome by the Greeks and were pressured
to migrate to Aegean Macedonia.
Under the leadership of captain Stefanos a group of Medgiri bandits brought
great misery to the Macedonians in the Lerin region. Numerous murders were committed
in the villages of Surovichevo, Mokreni, Boreshnica and Vrbeni. In the village
of Popadija a group of men who served in the unit of Ilo Dimov-Popdinski during
the Ilinden rebellion of 1903 were chained to one another and tortured in public.
Similar tragedies befell many others. Macedonians made up the bulk of the prison
population for no other reason than being Macedonian.
From the village of P’pezhani, Tashko Popov, Dimitar Popov-Skenderov and
Todor Trpenov were beaten and sentenced to 12 years prison. Pavle Mevchev and
Atanas Popov from Vrbeni and Boreshnica joined them in early 1927 and soon after
were transferred to Kozhani and executed. As they were leaving Lerin they were
heard to shout "With our death, Macedonia will not be lost. Our blood
will run, but other Macedonians will rise from it".
Groups of Medgiri terrorists operated throughout Aegean Macedonia. Incidents
were reported in the European Press, including the murder of 19 villagers from
the villages of Trlis, Karachoy and Lovchen (Drama region) who were bound and
slaughtered on July 27, 1924. The villages of Livadishte, Butin and Chereshevo
in the Drama area were also brutally attacked. Furthermore during November 1925
there were mass arrests in Lerin and the surrounding region, many innocent Macedonian
civilians were tortured and executed.
Throughout the 1920’s the persecution of the Macedonians escalated. Macedonian
families were constantly terrorized, women and young girls were raped, and thousands
were imprisoned, tortured and murdered.
Extremist ultra nationalist Greek organizations unleashed a bloodthirsty
reign of terror onto the Macedonian population. One of these the "Greco-Macedonian
Fist" issued the following order on January 27 1926:
"We Order
1. Starting today it is forbidden to speak Bulgarian at public places,
in the cafes and restaurants, in doing business, at meetings, assemblies, and
gatherings, at parties, luncheons, weddings, etc.
2. We order the above mentioned only to speak in the Greek language.
3. We recommend to all authorities - the administrative and the military,
the civil servants and private employees, neither to accept nor to give information
in any other language but Greek.
4. Parents, teachers, priests and tutors of minors – we call upon you to
fulfill your patriotic duties; we shall hold you responsible for the offences
of your subordinates.
5. Whoever violates these orders will be considered a traitor of the fatherland
and shall be horribly punished by our organization which has been created following
a lengthy and thorough analysis of the situation and under the slogan "The
Fatherland Above All ". It has the power to punish any who does not carry
out its orders."
The aim of these ultra nationalist organizations was to speed up the process
of denationalization and assimilation of the Macedonian people in Aegean Macedonia
through pressure and terror. The alternative to assimilation was migration.
Despite the pressure of assimilation under the heavy bondage of Greek occupation,
the Macedonians continued to preserve and use their language, even though it
was a criminal offence to do so.
Aimed at further reducing the Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia, Greece and
Bulgaria signed an Agreement known as the Mollov-Kafandaris Accord in 1927 it
stipulated an exchange of populations between the two states. Approximately 100,000
Macedonians were expelled to Bulgaria, Greece wishing to "legalize" this
illegal act labeled the Macedonians as Bulgarians, and Bulgaria accepted them
for her own reasons. As a result of the Accord Macedonians were forcibly removed
from their homes. Their properties were confiscated by the state and given to
the colonizers, together with Macedonian owned cattle and stock. Various methods
were used to pressure the Macedonians to leave their properties. In the village
of Leskovo in the Sabotsko region a militant Greek unit advised the villagers
to leave the village within two days otherwise they would all be slaughtered.
Soon after official Greek government representatives arrived and requested that
the Macedonians sign a declaration stating "voluntary emigration".
Similar events occurred in the village of Bytim in the Drama region where Greek
military officials arrived together with a group of Medgiri and violently attacked
the Macedonians before they were ordered to sign their "voluntary declaration
of emigration". The expulsion of the Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia was
a part of the overall scheme to speed up the process of Hellenizing Macedonia.
For the purpose of intimidating the Macedonians a Greek police officer,
or military official, sometimes both, were stationed in each Macedonian village.
An Infantry Lieutenant Dim Kamburas, stationed in the village of Armensko, (Lerin
region) wrote a report on the general situation in the village. The following
extracts are from the report dated January 25, 1932:
"Being shocked an increasingly concerned, I struck the village mayor
when I heard him speak Bulgarian, which he wishes to call Macedonian, and I recommended
that in the future he should always and everywhere speak only Greek, and that
he should recommend that his villagers do the same. In short, an extreme anti-Greek
spirit dominates among the natives of the villages, they hate everything Greek
and do not miss any opportunity to express their hatred".
"It is my opinion that the most efficient way to achieve assimilation
would be of the hot heads could be expelled as undesirable to some other state".
A Frenchman, Edmond Bouchie de Belle in his book "Macedonia and the
Macedonians" (Paris 1922) made a number of accurate observations regarding
the position of the Macedonian people, described their aspirations in the following
terms:
"What are their present needs? From the political stand point, their
sole need is for security. Things have come to such a pass that, as stated by
Tame, their greatest desire is to avoid being killed or plundered."
A Resolution was adopted by German Workers on February 25, 1930 and subsequently
approved at the Third General Congress of the German Red Assistance in Berlin.
The Resolution outlines in some detail the oppression of the Macedonians and
displays an accurate account of the plight of the Macedonian people. The extract
below refers to Aegean Macedonia.
"...Macedonia was partitioned in three parts by so-called Peace Treaties.
Partitioned in this way, the Macedonian people under Serbian, Greek and Bulgarian
bondage are constantly being suppressed".
"The part of Macedonia under Greek rule is being terrorized by the
fascist bands of Captain Stefo and other agents of Athens. Death sentences are
being delivered and large scale deportations of Macedonians to the Greek islands
are carried out. The Macedonian population is being expelled from their homes
and hearths, while their land and other property is being plundered. Schools
and other cultural institutions have been shut down.
Every Macedonian who speaks in his mother tongue, is persecuted. Greek
teachers pierce with needles the tongues of their pupils who are not able to
speak Greek.
ABECEDAR
During this period of immense suffering, the Macedonian people had a glimmer
of hope that conditions might improve as a result of the Treaty of Serves which
Greece signed earlier on August 10, 1920. According to conditions of the Treaty,
under Article’s 7, 8 and 9, the Greek government was to undertake certain obligations
regarding "the protection of the non-Greek national minorities in Greece".
These Articles specifically stated free use of language and education. Initially
Greece sought to neglect its obligations, however in March 1925 the League of
Nations directed Greece to fulfill its obligations. By May 1925 an elementary
school reader was published in the Macedonian language, it was known as the ABECEDAR.
The ABECEDAR was to be used by Macedonian children in Macedonian schools which
were yet to open in Aegean Macedonia. Strong reactions immediately came from
Serbia and Bulgaria. Serbia and Bulgaria were caught totally by surprise, both
were furious that the Abecedar was not printed in Serbian or Bulgarian respectively.
Serbia threatened to break its treaty of alliance with Greece and to commence
negotiations with Bulgaria for the division of Aegean Macedonia. Threats came
from the Bulgarians, protesting loudly that they had previously signed an Accord
with Greece which recognized the Macedonians as "Bulgarians". What
occurred next is truly a rare example, the Greek representative at the League
of Nations Vasilis Dendramis responded by defending the Macedonian language as
being "neither Bulgarian, nor Serbian but an independent language".
He listed various linguists and linguistic maps as evidence to support his claim
of the independence of the Macedonian language. This high ranking Greek official
representing the Greek state not only recognized the existence of the Macedonian
identity, but openly defended and supported it. However, Serbian and Bulgarian
objections, together with internal opposition in Greece prevented the Abecedar
from ever reaching the Macedonian children. The Abecedar was destroyed, but remains
as a reminder to the Greek government of the Macedonians as a separate national
entity.
Greek Education
Apart from violent terror, the Greek government used the education system
as a primary tool in the attempted Hellenisation of the Macedonians. However
with the arrival of the Medgiri refugees, a non-Greek people, the establishment
of Greek education was given even greater priority. Elementary Greek school consisted
of two classes of Greek language and Greek history, other classes were centered
around songs and games which were designed to instill Greek national spirit in
the young children. A particular song the children were compulsorily taught went
as follows:
"I am a Greek and I am proud, I know my heritage My Greek spirit will
always live free... "
The children were regularly sent on excursions to Athens and historical
sites such as Marathon in an effort to expose them to Greek tradition, culture
and civilization. The Greek government used education as a political instrument
to foster adoration towards all things Greek and attempted to manipulate the
young that "they learn the Greek language and to forget their Macedonian
mother tongue".
Rizospastis
Rizospastis the publication of the Greek Communist Party published a lengthy
article on the position of the Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia in November 1932
clearly describing the level of Macedonian national awareness:
"What we have in Macedonia are neither Greeks nor Bulgarians nor Serbs
but the Macedonian people, the Macedonian minority which, in spite of all the
blows and in spite of all the repression, preserves its economic and its national
existence and a separate culture."
It is these Macedonians states another correspondent who:
"Clench their teeth, stubbornly speak their Macedonian language, proudly
wear their Macedonian costume and believe and hope and patiently, silently struggle
for a Macedonia of their own, for a free Macedonia."
Rizospastis routinely published articles and letters by Macedonians during
the early 1930’s, below are several extracts from Rizospastis:
"Communist leaflets in Seres - April 15, 1934.
On April 15 1934, the town square was covered with leaflets with revolutionary
proclamations calling upon the soldiers to struggle for a solution to their problems
and against the beastly reign of terror.
Officers imprisoned the soldiers who had read the leaflets, asking them
to reveal the names of the individuals who distributed them.
The most barbarous methods were used against us Macedonians, soldiers of
the Sixth Heavy Artillery Regiment.
The majority of us are illiterate, we do not know Greek and therefore we
frequently do not understand their orders.
The officers tried to teach us to read and write, but their efforts were
abandoned too soon and were performed so improperly that none of us learned anything.
Following this, the twelve soldiers who did not learn anything were punished
by twelve days jail each."
"Oppression of the Macedonians in Voden - June 6, 1934.
Here in Voden and in our whole district, in the heart of Macedonia, here
where we Macedonians do not know any other language but our own Macedonian, various
agents of Greek capitalism force us to speak Greek.
…In the elementary schools, the young children who speak their own language
are beaten every day. Particularly here in Voden, the henchmen and fascist Georgiadis
beats the children if they speak there Macedonian tongue...
...To these agents of capitalism the Macedonians keep repeating that they
cannot be intimidated by anything and that they will continue their struggle
until they attain their full liberation."
"Macedonians in the anti-fascist front - June 8, 1934.
... The chief of the Security Service here, Karamaunas, whenever he meets
us in the streets, threatens us with the words: ‘You are Bulgarians and if by
any chance I discover any sort of organized movement, I will beat you without
mercy and then I will deport you’.
We Macedonians should rise with greater courage and by means of increased
activities should reject this campaign because it brings us an even more brutal
oppression, starvation, misery and war."
"Arrests and torture of Macedonians in the Seres area -June 24, 1934.
Macedonian peasants, especially the poor ones, are dragged through the
jails because of unpaid debts of only 60 to 100 Drahmas. Six days ago, in addition
for those arrested for their unpaid debts, a number of peasants from the village
of Frashtani were arrested and accused of supplying the Komitajis. Nine more
peasants were taken to jail from Kseropotamo and charged likewise. These two
villages are located within two hours walking distance from Seres and seven hours
from the Bulgarian border. All these poor Macedonians do not know Greek and only
speak their own language. Under torture they were forced to admit that Komitajis
had been passing through their villages."
"Beatings and arrests of Macedonian soldiers (Voden) -August 12,
1934.
We Macedonians make up the majority in the 30th Regiment, and
therefore our life here is very difficult. Whenever anyone utters a Macedonian
word, he is punished with 10-15 days in jail. We are called "ignoramuses" and
are constantly beaten. Disciplinary measures are taken every day, and we are
often ordered to do forced labour. In spite of all this, we shall continue to
speak our language and to sing our revolutionary songs."
"Rizospastis on the side of the oppressed Macedonians -November 13,
1934.
The terror against the Macedonians in the district of Sorovich has reached
its peak. Macedonian women who sell 20 kilos of peppers in order to buy a kilo
of bread and butter for their families are taken to the market inspectorate to
buy market licenses. The women who did not know Greek, went together, in order
to be able to complain, with a peasant who spoke Greek to the market inspector.
However, the inspector, enraged, told them to submit a written complaint and
asked them to immediately pay 60 Drahmas each.
This is one more reason why we should organize groups of Macedonians in
order to fight for an independent state."
VMRO Demands Macedonian Rights
During the early 1930’s the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
was reformed in Aegean Macedonia under the most difficult conditions. It continued
to aim for national and political liberation, and the unification of the Macedonian
homeland. Leading representatives of IMRO in Aegean Macedonia were Andrea Chipov,
Hristo Galabov, Mihail Klyonev, Aleko Tenekedzhiev, Lazo Trpovski,Trifun Hadzhiyanev,
Foti Urumov, Kosta Dumov and others. The organization was based in its traditional
seat of Solun and an illegal printing press was set up to publish pamphlets and
other material in the "prohibited" Macedonian language. IMRO put forward
demands for the opening of Macedonian schools, for the use of the mother tongue
in public life and for other national and cultural rights. At the time these
demands were supported by the Greek Communist Party. The leader of the Parliamentary
Communist Group Sklavenas stated in the Greek Parliament on 25April 1936:
"A further question which the government is ignoring in its declarations
is that of granting of human right to the ethnic Macedonians of Greece and these
rights must be granted in full”
Posted by Mikail
Stories
June 22, 2008
THE LITTLE MACEDONIAN ROOSTER CALLS – KEE KEE REE KEE
There is a little Rooster who every morning calls: Kee Kee Ree Kee….The Sun is UP…It’s time to wake up…It’s time to get up and speak out…where are you???? Kee Kee Ree Kee
Actually, believe it or not, the little Rooster frightens some people. Truth be told it even frightens some countries. Now it is hard to believe this but it frightens Greece the country that gave birth to Democracy! (Ah but it was a small city state that made the early experiments, eh? And it was only citizens who could vote, that 60,000 of them, but the 200,000 slaves couldn’t vote, eh? But forget about all that) Yep, Greece is frightened or more accurately pretends to be and says so openly to anyone who will listen. It cries aloud saying the little Rooster wants to take over Greece militarily. It says this even though it has 40 times as many troops, guns, tanks, planes, generals and foreign advisors, and belongs to the strongest military force in Europe. It trembles in front of its Allies like a nude frightened child and says “I am going to be attacked” and repeats it over and over again. But you must remember that Greece also invented Classic Drama with those magnificent amphitheatres and all that. It is truly both tragedy and comedy all rolled into one. Some of their allies BELIEVE IT or are willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the play. France takes up a role in the melodrama and the Italians know an Italian farce when they see one. The rest of the Europeans seem to sit on their hands and don’t applaud and the majority seem to grumble as they walk away speechless. Yes! Time to be alert.
KEE KEE REE KEE…Listen Listen…If this situation were really true then all the psychiatrists in the world would stand up en masse and say “This is a classic example of Paranoia – a fear where no threat exists” But, shhhsh, it is an example of False Paranoia, a Fake Paranoia, a position taken to frighten its friendly neighbours who also know it isn’t true. It is how insanity spreads. It is a delusion and Greece is driving other countries crazy with it. Or are they pretending to be mad too for other reasons? Too true!!!
KEE KEE REE KEE ----Listen, Listen ….A good example to illustrate the point is the fantastic role France took on at the NATO Conference. Can you believe what happened there? Yes, that same France that gave birth to the human cry of EQUALITY, FRATERNITY, and LIBERTY. Now that was a call worthy of a rooster large or small. Wow France actually believed that at one time it was so wise and progressive it strongly influenced the emerging American state and their Constitution. Amazing, France gave that wonderful bouquet of ideals to the world to live by. Wonderful. But, sad isn’t it that she has developed amnesia and forgotten what she once stood for. We should all hope and even pray that it is not Alzheimer’s disease and she’ll wake up from the nightmare she is creating for so many. Look, I am not kidding, she believes or pretends to believe the strange things Greece is saying.
KEE KEE REE KEE….Wake UP, Wake UP…..Greece says that there are no roosters in Greece. She says there never have been. She says that there are none there now. She has the brazen audacity to suggest to Human Rights Organizations and European investigative bodies that Macedonians are a relatively recent creation and in fact little Roosters are no problem because they do not exist in Greece! You will have to stick fingers in both your ears if you want to shut out her malicious distortions of reality. She says that Roosters we hear of today were only born 60 years ago in Skopje!! They have insisted for years that Rooster’s don’t have a language with which they communicate with each other. If they do they are never heard in Greece. Do you catch the degree, the depth and pitch of their denials? It is an aggressive defensive position. They insist that Roosters don’t know who they are, that only Greece and those who believe them are entitled to force Roosters to adopt another new name!!! Like any dictator they insist on using force to try to dictate what some roosters can and cannot say for themselves. Now I ask you this: After all these years, after evidence is presented and readily available and validated by outsiders, how mad and absurd is that? My Gawd are there no international courts or tribunals who can listen?
KEE KEE REE KEE….this isn’t funny, not funny at all…it’s real. If you try to follow what she is saying Greece wants the world to believe there are no roosters anywhere in the world. If she can rub out roosters in her own country and she has been trying mightily to do it for 80 years or so, and do the same in the neighboring countries, then roosters the world over won’t have a leg to stand on. She would like all roosters in the world to open their mouths only if they call out “I’M GREEK. I’M GREEK”. And truth be told, she has persuaded, or more accurately blackmailed, many little roosters to call that aloud. In her die-hard campaign she has co-opted the Greek Orthodox Church to help her every Sunday, and at every baptism and funeral to eliminate Macedonians and replace them all with ‘Greek sounding’ names... It is kind of obscene to watch a Church to be so openly deceptive and to allow itself to be used like that. It makes my flesh crawl. I say ‘little’ roosters at times because some of the older roosters are less comfortable crowing a false tune now as the years go by.
KEE KEE REE KEE…It’s madness I tell you, it’s madness …By the same reasoning it would be like Greece telling Frenchmen and Frenchwomen that they are not allowed to call themselves French even though they come from France! And Spaniards from Spain cannot call themselves Spanish. Italians in Italy should not be allowed to call themselves Italians because it hurts Greece if they do so. Who would dare suggest that Americans not call themselves Americans, or imagine the Chinese from China being told they cannot refer to themselves as Chinese. What about Brits being told to get another name or they can’t belong to NATO. Who would dare? Well, Greece. Imagine anyone even suggesting that Australians not be allowed to call themselves Australian? They probably would be strung up on the nearest Banyan tree. Greece for some very hidden self-serving reason does not want Macedonians to call themselves Macedonians even though that is the country they come from, that’s their language and that’s their culture.
By extrapolation or implication Greece takes that position towards every Macedonian around the world in the Diaspora. Macedonians anywhere in the world have a right, and would add a self-protecting duty to stand up and resist that outrage being perpetrated right before our eyes in this day and age. No more! And never again I say, shall we be silent. Eureka! That is Greek but will serve us just as well: The internet has been invented.
KEE KEE REE KEE……Wake UP, Wake UP Roosters everywhere, children, young and old…..Wake UP…Speak UP. All who now speak up for Macedonia and Macedonians also speak up for themselves whoever they are and wherever they are. It’s your basic HUMAN RIGHT and it is EVERYBODY’S PRIMARY BASIC HUMAN RIGHT to identify himself or herself however they want to. Heck, roosters speak up by the billions everyday all over the world. It is an expression of universal hope and a timeless evolutionary struggle. As you have a human voice, use it. Greece can cling to the errors of her ways, her megalomania, the tragic past, her unspeakable cruelties and countless victims, but she is being left behind. Sooner or later more and more people and countries will come to understand what she has done and what she is doing. I suspect she already knows that. “There is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come” as Victor Hugo the Frenchman once wrote. And listen KEE KEE REE KEE…You have a right not to follow any who would take away our human ideals of equality and liberty. In the direction that Greece insists upon, down that crooked old narrow road filled with injustice and sadness is the most tragic path of all, the path to madness.
So milos, za Zdravye, Dedo Kire, KEE KEE REE KEE!!!
Words
WERE MACEDONIANS "GREEKS"?!
Here are the names of some prominent Macedonians:
Giorgi Puleski (1818-1894)
Giorche Petrov (1864-1921)
Giurchin Naumov (Illinden Freedom Fighter, 1903)
Grigor Prlichev (1830-1893)
Raiko Zhinsifov (1839-1877)
Kiro Gligorov (Former President of The Republic of Macedonia)
Nikola Gruevski (Current Prime Minister of The Republic of Macedonia)
Greek > "Graikos" = "George" > "Giorgi".
"G(io)-ra i kos"
"Geo-r(a) (i) ge"
"Gio-r(a) (i) gi"
Translation: 'life giving'-(Sun god) 'ra' 'and' 'zeus'.
"GREEK" WAS A RELIGIOUS DESCRIPTOR, NOT AN ETHNICITY! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Many different indigenous Greek ("Graikos" or "Giorgi") tribes
lived both north and south of Mt.Olympus from at least 7,000 BC to 1,600
BC. Even though they were known by many names (eg. Paeonians, Pelagonians,
Lyncestians, Dorians, Phrygians or Brygians, Pelasgians, etc, etc),
the people had a common ancestry and spoke dialects of the same language.
After 1600 BC, Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic invaders arrived at the Aegean
islands and Morea (modern day Peleponnesus) and they colonized
the region. The Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists did not penetrate north
beyond Mt.Olympus.
The Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists were not 'Graikos'/'Giorgi', but rather
'Ahhijawans'!
Dr Muhhamad Shamsadin Megalomatis: "Thanks to otherwise prohibited Hittite
texts, we know that the 'Ahhijawan' crown prince at (probably) Mycenae spent
time with his relatives and friends at Hattushas, the capital of the Hittite
Empire, in the east of Ankara, Turkey."
Ahhijawa > A(r)-hhi - ja-wa. A(r) > Ra, hhi > gio. "Gio-ra"!
ja > zeus, wa > ve/lives. "Ja-ve"!
The Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists had the same religious beliefs as
the locals and the two ultimately assimilated.
In other words, by around 1400 BC, indigenous 'Graikos'/'Giorgi' tribes lived
north of Mt.Olympus and south of Mt.Olympus (more so the region of Morea
and the Aegean islands) there lived hybrid 'Ahhijawan'/'Graikos'-'Giorgi'
peoples.
Moving on, north of Mt.Olympus in 825 BC the 'early' ancient Macedonian
state began. King Caranus founded the Macedonian "Argead" (not
Ahhijawan) Royal Dynasty.
Argead/"Argiadi" > Ar-gea-d/Ar-gia-di > "Gio-ra (i)
di"!
From now on, the indigenous 'Graikos'/'Giorgi' tribes whom constituted the
Macedonian state 'identified' themselves as "Macedonians".
Ma-ke-don > Ma/mother, ke/zeus, don/domain. "Mother Goddess Domain".
Not long after the 'early' ancient Macedonian state was formed, to the
south of Mt. Olympus, particularly around Morea, the ancient "independent
of each other" "City States" began to form (eg. Athens, Thebes,
Sparta, Corinth, etc, etc). The people of the ancient City States were Eur-Africans!
They identified themselves as "Athenians", "Thebans", "Spartans", "Corinthians",
etc, etc.
Macedon was not a City State. Its capital was Aigai, then it was moved to
Pella.
In the 8th century BC, a Boeotian tribe (Eur-African) had migrated to Italy.
Interestingly, the Romans referred to them as "Graecus"!
(Suppose they couldn't say "Ahhijawans"?!).
King Alexander I of Macedon (498 BC - 454 BC) was a "friend" of
the City States. When, as a friend of the City States, he wanted to take
part in the Olympic Games, he was rejected (initially) since the games were
not meant for the "barbarians" (indigenous people). The Macedonian
king, for the sake of his own prestige, and to fulfill his desire to take
part in the Great Games, tried cunning tactics. He stated that, according
to tradition, his family originated from Argos on the Peleponnesus and not
from Argos Orestikon in western Macedonia! (the latter is where he really
came from!) Consequently he became the first Macedonian at the Olympic Games.
Philip II was king of Macedon from 359 BC to 336 BC. Macedonia was weak and
surrounded by hostile neighbours when Philip became king.
Philip's early ambitions were not of conquest but of defense. Not long after,
however, Philip incorporated "other" indigenous 'Graikos' or 'Giorgi'
tribes into the Macedonian kingdom. (Approximately up to where the present
day northern border of the Republic of Macedonia is).
Philip soon (famously) expelled the Eur-African City State colonists from
the coast at Chalcidice! With the exception of Alexander I and Philip II,
no other Macedonian kings connected with the Olympic Games.
In 338 BC Philip II had no choice but to conquer and subsequently weld together the
provocative (independent of each other) City States. The City States
were then forced to make a common peace and alliance with one another
first and then a separate alliance with Macedonia. The "union" was
held together by a policy of force! (part reference -Eugene Borza).
Philip's son, Alexander III -The Great belonged to the Macedonian Argead
(not Ahhijawan) Royal Dynasty. He died in 323 BC and was one of the last
kings of the Argead dynasty.
The City States having lost their political independence began to decline
under Macedonian domination. Then, in 197 BC they were briefly liberated
and re-conquered by Rome from which they never recovered.
Both Macedonia and the City States were conquered and occupied by Rome. There
is a Roman map which clearly shows "Macedonia" as a separate entity.
The same map shows that the Romans called the region south of Mt.Olympus "Achaea"!
A(r)-chae > Ar-gos. A(r)-chae-a > territory of Argos (derived from
Argos at Morea).
The Roman terms of 'Graecus' and 'Achaea' have a negative effect on the Macedonian
identity. But then again, I suppose the Romans couldn't pronounce the terms "Ahhijawan" and "Ahhijawa"!!!
The charter of Alexander the Macedonian is found in the book "The Kingdom
of The Slavs" by Mauro Orbini, published in 1601 AD, in Pezaro. A part
of the charter reads: "We, Alexander, son of Philip, King of Macedonia,
Prince of the Monarchy, appointed as a creator of Greek empire, from Nataban
announced as the child of the great Zeus, ruler of the Augusts,......"!!!
In Orbini's "Kingdom of The Slavs", under the index "M",
the reader finds text about Macedonia, in which the author begins with:
"Macedonians are Slavs..."; scrolling on the other page, he states: "Slavs
are Macedonians...".
"...So, the name that is mentioned here -Slavs, Apian from Alexandria in "Iliricum",
calls these 'Agrians' well-known and famous, and that is exactly what the word
'Slavs' or 'Slovenes' means."!!! Oh, please!
Agrians (Agrijani) = Slavs (Slavjani)!
"(A)g-r -i- ja(ni)": g-r > "g(io)-r(a), i, ge".
"S-lav-ja(ni)": S-lav > Zh(ivi)-li, (i), ge".
PS. I welcome any replies to the above article by anyone via the Macedonian
Digest.
By Bogdan T.
Book and other Reviews
About the Hellenization of Southern (Aegean) Macedonia
- A Review of 'Fields of Wheat, Hills of Blood' - Dr Anastasia Karakasidou
By Antonio Milososki
Ph.D. Candidate
University of Duisburg, Germany
"Elsewhere in Greek Macedonia, the term [en-] dopyi ("local")
is used to refer to Slavic-speakers who had inhabited the region prior its incorporation
into Greece in 1913; in the Edessa and Florina prefectures, for example, the
phrase dopyos Makedhonas ("local Macedonian") is used by many to signify
a Slavic-speaker, and his descendants." Perhaps this quotation from the
book of Dr Anastasia Karakasidou was the reason why the same passed through various
troubles before it was published. Or, maybe this was the main motivation for
certain Greek extremists to accuse Dr Karakasidou of "high treason".
When in 1993 she published one part of her research in the periodical "Journal
of Modern Greek Studies (vol.11, 1993)", she received several death threats
from US-based Greek right-wing organizations, even before her colleagues had
a chance to congratulate her. At the same time, the Greek newspaper "Stohos",
describing her as a state-enemy, published both her address in Salonika and her
car registration number.
But she didn't give up, she continued with her research, and when the book
was finished she made a publishing contract with Cambridge University Press.
The surprise came when at the last moment Cambridge Press decided not to publish
the book - allegedly because of the intelligence coming from the UK Embassy in
Athens saying that such a step might endanger the security of British citizens
who resided in Greece. The case has now gathered a great deal of world-academic
attention. There were stories in the Washington Post and The New York Times.
Three academic editorial board members resigned from the publishing house in
protest at the decision. The "Karakasidou case" became known worldwide.
Generating interest even before its publishing, the book was finally printed
in 1997 by Chicago University Press. Today Dr Karakasidou is Professor at Wellesley
College in the US, and her book "Fields of Wheat, Hills of Blood" is
one of the most circulated among the students of anthropology and Balkan history.
This book, which is very readable and comprehensive, is an outcome of her
fact-finding mission in the region of Assiros (originally Guvezna), a small town
located twenty miles northwest from Salonika. In the research that covers the
time period from 1870-1990, Dr Karakasidou describes the life of the region's
inhabitants, their migration, their customs, professions, languages, as well
as the impact of the numerous wars on the population. Particularly emphasized
is the role of the local notables in the processes of shaping or rather reshaping
the national identities of the inhabitants. The local notables, known as tsorbadjihi
(local Christian elite), merchants, priests, teachers and state administrators,
consisted of the lowest but obviously the most effective tool in the process
of national assimilation. According to Dr Karakasidou, the key factor in this
process, until 1913, were the local tsorbadjihi and the Greek Church - Patriarchate.
The Patriarchate had cleverly used its privileged position in the Ottoman Empire
in opposition to the recently re-established (1870) Bulgarian Church (Exarchate),
even though the later had noticeably enjoyed stronger support among the "Slav-speaking" population
all over Macedonia. After the partition of Macedonia, beside the Patriarchate,
state-sponsored schools and the Army (through the army-obligation for adult males)
undertook the leading role in the process of nation-building of the Greek national
consciousness among the non-Greek inhabitants, which at that time consisted of
the majority of the population in Southern (Aegean) Macedonia. Those were the
main assimilation-levers for the realisation of the state-sponsored project for
the Hellenization of that part of Greece. In that respect, speaking about the
situation in Assiros in the war-periods (Balkan Wars, Word Wars, and the Civil
War), the author, using both oral memory and written history, brings the destiny
of the "ordinary people" closer to the eyes of the reader.
Where in the region trade, agriculture, religion, common customs and mixed
marriages had connected its inhabitants, it is easy to notice how, under the
pressure of the neighbouring propagandas, year by year the differences (particularly
in the language) became far more important than the similarities. For example,
many "Slavic-speaking" women from the surrounding villages who had
married into the Greek-speaking families in Assiros found themselves forbidden
by their husbands or in-laws to speak their "native Bulgarian dialect" in
their new households. At the same time, the author underlines that the labels "Macedonian" and "Bulgarian" represent
synonyms, which, particularly today, are used in Greece interchangeably in reference
to "Slavic-speakers", in respect both of their language and ethnicity.
Further on, one can understand the significance of the refugees (prosfighas)
and their immense importance in the process of "national homogenization" of
the young Greek state. Actually, Anastasia's father was a Turkish-speaking prosfighas
himself, compulsory evacuated to Greece in the wake of the Asia Minor War in
1922. His life had been deeply affected by the Greek nation-building process.
And, although after his settling in the region of Macedonia he had acquired some
sense of belonging to the Greek collectivity, yet every evening he would tune
his short-wave radio to an Istanbul station and sing along with the slow Turkish
songs, explaining to his little daughter their verses. From the comprehensive
analysis about the colonization of this part of the country it becomes clear
that the Greek nation, particularly in the regions of Southern Macedonia and
Thrace, has derived from profoundly diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
The next method that had accelerated this process of state sponsored assimilation
was the so called "voluntary resettlement" of the native population,
mainly to Turkey and Bulgaria, but also to the East-European countries during
and after the Greek Civil War.
All in all, the book represents a well-founded publication about the Hellenization
of one small part of Southern (Aegean) Macedonia. Nonetheless, it gives us more
than enough evidence to draw the conclusion that Macedonia has never been exclusively
Greek. Moreover, at the beginning of the twenty-century, Southern Macedonia was
a multiethnic region with an overwhelmingly non-Greek majority. As the Bishop
of Florina (Lerin) Augostinos Kandiotis once said "If the hundreds of thousands
of refugees had not come to Greece, Greek Macedonia would not exist today".
The book is well worth reading. Unraveling the complex social, political and
economic processes through which these desperate people become amalgamated within
the expansionistic Greek identity, this book provides an important corrective
to the developments of the "Macedonian Question".
Poetry
SE SOBRALE MAKEDONCITE
Sung by Goce Nikolovski
Se sobrale, se stepale Makedoncite,
se stepale so Grcite!
Koj vi kazha more Grci, lazhgovci,
koj vi kazha deka nema Makedonci!?
Mala ke vi bide Avstralija,
ako ne ja priznaete Makedonija!
Sakale, ne sakale, sudeno e
cel svet Makedonija da ja priznae!
Se sobrale, se stepale Makedoncite,
se stepale so Grcite!
Se krenale patrioti Avstraliski
- decata na Aleksandar Makedonski!
Mala ke vi bide Avstralija,
ako ne ja priznaete Makedonija!
Sakale, ne sakale, sudeno e
cel svet Makedonija da ja priznae!
Se sobrale, se stepale Makedoncite,
se stepale so Grcite!
Sega znajte more Grci, lazhgovci,
Melburn, Sidnej, sč e polno so Makedonci!
Mala ke vi bide Avstralija,
ako ne ja priznaete Makedonija!
Sakale, ne sakale, sudeno e
cel svet Makedonija da ja priznae!
MACEDONIANS
Let us raise our voices loudly
What are we fearful, of?
Why be shackled, to our false names
What are we waiting, for?
As we band, around the world together
No more confusion, be
Those still chained, our hearts are with you
Those who can, be free
Around the world, we will be united
Breaking from the shackles, free
Growing in strength, in greater number
No more Greek, are we
Recognized, by our Macedonian names
You and I, shall be
When we reclaim our true identities, to be free
Stronger, and prouder Macedonians, we, shall be
By Lita Grakini
From the Archives
Tashko Georgievski's Return
By Mateja Matevski
Tashko Georgievski is one of the most prominent modern Macedonian writers, who with his prose work -short stories and novels -has added to our literary and cultural scene. His first short stories appeared in the mid-1950s and he continued to build his opus with a string of novels, bringing into Macedonian literature the theme of man from Aegean Macedonia [northern Greece], the drama of Macedonian man, of the Macedonian people in the debacle of the Greek Civil War and the Golgotha after the unknown foreign places, pushed from his own hearth and put to new sufferings while he neither stops trying nor gives up his hopes. Enriching our literature with his vision of this troubling and brave theme, the prose of Tashko Georgievski has brought to our literature a name with an exclusive talent in which his artistic action, language and style, and his sensibility are affirmed.
Tashko Georgievski was born in Aegean Macedonia, in Greece, on the other side of the border, to one of the thousands of Macedonian families which have for decades ranged through the world, escaping from hunger, from wars, from persecution, from assimilation, from destruction. His family left its village in the time of the Greek Civil War, and the 11 year old boy (Tashko Georgievski was born in 1935) took with him all of the horrors and sufferings of an unhappy and unfortunate childhood, and the drama of his people, his land.
From slavery under the Ottoman Empire to the partition of Macedonia in the Balkan Wars and the pre-war Greek monarcho-fascistic regime under which a part of the divided Macedonia found itself, to the Italo-Germanic-Bulgarian fascist occupation -the Macedonians in the Aegean part were always filled with the desire for a free place under the sun. Just like their brothers who were under Yugoslav and Bulgarian royalty, they rose up for their basic national and social rights, choosing the side of progress and freedom. The Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia paid dearly for their desire for freedom; their clear choice for the anti-fascist and liberating (communist) struggle in the Greek Civil War meant that after the descent into war they met new sufferings: their homes were demolished, they were again tortured, imprisoned, herded to the prison camps on the desert islands of the Aegean. Having managed to stay alive, thousands of them were forced to leave their hearths, as were the fighters of the liberating army, and crossed the border following the long standing emigration path from the Pelagonija plain to Vojvodina, from Albania to Hungary , Poland, Uzbekistan, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Spread to every comer of the world in one bitter emigration, which still stands, the defeated Macedonian families still cannot return to their homes, let alone recover from the Golgotha which they lived through and still live through. That is a nightmare which they have lived for years, never free from the desire and yearning to return again to their villages or cities, to the places of their childhood and their youth, to the places of their grandfathers and their great grandfathers from which they were forcefully wrenched by the cruelty of war, dictatorships and forceful assimilation.
That thought of returning, that yearning for a return in dreams and in reality, in all its life, has become the central theme and the basic inspiration of all of the prose of Tashko Georgievski. How is the theme of returning developed in the novels of Tashko Georgievski?
First. The strong wind of the war has passed and the old villager Adzhigogo from the novel "Walls" returns from prison and persecution into his burning village together with his tortured, sick and broken wife. The village is getting itself together after the war, the sufferings and the terror but the fear has not left the people; suspicion and distrust make the people withdrawn, reserved and turned inwards. Adzhigogo does not find his own house; in the place where it had been are only piles of rocks and ashes. He cannot accept an invitation from his youngest son, who remains live and who managed to get himself a new house, to go and live with him. The headstone to his elder son does not permit him to accept the selfish and fearful life of the younger son. Filled with bitterness, disdain and spite, but also filled with stoicism, with love, he decides to raise his own house from the ashes, building into its walls the bones of his ancestors. He is so taken with that urge that even if walls were taken down, he would remain loyal to the ashes, building them up again, returning to the monument, to the past, to the old hearth, to his roots and the only place where he understands himself and can find himself and belong.
Second. In the echo of the wars, under the pressure of the new wave of terror, under the protection of the partisan units, thousands of women, children, old people are traveling over Kajmakchalan, passing into Yugoslavia and Vardar Macedonia, pouring into the villages of the Mariovo and Pelagonija regions, into Prilep and Bitola. Among the hundreds of suffering families whose men were on the other side of the border in the ranks of the liberating army, amongst the mothers whose just budding young men were stopped at the border and given guns, among the sick women, the dishonoured young women and disabled old men is one young man who can carry a gun. He, Dine Bocharovski, was forced by his friends to accompany his pregnant wife over the border and was ordered to wait: a man would come and take him back among them. The people become accustomed to the new life, waiting for the end of the nearby booming on the other side of the border and to return to their own homes as soon as possible. But Dine Bocharovski cannot get used to it. Waiting for the man who will take him back becomes more and more vain and hopeless; he is eaten away by shame and the realization that he is healthy, at the side of his wife and his children and the side of his isolated countrymen. Resettled again, but not in the south and their own houses but rather in the north further away from them, in a new uncertainty, he is filled with spiritual agony and the alcohol he gives himself over to more and more cannot quiet the hell of his hopes and dreams of return. That is the theme of the novel "Winter Wind" which wraps the characters in the motif of returning and plucks from them the reality and ultimately their dreams.
Third. Doni (Andonis from Sarakinovo), in the novel "Black Seed", is imprisoned for the period of his military service simply because he is Macedonian, together with hundreds of other Macedonians and Greek communists. After harsh tortures, he is driven off to the Aegean islands. The officers of the royal command think up the most unimaginable pains to force the people to endure, make them resign from themselves, from their own self definition, from their own biography. Doni is not a communist, he is just an ordinary Macedonian villager and he cannot resign from something that he is not (communist) and even less from something that he is -a Macedonian. The torturers have a cruel fantasy, but passing through all of the pains Doni feels his chest fill with stoicism and eventually with hate toward the people who want to kill the human being in him and in his fellow sufferers. The thoughts of his village and his own Angelina strengthen him in the midst of that hell of sun and salt, hunger and torture. He returns to her when it is hardest for him and that return in his thoughts and in his dream maintains him during the pains, that is the only clear moment of his bitter life.
Fourth. We find Tashko Georgievski's theme of returning not only in the context of the war but even earlier, in his novel "People and Wolves". The young Goni, who is sent by his old parents and the villagers with great love and hope to Solun for schooling, lives through the formative years and great disappointments of a young man in a foreign environment, in which he cannot work out of the manner of living, its rules and laws. Saddened and ill, with a wasteland in his soul, he changes his name, renouncing everything behind him, and goes to the mountains amongst the goats and the wilderness so that he can suffer his bitter loneliness and pain. And there, in the midst of the loneliness and the pain, in winter, a wolf night, beside the frozen body of his father who had set off to find his lost son, he lives through his catharsis, resolving his frightening spiritual, existential problem with a return to the village, to his old mother, to his own hearth. Tashko Georgievski in this novel raises the theme of return, giving it prominence in the chronological continuity which from then on, by theme and by destiny, is discovered in "Walls", "Winter Wind", "Black Seed" and "The Red Horse".
Fifth. "The Red Horse". The Civil War in Greece in its last stages was forced to retreat to Albania. There, in a foreign land, the partisan Boris Tushev, a villager from the slopes of Kajmakchalan, ends up without weapons. His first happiness that he is alive passes, happiness that he remained alive after that hell of battles and the retreat. It is spring, the sun burns, and he would like to be in his own village. But there is no returning, neither to the village nor to the battles. But rather something that neither Boris Tushev nor the few people from his village and all of the others in the holding camp can imagine: the start of their roaming over the world which will change their lives. Hidden in Soviet cargo boats, those from the Albanian ports set off on the waters of the Mediterranean and, hiding themselves and sheltering for weeks, they enter the Black Sea so that they can be dragged over the Caspian waters all the way to Tashkent. But Boris Tushev cannot rest. He gets a job and a good life and starts a new family, but after fifteen years or so, when an opportunity arises for him to return, he does just that. He leaves Tashkent, his wife, his job, he signs a statement at the Greek embassy that he was not a communist and that he will be a loyal citizen to the royalty and he returns to the exit point of his earlier life, in his own village. The man who in a strange and wondrous symbolism returns to his village on a red horse which he has bought on the road, a traitor to his ideals, becomes a danger for the village, for the regime. He again feels that even among his children that he is not his own man, not in his village, not in the country but still he stays beside them, ranging around, searching himself, until his death.
Reading this novel, many questions are raised about destiny, ethics, politics. Tashko Georgievski gives a hint of them in the journal which led him to prepare the novel. Is Boris Tushev a traitor to his ideals, was he cowardly and selfish to leave the thousands of his countrymen to range around the world, using his first chance, a shameful chance, to return?
But Boris Tushev did return. In him the impulse to return was the biggest and most sublime. Before stepping on his own land, in his own village, and even though he is abandoned, avoided, isolated, it is recognized that he shows with his decisions to return, with his obstinacy and his pain, the ongoing desire to return of the thousands who were pushed from the land which had belonged to them for centuries and which waits for them with all of its roots, with the bones of their ancestors.
The prose of Tashko Georgievski is not concerned with direct historical, political and philosophical analyses, although the themes of his prose record and sometimes comment on historical conditions. But that which interests him and on which he puts all of his attention is the destiny of a people, his own people. In all of the fears and horrors of the war, the terror, the persecution, for him a central motif remains the uprootedness of his piece of land, that of his grandfather and great grandfather, and the longing to return to it, to return to his fallen-down home. In that blind urge, in the restlessness of exile, whatever it is and wherever it is, he finds the most poetic and the most sublime; he finds all hopes and light in the middle of the most heavily layered misfortunes and evils. That is why, as with other characters of his novels, we look at Boris Tushev from the aspect of that urge, the reasons behind it and his behaviour. In that way, the destiny of Boris Tushev starts to raise itself above the destiny of the Macedonian people and their suffering and becomes universal. It slowly passes beyond his every day life, taking him over more and more. And modem history is filled with many such examples.
Longing to go into the man, into his psyche, into his destiny, Tashko Georgievski in "The Red Horse" speaks in the first person. His Boris Tushev speaks about himself, about the villagers, about the war, about Tashkent, about his return. Only the last, the fifth part, is spoken by Sarbija, his cousin, so that he can give us his view of Boris and his last days. A complete simplicity and density is achieved in the telling, while the monologue form enriches it and strengthens the suggestion of confession. The language is simple, direct, fluid with a few regional words, with place names, not to be picturesque, but because he concerns himself with the essential, with destiny.
In all of his novels, Tashko Georgievski looks at man, his destiny, through life stories with prose of a poetic or symbolic character. His descriptions of nature are to that end, his remarkable sense of the plains and mountains, the seasons, the rains and the snow, the wind, the things of the plain, the whole environment is the environment of his story. Communication is concise, like a momentary description, digression, commentary, all with the sole aim -to find the man. The dialog is direct, reduced to the essential. The character is built continuously, not in one breath; he gives a hint of the character so that it can later step aside for the fundamental goal of the story -destiny. His own destiny, the destiny of his people, the destiny of the land from which he has been driven out and to which he continuously returns, the destiny of the time.
That motif as a fundamental poetic and human preoccupation continuously appears in the prose of Tashko Georgievski. With a feel for composition, with story teller's language, Tashko Georgievski rarely becomes a sacrifice to the construction of the artificial, of turgid and naive poeticizations, of melodramatic histories or of bizarre naturalistic descriptions. He is compressed, minimalist, simple. And that has enabled him for many years to build before us, his contemporaries, the great frescoes of his returns.
The returns are his own personal destiny, and ours. Thanks to him, in the spirit of that yearning from the last century of Konstantin Miladinov for the south, our modern literature is further enriched with something valuable.
To be continued (next issue)
Feedback
RE: SCOTA AND GAEDEL -Some Opinions In Relation To The
Recent Sequence Of Articles;
PROTO-SLAVS: The "proto-Slavs" could have been the first peoples
to inhabit the territory of Lower Egypt and the region of Canaan. Later,
many of them may have crossed the Mediterranean where they settled
around the southern Balkans.
Proto-Slavic inscriptions found in the modern Republic of Macedonia date
back to at least 7,000 bc.
EGYPT: There is evidence of distinct cultures in Lower and Upper Egypt, which
did not merge (conquered and temporarily occupied by the Upper Egyptians)
until late predynistic times. The predynistic period lasted until around
3,000 bc. (The Lower Egyptians may well have been the remaining proto-Slavic
tribes).
HEBREWS: According to the Torah, the Hebrews had lived near Ur in Mesopotamia.
About 2,000 bc, they migrated, herding their flocks of sheep and goats into
the Canaan (later called Palestine). Traditionally, the Hebrews are
also known as the ancestors of the Israelites. (When the Hebrews arrived
in Canaan, proto-Slavic tribes would still have been living there).
-The book of Genesis tells that around 1,800 bc, a famine in Canaan forced
many Hebrews (and proto-Slavs?) to migrate to Lower Egypt. (Proto-Slavic
tribes and some Upper Egyptian colonists would already have been living in
Lower Egypt at the time).
-After 1,600 bc, "Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists" arrived at
Morea (the Peleponnesus) and the Aegean islands. However, these "Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic
colonists" (dark Upper Egyptians, Ethiopians, etc?) would have first
conquered, temporarily occupied and colonized Lower Egyptian lands.
The extent of influence on both the "Lower Egyptians" and the southern
Aegean Pelasgians is debateable? Less than a couple of centuries later, however, the
Hyksos Hebrews regained control of Lower Egypt.
-In time, (around 1,300 bc) Moses led the Hebrews in their escape, or
exodus from Egypt. (Why? Did the Upper Egyptians regain control of Lower
Egypt yet again?) After Moses died, the Hebrews entered Canaan
and defeated the people there (proto-Slavs?), claiming for themselves the
land, they believed God had promised them.
-By 1,000 bc, the Hebrews had set up the kingdom of Israel. Among the most
skillful rulers of Israel were David and Soloman.
-David defeated a huge "Philistine" warrior called Goliath. (Hmmm.
Were the Philistines proto-Slavs?! Phi-li-s-ti > Phi-li-po-s! > "(zhi)vi-li
- zh(i)vo-zhe"! Go-lia-th > "zh(iv)i-li (zhi)v(ee)"!
LANGUAGES: All the pre-historic "proto-Slav" tribes mentioned (from
at least 7,500 bc) spoke dialects of the same or similar language. Their
language may well have been an offshoot of the 'early' Upper Egyptian language.
-In Lower Egypt, however, since late predynistic times, the original
language here would have been completely altering over time because
of the influx of various peoples!
-In 1320 bc, Aye-Gaedil-Dannus most likely spoke an "early" (now
somewhat bastardized) Hebrew language (Hebrew itself was an offshoot
of the 'later' Upper Egyptian language).
-The united proto-Slavic tribes of 'Macedon' (formed from 825 bc) spoke their
own unique "proto-Slavic" dialects.
ALPHABETS: The hieroglyphic script was the Upper Egyptian script.
The 'hieratic' script was invented and developed more or less at the same
time as the hieroglyphic script and was used in parallel with it for everyday
purposes such as keeping records and accounts and writing letters.
Notable features:
.A simplified and abbreviated form of the of the hieroglyphic script in which
the people, animals and objects depicted are no longer easily recognisable.
.Structurally the same as the hieroglyphic script.
.Written almost exclusively from right to left in horizontal lines.
.There were a number of regional variances, one of which, a "northern
version", I believe (perhaps from the time of around 7,500 bc),
became the basis for the proto-Slav/proto-Cyrillic alphabet. Proto-Slav
colonists then took this script to the southern Balkan Peninsula. .In Egypt,
however, as time went by, regional variations of the hieratic script
continued to evolve!
.Millenia later, by the 25th dynasty (around the 650's bc), yet another northern
version of this evolving hieratic script had developed into the "Demotic
script".
.The hieratic script was used until the 26th dynasty, though by that time,
it was only used for religious texts while the "Demotic script" was
used for most other purposes.
ROSETTA STONE:
-In 1320 BC, Aye-Gaedil-Dannus probably used a 'later', 'northern' regional
variation of the hieratic script.
-The center text on the Rosetta Stone too is "not" the so-called
Egyptian Demotic Script (the demotic script dates from around the 650's
BC)!
-The Macedonians took over Egypt from around 330 bc. The center
text on the Rosetta Stone is most likely proto-Slav Ancient Macedonian
writing, which was meant for the ordinary Macedonian colonists in Egypt.
(Its roots stem back to at least 7,500 bc)! The special decree that
had been inscribed on it, according to contemporary scholarship, was issued
by the priests in order to glorify the pharaoh Ptolemy V Epithany Eucharist
one year after his coronation, more precisely, according to the present day
calendar on 27th of March 196 bc.
OTHER WRITING: Archeologists in the modern Arab Republic of Egypt (I
believe) have found other proto-Slavic inscriptions (and early Hebrew inscriptions),
but under pressure from the west the state is not revealing them!
-Likewise, Pelasgian, Thracian, "Macedonian" and Epirotan
inscriptions would have been found in Artificial Greece, but they are deliberately
only showing us 'later' koine writing.
-Thracian inscriptions would have been found in Artificial Bulgaria, but
they are not revealing them.
-Illyrian and Epirotan inscriptions would have been found in Artificial Albania,
but they too are not revealing them.
-Archeologists in Spain, France, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland would
have found proto-Slavic and Celtic inscriptions, but they too are
deliberately not revealing them because the inscriptions are against
their national interests!
Notes:
David > Da/Dio/Zeus, vi/lives. "Zeus Lives"
Soloman > So-lo/Zh(iv)i-li/the life giving "li". "Man of
the life giving Sun god li"
-The proto-Slavs and Hebrews themselves could have been somewhat related...
By Stojan G.
RE: Scota and Gaedel (part 6) -last issue
Risto, this has been a very interesting series. Just a few points in relation
to the above article.
1/ "...the megalithic rings at Newgrange (Ireland) are certainly from
the stone age".
Reply: There appears to have been a pre-historic, "proto-slav" presence
in what is today Ireland, Britain (ie. stonehenge), Spain, France and
Germany! Scota, Gaedel and company arrived in northwestern Europe much later,
around 1,320 BC!
2/ All the archeological discoveries mentioned in this particular article
are fascinating, but where are the pre-historic proto-Slavic inscriptions
and later Celtic inscriptions? Could it be that these western countries are
deliberately not showing them?! I think so!
3/ The upturned boat shaped structures which appear to be a type of tomb
are locally called (in Spain) "Navetas".
Na -ve -ta > na/to, ve > (zhi)ve/the living, ta > da/dio/zeus. "to
the living zeus".
4/ The truncated round towers appear to have been shrines of some sort.
The towers, it is believed once housed a type of sacred tree. The towers
are called "talayots" in the Belearic islands and "nuraghi" on
Sardinia.
ta-la-yo: t>'th'>v > va-la/(zhi)vi-li/the 'life giving'-sun god
'iliy', yo > jo/zeus. "the 'life giving' 'iliy' and 'zeus'".
Be-le(aric): Be-le > (zhi)vi-li.
nu-ra-ghi > na/to, ra/the sun god, ghi/zeus. "to ra and zeus".
S-ar-di(nia): S-ar/Zh(ivi)-ra, di/zeus.
By Vasko
E-mail(s) of the Month
Zoe Diamond ( pillar7@optusnet.com.au )
RISTO, please stop your racist anti- Greek hate filled nationalistic racism GOD is against your politics as its wrong BE FAIR BUDDY I have SLAVIC friends don't be a looser GET OVER IT BE A CHRISTIAN DON'T LIE ALEX WAS GREEK OF GREEKS YOUR NOT A REAL ORIGINAL MACEDONIAN MALAKA. BIBLE WAS WRITTEN IN GREEK stop crying and read your bible without soaking and bickering GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE. Don’t insult My Greek race or intelligence anymore, plus ALBANIANS are going to root Your country.
Quotable Quotes
Question/Answers for the Readers
From the Un-answered Questions File
Humour
In the year 2008, the Lord came unto Noah, who was
now living in Sydney Australia, and said, 'Once again, the earth has become
wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me.
Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good
humans'
He gave Noah the blueprints, saying, 'You have 6 months to build the Ark
before
I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights.'
Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw