The Macedonian Digest
“From the readers for the readers”
Edition 48 – December 2009
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Editor’s Notes
The Macedonian people over the ages have contributed immensely to world culture, many times and on many levels. Unfortunately these contributions are still unknown to most people. Some of these contributions have been eloquently documented by the famous writer and author Giorgio Nurigiani in his book “The Macedonian Genius Through the Ages “and it gives me great pleasure to be able to present them to you in a series of articles in this and subsequent Macedonian Digest Editions.
Here we will present you with the sixth article in the series entitled “The Brothers Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinov”, again located in the “History” section of this edition of the Macedonian Digest.
Risto…
Feature Stories
In Portsmouth: Macedonian surprise for Pease Greeters; foreign troops from afar mark 300th flight welcomed
November 4, 2009
Shouts of “zdravo” echoed through the terminal at Pease International Airport on Monday when the Pease Greeters gathered to celebrate their 300th flight and found themselves greeting 100 members of the Macedonian Army rather than the United States troops they are more accustomed to welcoming.
The Pease Greeters are used to not knowing what military branch they are welcoming or seeing off at the airport, but can usually count on the troops hailing from the United States.
However, their most recent gathering saw their 200-plus members attending being surprised when the troops arriving at Pease were members of an army from the Republic of Macedonia — a small country north of Greece.
The Macedonian troops were coming into Pease as part of a mission that has them working with the Vermont National Guard on a joint training exercise that will eventually see units headed to Afghanistan, according to Major Mark Tasler — an officer helping to guide the group on behalf of the National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C.
Tasler was the only American serviceman on the plane that arrived at Pease for the Greeters’ 300th flight, but a quick-thinking Pease Greeter knew that “zdravo” (pronounced stravo) means “hello” in Macedonian so the entire group spread word of the welcome and began chanting it as the troops headed into the terminal.
Monday was a special day for the all-volunteer Pease Greeters as they marked the 300th flight that they have either welcomed in to Pease from overseas deployments or sent off.
The Pease Greeters gather at the airport terminal each and every time a jet carrying troops either arrives or departs for a deployment with their volunteers donating their time to make sure the troops feel supported and honored for their service.
Pease Greeters Chairman Ed Johnson said the group has gathered for over 100 flights in the past 10 month with volunteers sometimes gathering late at night or early in the morning to salute the troops with singing, claps, hugs, refreshments, prayer and camaraderie.
Approximately 200 Pease Greeters lined the halls at the air terminal on Monday as Johnson grabbed a microphone and asked the volunteers to get ready for a “special” welcoming of American troops.
Only moments later Pease officials informed the group that the troops didn’t hail from the United States, but rather were coming from the Republic of Macedonia.
In class Greeters form, the entire group stayed anyway and made sure the Macedonian troops got a big welcome as they would be training with U.S. forces.
The Macedonians stepped out of the terminal doors to find cheering crowds and handshakes and they appeared surprised by the heroes welcome they received in a country they had never been to.
Some of the foreign troops spoke some English and chatted with Pease Greeters before being handed gifts.
Tasler said the Macedonian troops are headed to a “Joint Readiness Training Center” at Fort Polk in Louisiana to train with members of the Vermont National Guard.
Tasler said each state’s National Guard has a State Partnership Program with a foreign military detachment.
New Hampshire is partnered with El Salvador.
Tasler said the 100 Macedonian troops arriving at Pease on Monday will train with a Vermont National Guard unit and later be deployed in Afghanistan.
“They are a great group,” Tasler said.
Johnson said the Greeters have welcomed troops from Great Britain, Canada and Norway in the past.
However, he said the group from Macedonia was certainly a surprise.
“It’s very unusual,” Johnson said with a smile.
The Greeters welcomed the foreign troops as if they were family members.
Johnson said the 300th flight was unique and satisfying with the primary goal always being to make sure the troops are honored.
The longtime Greeter and organization founder said he is always amazed to see how a small group has turned into a support network numbering in the hundreds.
“This has been one of the most satisfying things we’ve done and it’s grown so much,” Johnson said.
Greeters Denny and Deb Byrne of Durham always try to make it to Pease to welcome and send off the troops.
“What better gift can we give than to give our time. It’s a privilege,” Deb said.
Richard Sweeney — a U.S. veteran and Pease Greeter — said he considers the group a “big family” dedicated to the troops.
On Monday many Macedonian troops asked older United States war veterans to pose with them for pictures and share pictures of their families back home.
Not another BIG Greek Lie?
Here is what the writer Fotis Kapetopoulos wrote about
the Greeks;
http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/Lord-Byron-man-of-his-time
"To modern Greeks, Byron is almost a mythological figure. Modern Greeks
being a messy
Greco-Roman-Slavic-Turkic-Semitic lot emerging from the Ottoman Empire who
with the leadership of people like Byron declared themselves Greek.
The forced westernization, process which began in Ottoman Greece between
1821 and 1921, was more about CREATING Greeks rather than liberating them."
Here is some more information about the Greeks;
"GREECE OLD AND NEW"
Published: 1983
ISBN-13: 9780312347161
Edited by: Tom Winnifrith and Penelope Murray
William St. Clair, Byron and Greece - Page 161:
"..Most Greeks (Christian Orthodox) did not share Byron's views and would
not have understood his allusions. They did not think of themselves as Greeks
at all - and certainly not as Hellenes. They had little sense of nationality
in the Western European sense of a nation state like England or France with distinct
geographical boundaries, a single language, and uniform culture. They thought
of themselves rather as the Orthodox Christian inhabitants of a large multi-racial
empire".
William ST. Clair
"That Greece Might Still Be Free"
Oxford University Press – 1972, Page 228:
"..The rich Hydriote ship-owner, Conduriottis, held the title of President
of Greece. He was an
Albanian, unable to speak Greek."
-----------------------------
T. J. Winnifrith
"The Vlachs: The History of a Balkan People", Page 139:
"...One of Greece's first and best Prime Ministers was John Kolettis, a
Vlach who dressed like a
Turk and had been court physician to Ali Pasha."
------------------------
"History of the Greek Revolution"
Volume 1 - 1861
George Finlay
"..The Albanian population occupies MOST of ancient Greece. Albanians now
occupy all Attica and Megaris, Boetia and Locris. They occupy the whole of Corinthia
and Argolis, extending themselves into the northern part of Ardadia and eastern
Archaia."
Posted by Boyan Macedon
From the International Scene
An
interview with Risto Stefov on Infopol - a press service run by the Polish
minority in Lithuania:
http://www.infopol.lt/pl/naujienos/detail.php?ID=2344
The same interview will appear on a website of Silesian Autonomy Movement's
magazine, today has appeared in its printed copies.
We are multiethnic
Bartłomiej Świderek: Being a Macedonian …what does it mean nowadays? How do you see the modern Macedonian national awareness developing?
Risto Stefov: If one wants to be true to themselves then one has no choice but to be who they really are. As much as it is difficult being Macedonians today we have no choice but to be who we are, Macedonians. I also want to point out that we were, as far as our collective memory can recollect, always Macedonian. It is just that the rest of the world is discovering us now, especially with the birth of our independent Republic of Macedonia, and as a result we are experiencing negative effects from our neighbours.
B.Ś: Where then do you see the origins for a separate Macedonian identity beginning? Can we, in 21st century, after all migrations of nations, ethnic mergers and cultural developments refer to ancient tribes in order to justify our national aspirations?
If we go back to before nationalism arrived in the Balkans and before the modern states were established we will find that we were aware of our existence as Macedonians. We knew we were different from the Vlachs, Albanians, Turks and other ethnic groups that existed in Macedonia. We were aware of our religion, language, culture and ethnic identity. Each group was aware of the others and had its place in society. As Macedonians we coexisted together with the Albanians, Vlachs and others. The problems between us began when outsiders arrived and tried to define us not as we were but by terms and methods incomprehensible to us which threw us into confusion. Because no borders in the southern Balkans existed since Philip II conquered the City States in 338 BC, I have maintained that we are a mixture of the same people, perhaps in varying proportions, no matter what country you look at in the southern Balkans. It is predominantly Western politics and the need to have everything defined in simple terms, in black and white, which has brought us to this condition where one group negates the existence of another.
B.Ś: What then decides about being a Macedonian?
It is Macedonia “the land” that makes the Macedonians who they are. Today’s Macedonians are the product of all peoples that have over the years settled in Macedonia since the melt of the last ice age, this includes the ancient Macedonians and every other tribe that has settled there.
Just to be clear, Macedonia and the Macedonian people have no problem with who they are and with what to call themselves and their homeland. It is Greece that has that problem because it chose a slippery path to follow and it has nothing to do with ancient history. Greece, through war and imperial means, after the Balkan Wars of 1912, 1913 was granted Macedonian lands fully populated with Macedonian people. But instead of acting as an administrator of the land and guardian of its people, Greece expropriated these lands for itself and attempted to forcibly assimilate the Macedonians and turn them all into Greeks by force, virtually pushing the Macedonian ethnic identity into extinction. Naturally many Macedonians refused to be assimilated and as a result were exiled and their properties were confiscated. That is why today there are so many Macedonians living outside of Macedonia.
Today we have a large Macedonian minority living in Greece which wants its human rights and recognition acknowledged but Greece refuses to budge, claiming that no minorities exist in Greece and constantly invents problems to deflect this issue from itself. Thus the so-called “Name Issue”.
B.Ś: Among your neighbours only Serbia and Albania recognize a separate Macedonian national identity. In Greece and Bulgaria you either do not exist or are referred to as Bulgarians or Slavophones. One of the major Bulgarian political parties which refers to Macedonia (VMRO) stands on a clear Bulgarian national position. Even Macedonian revolutionaries in late 19th and early 20th century were considered Bulgarian.
You must understand that the situation at that time was very complicated. While the Macedonian people were struggling to free themselves from the Ottomans, Macedonia’s neighbours, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria, had designs on annexing Macedonian lands. After Macedonia was freed in 1878 by Russia and given back to the Ottomans by Britain and France, it became obvious that the Macedonian people would not be allowed to create their own state. It also became obvious that Macedonia would be given to Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. So naturally when the Macedonian people rose to fight and free themselves no one came to help them. In fact quite the opposite happened. While Greece took the Ottoman side and offered the Ottomans assistance to fight against the Macedonians, the Bulgarians infiltrated Macedonian organizations and tried to take them over. When the Macedonians formed their Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) inside Macedonia, the Bulgarians formed a parallel VMRO in Sofia in hopes of usurping the Macedonian organization, failing that, they attempted to confuse and divide the Macedonian people by pretending their version of VMRO was also Macedonian. Now because the VMRO in Sofia was Bulgarian the Bulgarians proclaimed to the world that all factions of VMRO were Bulgarian. The Macedonian people had no clout or strong voice outside of Macedonia so Greece and Bulgaria tended to speak for them. So anything the outside world knew about Macedonia, it saw through Greek and Bulgarian eyes. Even those outsiders who wanted to venture inside Macedonia were given Greek or Bulgarian guides who purposely misrepresented the Macedonian people and their cause. We have many examples of that.
B.Ś: Officially Macedonian nationality firstly appeared in a Tito’s Yugoslavia. Maybe those saying that a Macedonian nationality is a Tito’s invention after 1945 to enlarge Yugoslavia up to Salonika are right?
Macedonians have existed as Macedonians before any of the modern Balkan countries were created. Unfortunately the outside world did not know about the Macedonians until countries like Yugoslavia, who were sympathetic to the Macedonians, became involved. Tito did not create the Macedonian identity as the Greeks and Bulgarians claim, he simply rewarded the Macedonian people (in the Yugoslav part of Macedonia) for fighting in the war to liberate Yugoslavia from the Fascist and Nazi occupiers. The Macedonians in Greece fought even harder to free Greece but when the time for rewards came those Macedonians received punishment instead. After Greece was liberated in WW II the Greeks decided that Macedonians no longer existed and those Macedonians living inside Greece were not only stripped of their promised rights but their voices were also silenced.
B.Ś: How about your language? Macedonian and Bulgarian are often considered to be the same language (i.e. Bulgarian), separated only for political reasons.
Macedonians have been a lot longer in the Balkans than the Bulgarians. If we follow conventional history we will see that the Slav speaking people in Macedonia arrived in the Balkans centuries before the Bulgarians. Also if we again follow conventional history we will discover that the Bulgarians spoke a Turkic language and not a Slavic language. So how can Macedonian be a “Bulgarian” language? Wouldn’t it be more correct to say the Bulgarians speak a dialect of the Macedonian language?
What most people don’t know is that Bulgaria did not use a “true Bulgarian dialect” when it codified its literary language. It used a Thracian dialect most likely so that Bulgarian would sound like Macedonian and would attract Macedonians to become Bulgarians.
B.Ś: The Republic of Macedonia has been involved in a long dispute with Greece over its name. For these reasons it cannot join NATO and begin official negotiations with EU about its membership. Do you see any solution of this problem?
The leadership of the Republic of Macedonia made a calculated error when it became involved in the “name issue” with Greece. The Macedonian people have every right by international law to self identify and no extra conditions should have been imposed by the United Nations when Macedonia applied for entry. But because of pressure by Greece, especially after imposing the crippling embargo in 1995, the Macedonian leadership agreed to negotiate something that was not negotiable; the country’s name. A solution can be found but it will have to be found at the UN. The UN made an error by placing additional demands on Macedonia which, according to the UN charter, are illegal. If the UN reverses its former decision and registers Macedonia as the “Republic of Macedonia” as per its original name on the UN application, then the “multilateral” aspect of the problem will be solved. Then we will be left with a bilateral problem involving only Greece. The Macedonian government has repeatedly stipulated that Greece can call Macedonia whatever it wants. As a Macedonian from Greece I don’t agree with Greece calling Macedonians “whatever it wants” but I am a realist and know that we have no hope in hell of ever getting Greece to call us Macedonians that is without extreme pressure from the outside.
Over 120 countries, I believe the current number is 125, have already recognized Macedonia by its constitutional name “Republic of Macedonia”. Greece and perhaps Bulgaria are the only countries in the world that “claim” to have a problem with our name.
B.Ś: Macedonians are dispersed among neighbouring nations. On the other side ethnic Albanians make up a significant group within the republic. Do you think that this ethnic mosaic may be dangerous for the future of not only Republic of Macedonia but wider southern Balkans?
Macedonia has been a multi-ethnic region for more than two millenniums and the Macedonian people have no problem living with minorities. Minorities too have no problems living with Macedonians. Macedonians have co-existed peacefully with Albanians and Vlachs for many centuries. Most problems experienced in Macedonia today are of an external nature. The problems started when outsiders began to interfere, stirring the minorities to discontent and pushing them to further divide Macedonia.
Outside of the Republic of Macedonia and the occupied parts of Macedonia now under Greece, Bulgaria and Albania, Macedonians also exist everywhere in the world, predominantly in Canada, the USA and Australia. The vast majority are political immigrants driven out over the years by the various occupiers. Those Macedonians today living in Greece and Bulgaria are not recognized as Macedonians and have absolutely no human rights. In fact Macedonians living in Greece and Bulgaria not only are not recognized but those who dare show their Macedonian sentiment are persecuted to no end.
B.Ś: Many Macedonians have recently applied for Bulgarian citizenship and declared themselves Bulgarians. This of course was caused by economic factors due to Bulgarian membership in the EU. Aren’t you afraid that Macedonian identity is not as much endangered by political actions taken by Athens or Sofia but economic privileges Macedonians may enjoy being considered Bulgarians or Greeks?
This is nothing new. Macedonians have been declaring themselves as Bulgarians for a century now, not because they are Bulgarians but as a means to get ahead in life. Most of our prominent revolutionaries during the 19th century also declared themselves Bulgarians so that they could work for the Exarchate schools. The Bulgarian authorities insisted that Macedonians declare themselves Bulgarians before they were offered concessions. The Bulgarians did that 100 years ago and they still do it to this day.
As a result of this, Bulgarians today claim Gotse Delchev, our most venerated Macedonian hero, is a Bulgarian simply because he signed a piece of paper allowing him to get a job as a teacher in the Bulgarian schools.
Most Macedonians believe a person’s ethnicity cannot be changed by simply signing a piece of paper. Bulgarians, however, think differently perhaps because they are unsure of their own identity?
As our recent ancestors used to say “you can’t change a horse into a donkey by simply signing a piece of paper”.
Macedonia is very poor and has an unemployment rate of over 35% so people are forced to seek employment outside of their own country. By offering passports, with no questions asked, Bulgaria makes it easy for Macedonians to enter the European Union and find the employment they seek. Thank you Bulgaria for that, but unfortunately Bulgaria is not doing this to help the Macedonians but simply to blackmail them to become Bulgarians.
B.Ś: The Macedonian Diaspora is particularly strong in Australia and Canada. Could you briefly describe actions taken by Macedonian organizations in these countries in order to support the Republic and Macedonians in the Balkans?
The Macedonian Diaspora is indeed strong and has been integrating itself very well in its host countries. Macedonians have been coming to Canada since the mid to late 1800’s but purely to work, make money and return. But after the failed Macedonian 1903 Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, Macedonians have made Canada, the USA, Australia and other countries their permanent homes.
The Diaspora is helping and has been helping Macedonia since people began to emigrate but most of this help is at the individual level. It is traditional for family members from the Diaspora to send money and gifts to their families in Macedonia. This money helps families survive the usual economic strife. In that sense no one in Macedonia has starved or become homeless. It is interesting to note that with over 35% unemployment there is no hunger or homelessness in Macedonia.
I have personally met many Macedonian businessmen in the Diaspora who are ready to invest in Macedonia and are looking for conditions to improve. I have been told that it takes from 4 to 10 years for an investment to become a reality and as the situation in Macedonia stabilizes we will see more investors from the Diaspora investing in Macedonia. The key to success is stability and as one businessman put it “our aim is to make money and we will not help ourselves or the Macedonian people if our businesses fail and we lose our investments because of instability”.
I am sure there are many Macedonian organizations in the diaspora that are working closely to help Macedonia economically. But the only one I am aware of is the 2025 project about which you can find more information at this website: http://www.macedonia2025.com/
This project is headed by a group of Macedonian businessmen from various business sectors including telecommunications, information technology, finance and banking, infrastructure development, entrepreneurship, etc. The project is designed to help in the development of a stronger economy and bring greater prosperity to Macedonia and its people.
B.Ś: Is there anything you would expect from other Europeans to support Macedonian identity and the Republic of Macedonia? What can we do to make your cause better known and ultimately successful?
Macedonia and the Macedonian people have no high expectations from the European Union other than to afford them the same opportunity other European Nations enjoy. All the Macedonians want from their European neighbours is that they give them the same courtesy and respect that they give other European Nations. Macedonians want is to be treated the same as all other people and for their neighbours to recognize them for who they are - Macedonians and their homeland Macedonia and not to constantly interfere in their affairs. Macedonia is offering its hand of friendship to all and all it wants right now is to be accepted as an equal.
With its low wages and prices, excellent living conditions and investment opportunities, Macedonia is a great place to invest, be it in tourism or industry. And as I have always maintained, a poor man from Europe can live like a king in Macedonia. We invite you all to come and visit us.
This interview is published simultaneously in “Jaskółka Śląska” a monthly of the Silesian Autonomy Movement, Poland and on the website of Infopol - the Polish Press Center of Lithuania (perhaps also in one more paper but must be confirmed). Available at:
Opinions
Comments directed at Paul from www.maknews.com/forum;
Your post is full of lies. Here is one "proof" of many on our website.
Please focus on working toward the Macedonian cause, not putting down the
hard work on this organization. What have you done for Macedonia? Are you
Macedonian, at all?
http://umdiaspora.org/content/view/418/1/
WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15, 2009 - On June 13, 2009, on the occasion of the
1st United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) Global Conference, the UMD Board of
Directors passed a resolution offering unwavering and consistent support
for the protection of the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
R E S O L U T I O N
OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE
UNITED MACEDONIAN DIASPORA
DATED: JUNE 13, 2009
The Board of Directors of the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), on the occasion
of UMD's First Global Conference, affirming UMD's unwavering and consistent
support for retention of the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia
and UMD's rejection of attempts to impose any name contrary to the Republic
of Macedonia's constitutional name, hereby declares:
WHEREAS, the Republic of Macedonia peacefully and democratically declared
its independence from Yugoslavia on September 8, 1991, and
WHEREAS, the Macedonian people, upon peacefully securing their independence,
rightfully chose their historic and ancestral name for themselves and their
state, and
WHEREAS, the Republic of Macedonia's constitutional name is central to the
identity and self-determination of the Macedonian people, their Macedonian
language, culture and heritage, and to the creation of a stable, prosperous,
and tolerant democratic society; THEREFORE BE IT,
RESOLVED, that the United Macedonian Diaspora, reiterates its unwavering
support for retention of the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia,
rejects attempts to impose any name contrary to the historically accepted
and democratically affirmed name of the Republic of Macedonia and the Macedonian
people, and urges the full membership of Macedonia in NATO and a date certain
for negotiations for membership in the European Union.
Founded in 2004, United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) is the leading international
non-governmental organization addressing the interests and needs of Macedonians
and Macedonian communities throughout the world.
http://umdiaspora.org/content/view/314/51/
UMD Works to Protect Macedonia's Name PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 26, 2008 - On March 25, 2008, the United Macedonian
Diaspora took out advertisements in three of Macedonia’s largest daily newspapers,
Dnevnik, Utrinski Vesnik, and Vecer stressing that the Macedonian Diaspora
is against any changes to Macedonia’s constitutional name. The advertisements
titled “NATO Membership Might Have a Price, but the Macedonian Name and Identity
Do Not” reminded the President and the Prime Minister of their constitutional
duty to uphold Macedonia’s constitutional name.
Furthermore, UMD iterated that the Macedonian Diaspora
is Macedonia’s biggest partner and will continue to support and invest
in Macedonia’s future, regardless of Macedonia’s NATO membership. Over
80,000 people worldwide who adamantly reject any name changes have signed
UMD’s petition against a name change for the Republic of Macedonia, and
a recent poll conducted by a think tank in Skopje indicated that over 95%
of the Macedonians are against a name change as the price for NATO membership.
To read UMD's petition, click HERE .
Our ancestors fought and died for a free, independent, and sovereign Macedonian
State. Macedonia’s government must not allow Greece to blackmail Macedonia
into a name change name that will have a negative impact on Macedonian identity,
and Macedonia’s centuries-old history. The name of Macedonia for international
use is Republic of Macedonia and should not be changed.
Macedonia has compromised enough with Greece to resolve this imposed “name
dispute.” Greece has simply ignored all of Macedonia’s concessions. If Greece
violates the provisions in the 1995 Interim Accord between the two nations
by vetoing Macedonia’s NATO membership, then Macedonia should react and abandon
these negotiation talks.
Macedonia will continue its successful transition to a multi-ethnic democracy
regardless of whether it joins NATO. It is NATO and the region, not the Republic
of Macedonia, which will suffer the brunt of Greece’s anti-Macedonian fanaticism
as NATO’s interests, past efforts, expansion, and prestige in the region
will be irreparably damaged by a Greek veto of Macedonia’s NATO membership.
The advertisements (in Macedonian) can be seen by clicking on the following
links:
http://umdiaspora.org/images/dnevnikomdreklama.pdf
http://umdiaspora.org/images/veceromdreklama.pdf
http://umdiaspora.org/images/utrinskiomdreklama.pdf
NOW, is the time to help Macedonia, not when it is too late. Please donate
today in support of United Macedonian Diaspora's important efforts by clicking
HERE. Make a Difference! Ensure the continuation of a Macedonian voice in
Washington, D.C., Canberra, and Brussels.
Posted by Mitreski at http://www.maknews.com/forum/general-discussions/controversies-about-umd-t17185.html
Concerns
I am absolutely against a name change, but you cannot compare Macedonia with Switzerland and Norway. Switzerland is a financial powerhouse and Norway has oil. In any case, they still have more links with the rest of Europe than Macedonia does - they are both members of the European Free Trade Association.
By Dzog from www.maknews.com/forum
Even if we come to an agreement with Greece on a name change
to "North Macedonia" it would not mean that the road to a possible
NATO and EU entry is problem free. Just after a change of name the Greeks
may decide that they are unhappy with something else. This also applies
to Bulgaria and Albania. Bulgaria is EU and NATO member and can suddenly
take over the role of the Greeks and wants us to change name to "Western
Bulgaria" or "Western Macedonia". If we do not come to an
agreement then the Bulgars can VETO. Albania as NATO member may suddenly
get the idea that we need to change our name to "Eastern Albania" or "Eastern
Macedonia". Do we not, then the Albanians can VETO.
The talks will fail and after year-end the negotiations will be suspended.
Thats the only good thing that will come out of this.
I AM AGAINST A NAME CHANGE!
By Dimitar the Macedon from www.maknews.com/forum
Macedonia should wait and not to change the name. Macedonia should be careful and not to believe in Greeks. The new Greek policy is the same as was the earlier. Now Mr. Papandreu started a political window-dressing, he would like to cheat Macedonia and EU. Greece has a lot and very deep economical problems. Greece needs a lot of money from EU to solve these problems. Greece will never be the driver of the Balkan Peninsula, because no one Balkan country wants it. My question is what is a compromise solution if I ought to choose the solution demand by Greece? Once again, neither NATO nor EU is so important than the name. Attention, we change all with a name-changing!
By Kastor from www.maknews.com/forum
If, and I do mean IF The Republic of Macedonia comes to
a compromise and changes its name to Northern Macedonia, any such compromise
can only be reached if Greece is prepared for any level of compromise.
Macedonian territory under Greek jurisdiction MUST be renamed to Southern
Macedonia and Greece MUST recognize her Macedonian population and the Macedonian
language MUST be included within the educational system and school curriculum
from junior to senior levels including Tertiary Education.
Do you still wish to enforce a name change upon the Macedonian Republic,
Greece?
By Mikail from www.maknews.com/forum
Want us to change the name, fine, United Macedonia. Want to negotiate? Let’s negotiate returning of the stolen land. Tocka.
By Malenka from www.maknews.com/forum
Choices
We should create a chronology here with all citations of
when people and groups are first referred to as 'Sklave/Sclave' and 'Sloven'
so we can get a better picture of what exactly happened, when, where it
took place, and the circumstances in which the author's wrote their works.
If anybody has quotes to contribute, please do so, and if possible cite
the year of the event and/or year of writing. Where this cannot be provided
then the year of the writer's passing will be used.
The timeframe of sources and events sought is from the 6th century onwards,
and anything up to the 18th century, however, if there are quotes previous
to this period that can be useful, they are also welcome. I will start a
list with some quotes and update it with each new reference brought forth.
550 AD: Procopius, Secret History, 18.
“Illyria and all of Thrace, that is, from the Ionian Gulf to the suburbs of Constantinople, including Greece and the Chersonese, were overrun by the Huns, Sklaves and Antes, almost every year, from the time when Justinian took over the Roman Empire; and intolerable things they did to the inhabitants. For in each of these incursions, I should say, more than two hundred thousand Romans were slain or enslaved, so that all this country became a desert like that of Scythia................neither the Persians nor the Saracens, the Huns or the Sklaves or the rest of the barbarians, were able to withdraw from Roman territory undamaged. In their inroads, and still more in their sieges of cities and in battles, where they prevailed over opposing forces, they shared in disastrous losses quite as much.”
551 AD: Jordanes, Getica, 34-35.
“........beginning at the source of the Vistula, the populous race of the Venethi dwell, occupying a great expanse of land. Though their names are now dispersed amid various clans and places, yet they are chiefly called Sclaveni and Antes. The abode of the Sclaveni extends from the city of Noviodunum and the lake called Mursianus to the Danaster, and northward as far as the Vistula. They have swamps and forests for their cities. The Antes, who are the bravest of these peoples dwelling in the curve of the sea of Pontus, spread from the Danaster to the Danaper, rivers that are many days' journey apart.”
557 AD: Procopius, Buildings, 4-1-1.
“For these works have been executed with due regard for the nearness of the Ister River and for the consequent necessity imposed by the barbarians who threaten the land. For it has as neighbours nations of Huns and of Goths, and the regions of Taurus and of Scythia rise up again it, as well as the haunts of the Sclaveni and of sundry other tribes — whether they are called by the writers of the most ancient history Hamaxibian or Metanastic Sauromatae, and whatever other wild race of men really either roams about or leads a settled life in that region.”
584 AD: John of Ephesus, Ecclesiastical History, III.25, VI. 25.
“.......barbarian tribes which had risen up against the powerful empire of the Romans: and after the death of Justin, they pressed upon him with still greater violence, especially the accursed tribes of the Sclavonians, and those who, from their long hair, are called Avars..........being the third after the death of king Justin, was famous also for the invasion of an accursed people, called Sclavonians, who overran the whole of Greece, and the country of the Thessalonians, and all Thrace, and captured the cities, and took numerous forts, and devastated and burnt, and reduced the people to slavery, and made themselves masters of the whole country, and settled in it by main force, and dwelt in it as though it had been their own without fear. And four years have now elapsed, and still, because the king is engaged in the war with the Persians, and has sent all his forces to the East, they live at their ease in the land, and dwell in it, and spread themselves far and wide as far as God permits them, and ravage and burn and take captive. And to such an extent do they carry their ravages, that they have even ridden up to the outer wall of the city, and driven away all the king's herds of horses, many thousands in number, and whatever else they could find.”
630 AD: Theophylact Simocatta, History.
“….the emperor enquired what was their nation, where was their allotted abode, and the cause of their presence in the Roman lands. They replied that they were Sclavenes by nation and that they lived at the boundary of the western ocean…...….....the Getae, that is to say the herds of Sclavenes, they were fiercely ravaging the regions of Thrace………….this is the older name for the barbarians.....”
689 AD: Theophanes, Anni Mundi 6095-6305.
“In this year Justinian campaigned against the Sklavinia and Bulgaria. Advancing to Thessalonike, he thrust back as far as possible the Bulgars he encountered. He conquered large hosts of Sklavenes (some in battle, but others went over to him) and settled them in the Opsikion, sending them across by way of Abydos.”
692 AD: Theophanes, Anni Mundi 6095-6305.
“In this year, Justinian made a selection from the Sklavenes he had resettled. He levied 30,000 men, armed them, and named them the "special army". Their commander was named Neboulos.....but Muhammad suborned the general of the Sklavenes allied to the Romans....deceiving him with many promises, persuaded him to desert to the Arabs with 20,000 Sklavenes. Then Justinian massacred the remaining Sklavenes (and their wives and children) at Leukate, a precipitous place by the sea on the gulf of Nicomedia.”
694 AD: Theophanes, Anni Mundi 6095-6305.
“Muhammad attacked Romania; he had with him the Sklavenes who had fled, as they had experience of Romania.”
754 AD: Theophanes, Anni Mundi 6095-6305.
“The Persians opposed Abd Allah, but the inhabitants of Syria were devoted to him and fought on his side. Abu Muslim raised his army and engaged Abd Allah near Nisibis, where he defeated him and killed many of his men. Most of them were Sklavenes and Antiochenes.”
758 AD: Theophanes, Anni Mundi 6095-6305.
“In this year Constantine captured the Macedonian Sklavinias and subjected the rest of them.”
871 AD: Anastasius the Librarian, Miracles, 9.
“There was a certain bishop from the country of the Africans, Cyprian by name, who cared for the true priesthood and led a life most deserving of God. He arranged to journey to the queen of cities, Byzantium, on a pressing matter of necessity. And when they had sailed for many days and had already drawn near to the regions of Greece, he was captured by the most fierce Sclavenes together with all his [companions]. When they had divided these captives among themselves, the [Sclavenes] enslaved the aforementioned bishop together with his [companions]. When these things had been done in this way, they returned to their native places, and each barbarian placed the burden of slavery upon his captive according as he wished.”
899 AD: St Clement, Life of Methodius (Emperor Michael III to SS Cyril and Methodius.
“You are both Salonikans, and all Salonikans speak pure Slavonic.”
905 AD: John Cametinae, On the Capture of Salonika (By Muslim forces).
“I introduce you to the same, the great and the first city of the Macedonians.......The citizens, in fact, were anything but remiss in their use of archery, and used it to great and conspicuous effect by stationing all the Sklavenes gathered from the neighbouring regions at those points from which it was easiest to shoot accurately and where there was nothing to deflect the momentum of their missiles.”
By Soldier of Macedon posted at http://www.macedoniantruth.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1947
Free Advice
About Nikola Gruevski
I notice a lot of people who had the chance to see Nikola
Gruevski are very satisfied with his speeches that he made in Sydney, Canberra
and Melbourne. On one hand people here are still very skeptical of him
and still don’t trust him as a leader while the others are claiming that
he is our leader.
I will give Maknews as an example when before Gruevski came to Canada, he
didn’t think too much of him but once he got to meet him he completely changed
his views about him. He is the first Premier to ever give a dam about the
Macedonian Diaspora and he traveled all the way to Australia to stay there
for only 3 days he spent more time flying in the air. We have to respect
that as a community as nobody has shown us this much respect not even Ljubco
Vojvodata who we all know how he turned out in the end.
Going by his speech (Nikola Gruevski's) he is the first person to hold a
speech in telling us what he has done rather than what he is going to do
which is a big difference, we have heard so many lies in the past especially
those unrealistic lies like Ljubco Georgievski when he said he would come
on his white horse to Solun and put a Macedonian Flag on Beas Kule and we
all know what happened after that.
Looking by all the comments, the only negative thing I saw about Gruevski
was the fact that his trip in Australia was too short. Let’s not forget that
Nikola Gruevski flew on Kevin Rudd's Government plane, the only two other
people who got that privilege in Australia are former Prime Minister Tony
Blair and former President George W Bush which is an honor for us.
I know this trip didn’t get a lot of media attention but the fact that we
got the ball rolling, the fact that we are opening consulates around Australia
is brilliant but at least we have strengthened our relations with Australia
and we have to look at the positives for this. Now is the time to unite and
push Australia to recognize our name, we have a very good Ambassador and
we must work together by all means.
By Prolet from http://www.maknews.com/forum
History
The Brothers Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinov
By Giorgio Nurigiani
Edited by Risto Stefov
In the 60s of last century the national Renaissance began in Macedonia. At first the Renaissance movement was mainly confined to the ecclesiastical and cultural spheres, but the struggle for the emancipation of the Church and the schools soon spread to other departments of the national life. The aim became armed revolution in order to win political freedom and social independence, and this culminated in the glorious Ilinden rising.
In order to understand why the Macedonian Renaissance began at that period, it is necessary to know something of the circumstances leading up to it. Since the power of Turkey was at that time rapidly breaking up, the possibility arose of an intensified commercial and handicraft activity, which aided the formation of a new middle class in the Macedonian towns. The merchants and craftsmen thus became important elements in the development of Macedonian economic and cultural prosperity.
Under the leadership of the patriots of this new middle class, the Macedonians began to work for their national Renaissance. In this they were inspired also by the example of the Bulgarians who, being economically better off, had started their struggle for independence before the Macedonian Renaissance began. It must not be forgotten, however, that sometimes, before the Renaissance, there were simultaneous movements for national independence in Macedonia and among the Bulgarians, without the latter showing any tendency to assimilate the Macedonians. Because it was geographically nearer Greece, Macedonia was always exposed to the assimilating attempts of the Greeks in a way that could hardly happen from Bulgaria.
In spite of their difficult economic and political circumstances, the Macedonian people pursued their national struggle, even before the Renaissance, with determination. As their economic situation improved, the moral and intellectual strength of the people began to be shown. Then some great figures appeared in Macedonia, precursors of the national Renaissance, such as: the two brothers of Struga, Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinov, Jordan Hagi Konstantinov-Djinot and Rajko (Xenofon-Zinzifov), Partenia Zografski, Georgi Pulevski and Panajot Ghinovski, all of Veles, Grigor Prlichev and Kuzman Shapkarev from Ohrid, Marko Tsepenkov of Prilep, and others.
Among the famous figures of the Macedonian Renaissance, the brothers Miladinov occupy a leading place. They were both born at Struga, a pretty little town nestling among the green hills on the shore of Lake Ohrid, Dimitar in 1810 and Konstantin in 1832.
Their father was a distinguished potter, and his forbears had been known and appreciated for their skill in this art throughout Macedonia.
Their mother, in whose veins flowed the proud blood of the Macedonian people, was a woman of great intelligence, refined feelings and uncommon good sense. Dimitar grew up, nurtured by the loving care of his mother. He was enchanted by his mother's songs with which, praising the heroic deeds of the Boyars and the Voivodas, she relived for him the glorious past of Macedonia. In fact, only his mother's love and her devoted care of him were able to save him from the terrible melancholy he suffered from. It was from his mother, too, that he received that deep religious sense which he kept through all adversities to the end of his life.
At first, Dimitar followed his father's trade; then he went to the St. Naum monastery school, where he learned to read and write. For a time he was a teacher in an elementary school at Ohrid; then, about 1830, he was a student at the Jannina grammar school, which was very famous at that time. There he was able to acquire an excellent knowledge of Italian, because he lived among the large Italian colony in the town. After completing his studies, he decided to return home to continue his patriotic work of keeping the Macedonian national spirit alive.
His father was in favour of immediate action against the oppressor, but Dimitar, who had a horror of disorder and violence, preferred to follow the slow but sure path of organizing all the oppressed.
An upright, religious man, touched by the sufferings of the poor, Dimitar Miladinov was a great patriot who devoted the best years of his life to the cause of his country's independence. He hated the oppressors of his people, particularly the Greek bishops of the time. For this reason he was often persecuted, so he sought the protection of nations, such as Italy, sympathetic to the liberation of Macedonia from the temporal yoke of the Turks and the spiritual domination of the Greek bishops.
In 1839 Nako Stanishev, a well-known Macedonian patriot of Kukush, asked Dimitar Miladinov to go and teach in that town; accordingly, the following year he went there and carried on a fruitful pre-renaissance activity with Stanishev. When he came to teach at the grammar school in Kukush, the number of pupils increased considerably. But as at Ohrid, so too here, his teaching was not to the liking of the Greek Bishop Antim I, and after two years Dimitar had to leave Kukush and return to his native town, where immediately after he got married. Then he continued his teaching activity in various towns including Ohrid, Bitola, Prilep, Magarevo, and the district of Bitola; wherever he went he was distinguished for his rare gifts as a teacher, his sound learning and brilliant eloquence. This is how one of his most outstanding pupils, Grigor Prlichev the famous poet of Ohrid, described him: "Among the many teachers I had while I was studying at Ohrid, none was esteemed so highly by the pupils as Miladinov. There was magnetism in everything he did. Eloquence flowed from his lips like honey. A holy flame burned in his eyes." (1) Later on, in 1845, influenced by the Russian Slavonic scholar B. I. Grigorovich, Dimitar Miladinov intensified his activity in the struggle for the Renaissance of the Macedonian people: in opposition to the Greek ecclesiastical authorities, he demanded that Macedonians should have their bishops, churches, schools and education.
Konstantin Miladinov, born a few months after his father's death, had more favourable conditions for his studies under the guidance of his elder brother. Thus he began his studies under Dimitar while the latter was teaching at Ohrid. After completing his elementary studies at Ohrid, Konstantin attended the grammar school at Jannina and then entered the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Athens. Before going to the university, he taught for a time in the village of Trnovo, district of Bitola, when Dimitar was teaching in the nearby village of Magarevo.
Konstantin studied for three years in the Greek capital (1849-1852) and then, with the help of his brother and Partenia Zografski, he left for Moscow where he entered the Faculty of Slavonic Philology.
In Russia, Konstantin Miladinov not only had the opportunity to acquire sound learning, but also the chance to meet many famous Slavonic scholars. He began to write poetry and his verses were read with keen interest. He also collected folk-songs and wrote short stories which appeared in nearly all the leading Russian periodicals.
While Dimitar was organizing and. directing the pre-renaissance struggle in Macedonia, Konstantin was active in Slavophil circles, which included many famous Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian intellectuals. From them he learned the pre-renaissance ideas which later had an important influence on his literary and cultural activity.
Dimitar Miladinov's pre-renaissance activity was considerably helped by his journeys in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Karlovtsi, Sarajevo and Mostar). In all these places Dimitar met many famous men who gave him great encouragement in his fight for the liberation of his people from the Turkish yoke, and particularly from Greek domination. He was able to see for himself what education was like in the emancipated social conditions in Serbia, and even in those of Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austrian rule.
When he returned to his native town two years later, Dimitar became even more active in opposing Greek ecclesiastical domination. In addition to teaching, he now devoted himself to the work of collecting works of popular authorship, which was one of the most important tasks in the pre-renaissance struggle. He began to copy out Macedonian folk-songs and inspired many other intellectuals to take an interest in this. How important Dimitar Miladinov regarded the collection of folk-songs for the assertion of the national spirit of the Macedonians against the assimilating aspirations of the Greeks is confirmed by the following words:
"I shall have these songs and other works I am collecting published so that they can always be sung, because these cursed Greeks will Graecize us and we shall no longer count for anything." (2)
When he had collected a sufficient number of folk-songs, Dimitar sent them to his brother in Moscow, hoping he would be able to get them published there. Konstantin was not successful, but he refused to give up hope. On his way back from Russia, he stopped in Vienna and also for a longer time in Zagreb. There he became friendly with the learned Bishop Strossmayer, who was well known for his Slavophil leanings. The latter signified his willingness to have the collection of Macedonian and Bulgarian folk-songs published, thereby enabling the world to know at first hand how the invincible spirit of the Macedonians had withstood centuries of foreign oppression. Thus the dream of the brothers Miladinov was realized.
After his first meeting with Strossmayer, Konstantin went with him to Djakovo, the archiepiscopal see. In a few months Konstantin had prepared the material for publication and, on Strossmayer's advice, he copied it all out in Cyrillic characters (before it had all been written in Greek letters). After writing an adequate preface, which is one of the first and most important contributions to Macedonian folklore studies, Konstantin sent the material to press, and in June 1861 this historic "Collection" appeared.
Konstantin now left Zagreb to return to Struga. Stopping in Belgrade, he learned of the arrest of his brother Dimitar, who six months before, as a result of the intrigues of the Greek ecclesiastical authorities, had been put in a Turkish prison at Ohrid; he was then transferred to Thessalonica and finally to Constantinople. Therefore, instead of going to Struga, Konstantin went direct to Constantinople, where he too was arrested. Konstantin was not allowed to see his brother and, already far from well, he became much worse in the unhealthy prison, where he died on 18th January 1862. Five days later his brother Dimitar died in the same prison.
So they both ended their lives in prison, guilty of no other crime than that of having served their unhappy country with passionate devotion. Enemy spite slanderously described them as cynics and worse, but they died, as they had lived, faithful to their patriotic principles, proclaiming to the last their faith in a speedy liberation of the Macedonian people, which ever since has venerated their glorious names.
It is difficult to find words adequate to express the significance of the work of the two brothers of Struga for the Macedonian Renaissance. This great "Collection" of Macedonian folk-songs was undoubtedly their most important achievement: "with it the Renaissance of the Macedonian people, which until then had not been expressed sufficiently clearly, began in real earnest." (3)
Miladinov's "Collection", published on 24th June 1861, contains in 560 pages no less than 660 folk-songs. These comprise 23,000 lines arranged according to subject matter: religious, epic, pastoral, legendary (fairy) songs, funeral laments, humorous songs, love songs, wedding songs, and songs about work in the fields. The book also contains proverbs and riddles, descriptions of customs and rituals, beliefs, superstitions, games and traditions.
Most of the songs in the "Collection" come from the regions of Struga, Prilep, Veles, Debar and Bitola. It also contains about a hundred Bulgarian folk-songs of Sofia and Panaghurishte, which Vassil Cholakov collected and gave to Konstantin so that the "Collection" could be published under the title: "Bulgarian Folk-songs". (4) How far this title is from the truth regarding the national provenance of the material in the "Collection" is proved by the fact that the Macedonian outnumber the Bulgarian folk-songs by six to one. The Bulgarian title of the "Collection" was more in accordance with Strossmayer's interests.
In the preface to the "Collection" Konstantin Miladinov gives his opinion on the importance of popular creative art:
"Folk-songs are an index of the level of the people's intellectual development and a mirror of their life. In folk-songs the people pour out their feelings and immortalize their life and deeds; in them is spiritual food and delight; therefore in joy and sorrow, at weddings and folk-dances, at harvest and vintage time, in spinning and embroidering, in the fields and in the forests, songs pour out as from a rich fountain; hence one may say that the people is always a great singer." (p. VII)
Konstantin also deals in the preface with the classification of the songs, their language and spelling, the metres and, in more detail, the long poetic tradition in Macedonia. From this preface it is clear that, having studied in Moscow under distinguished professors such as F. Buslaev, O. Boganski, N. Popov and S. Soloviov, Konstantin had acquired a specialist knowledge of folklore in all its aspects, which helped him greatly in preparing and arranging the "Collection" for the press.
The "Collection" not only brought Macedonian folk-songs to the knowledge of scholars, it also inspired other Macedonians to collect folk-songs. For example, Kusman Shapkarev, who published the largest collection of folk-songs of the Southern Slav speakers (his 8 volumes contain about 1,200 songs, 350 tales and other folk material), admitted that the "Collection" of the brothers Miladinov gave him the idea of preparing his own; and Marko Tsepenkov, himself an enthusiastic collector of Macedonian folk-songs, considered their "Collection" an indispensable book for everybody, almost like a bible. The "Collection" of the brothers Miladinov aroused equally keen interest among foreign scholars, and much of it was at once translated, mainly into the following Slav languages: Russian, Czech, Slovak, Polish and Croat.
For Dimitar Miladinov, the exercise of his profession as a teacher was a real apostolate for spreading the national and moral ideas he believed in, which he defended in prose with reason and in songs with an appeal to the emotions.
During thirty years of life he learned the secret of the old spiritual strength of his people, devoting all his energies to his mission in the spirit of the sermons of St. Clement of Ohrid, the first teacher of Macedonian culture. As the first leader of the pre-renaissance struggle in Macedonia, he showed outstanding capacities for organization; he learned much about the practical details of this from P. Zografski, G. Prlichev, K. Shapkarev and others, who afterwards continued the work he had begun.
In order to spread his ideas on Macedonian nationhood, Dimitar traveled the length and breadth of Macedonia, visiting all the towns and villages, where he was warmly admired for his patriotism and the nobility of his aims. He also wrote many letters to the press, protesting against the assimilating policy of the Greeks. K. Shapkarev wrote that, after his travels in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was a different man: "From then on he has completely changed; he had become fired with such patriotic fervour that it bordered on fanaticism." (5) The same thing happened to Grigor Prlichev, one of the best known Macedonian writers of the 19th century.
Dimitar was in continual and close touch with many distinguished figures in the world of culture (B. N. Grigorovich, Stefan I. Verkovik, A. B. Racinski and others), and he disseminated the first school textbooks of Partenia Zografski. Because he was the prime mover in the struggle against the ecclesiastical domination of the Greeks, he became a thorn in the flesh of the Greek authorities. Wherever he went he was sent away as a result of the intrigues of the Greek bishops; finally he was imprisoned at the explicit request of Bishop Meletia of Bitola, who falsely informed the Turkish authorities that he was a Russian agent. He spent a whole year in prison at Ohrid, Bitola, Thessa1oniki and Constantinople, until he felt obliged to put an end to his life on 23rd January 1862, five days after the death of his brother Konstantin in the same prison at Constantinople. This is how, in a few words, Dimitar described his life in prison:
"Why are you afraid, my dear children? Human life is a handful of blood put in the scale of a balance; when the balance collapses, the blood falls and with it life. Is it worth being frightened about a thing like that?" (6)
Justly Rajko Zirnzifov called Dimitar "a good, magnanimous man, Macedonia's greatest patriot". (7)
The name of Konstantin Miladinov has an honoured place in Macedonian literature, above all because he is linked by his songs to the pictorial poetry of the Macedonians. He is rightly regarded as the founder of Macedonian artistic poetry. Although others had written poems in the Macedonian language before (for example, Kiril Pejchinovik, Natanail Kuchevichki, and Danail Moskopolets), Konstantin Miladinov's works were such as to entitle him to be called a real Macedonian poet.
Konstantin's poems have real artistic merit. Although they were composed under the strong influence of folk-poetry, his verses are the first of the many important works of Macedonian individual poetry. It is very clear that Konstantin's poems were composed in the spirit of folk-poetry.
After years of study he had an intimate knowledge of it, and when he began to write poetry himself, he did so in the style of the folk tradition. This not only reduced the preconditions for his creative work, but also showed that in the folk-song he had found the surest and most direct way; folk-poetry was his first master and the most effective creative support of his poetic art.
Another important thing about Konstantin's poetry is that he made use of a thoroughly popular language. The fact that he wrote his poems while he was studying in Russia (1858-60) is of even greater significance:
"Living in a Russian environment, surrounded by a group of Bulgarian colleagues who spoke and wrote in Bulgarian, Konstantin was able to make a really strong effort to master the solid learning of the circles in which he moved, and to find the right way for a Macedonian popular poet writing in a Macedonian idiom, namely, that of Struga." (8) The subject matter of Konstantin's poems does not cover a wide range: it is confined to social and patriotic themes, with a background of love interest. But for whatever reason he wrote his poems, he put all the sincerity of his poetic feeling into them. This can be seen in "Longing for the South", "The Orphan", "Dove" and other poems. One of the most characteristic of his poems is "Longing for the South", which, with its longing for his beloved country, breathes a noble patriotism.
LONGING FOR THE SOUTH
If I had an eagle's wings
I would rise and fly on them
To our shores, to our own parts.
I would see Stamboul and Kukush;
I would watch the sun: does it rise
Dimly there as it does here?
If the sun still rises dimly,
If it meets me there as here,
I shall make another journey,
I shall flee to other shores
Where the sunrise greets me brightly,
And the sky is sown with stars.
Darkness here encircles me,
Dark jog covers all the earth,
Blizzards and harsh winds abound.
Fog surrounds me, the earth is ice,
And in my breast are cold, dark thoughts.
No, I cannot stay here, no;
I cannot look upon these frosts,
Give me wings and I will wear them;
I will fly to our own shores,
Come once more to our own places,
Come to Ohrid and to Struga.
There the sunrise warms the soul,
The sun sets bright in mountain woods:
Yonder gifts in great profusion
Richly spread by nature's power.
See the clear lake stretching white –
Or bluely darkened by the wind;
Look you at the plains or mountains:
Beauty everywhere divine.
To pipe there to my heart's content
Ah! let the sun set, let me die.
Translated by Graham W. Reid
In his other poems Konstantin is closer to folk-poetry as regards the style and the metre (octo-syllabic lines occur more frequently) and also the themes ("Brotherhood" "The Flute", "The Oath", "To the Sun"). However, although the contrasts between the folk-poems and Konstantin's verses are evident, the hypothesis seems to be ruled out that Konstantin did not take into consideration the merits of the former. On the contrary, he made use of what had inspired the anonymous author.
A sensitive artist, Konstantin Miladinov knew how to transform reality into material for poetry without making any concessions to vulgarity, but rather enriching his work with noble concepts and deep human sympathies. The frank language of the Macedonian people, with its rich store of pointed sayings and pithy maxims, lends itself well to the expression of his vigorous wit. His quick, flowing, varied rhythms sometimes use traditional metres, sometimes old ones remodelled, and sometimes entirely new metres, with melodious interweavings of rhymes and charming refrains.
An enemy of frivolity and high-sounding, empty rhetoric, Konstantin Miladinov writes as he thinks, tersely and tidily, with a simple, vigorous style, suited to the orderly f1ow of his thought. An air of manly resignation pervades all his writings; there are no outbursts of rage or fits of despair in them. Always watchful against every less than noble impulse of his heart, always ready to see the good in the rude life of the world around him, he examined his own feelings with wonderful detachment throughout his life as a militant patriot.
There are no other figures in the history of the Macedonian Renaissance of the same caliber as the brothers Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinov. This is true not only because they led the Renaissance struggle of the Macedonians, but also because their socio-patriotic and literary-cultural activity was of exceptional importance for the national prosperity of the Macedonian people. They really roused the national spirit of the Macedonians. That is why their "Collection" of folk-songs was the glorious crown of their work, the book of books which laid the foundations of Macedonian literature.
"The best part of this work is that in it which is of abiding value. It is true that the "Collection" of folk-songs published a hundred years ago had a greater significance because of the time at which it appeared, but it will have an even greater significance in the future, as long as time lasts." (9)
The following extract from a letter, dated 24th October 1857, written by Dimitar Miladinov to the notables of Kukush, is a convincing proof of the importance he attached to the restoration of the Macedonian language in the struggle for the Macedonian Renaissance.
"I thrill with joy whenever I see your aspirations and your love for our mother tongue, and above all when I see that many young people and even the priests have firmly decided to 1earn this Slavonic language, so that in a few months we shall be able to hear the liturgy in our old language. The Greeks look askance at you. They condemned our Pelasgic Slavonic language, one of the oldest and richest, as a barbarian tongue! Point out to them the Slav speaking philologists, physicists, mathematicians and other scholars of Russia, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Poland, Galicia, Slavonia and Croatia, that is, from the Atlantic to the Adriatic, from the interior of Germany to Epirus and Thessaly, who have enjoyed the fruits of culture. The Greeks want to make us become Greeks! It's the some old story, but they can't hurt us any more." (10)
These lines show Dimitar's absolute certainty that the Macedonians' demands for their own churches and schools would be successful in spite of the many obstacles. He was convinced of the ultimate success of the Renaissance struggle because he had directed it himself with a spirit of self-sacrifice. By his premature death he gave the greatest proof of his patriotism. At first he conducted the struggle alone, but later he endeavoured to train other leaders among his compatriots to carry on the work he had begun. He is rightly regarded as the prime mover and organizer of the Renaissance struggle in Macedonia. The great merit of the brothers Miladinov was the creation of the Macedonian literary language. By collecting, editing and analyzing folk-songs and other lexicographical material, they reached the living source of the language, and discovered its beauty, expressive force and grammatical forms. Thanks to the brothers Miladinov and their contemporaries and followers, Zinzifov and Grigor Prlichev, the spoken language of Ohrid and Struga became the basis of the written language, in which a rich literature would later be created. The generation of the brothers Miladinov thus sowed the seed of the modern literary language of Macedonia.
Here are some songs from their "Collection”.
DOVE
Dove, pretty dove with gilded wings,
When did you come to me, when fly away from me?
I still hadn't heard your voice;
I still hadn't gazed my fill on you.
Perhaps, my love, you were vexed with me?
Perhaps angry with me,
Because I didn't praise your beauty,
Because I didn't scent your wings?
Come, my beloved, come back to me now;
I'll praise your beauty, I'll scent your wings;
I'll deck you with tiny shining pearls,
I'll keep you for always, darling, on my breast!
PEARL
Pearl, my darling Pearl,
Why do you wear pearls round your neck?
Your lovely white neck
Is a thousand times whiter
Than any pearl!
Pearl, my darling Pearl,
Why do you hide with pearls
Your lovely white neck?
I don't want to kiss pearls
But your beautiful neck!
Pearl, my darling Pearl,
Why are you stringing pearls?
For whom preparing gifts?
I don't want gifts or pearls,
It's Pearl my darling I want!
THE ORPHAN
The orphan was sowing
And singing a sad song:
Where has it been seen, where heard of?
For seven long years in my village
I have sweated and sowed and reaped,
And for all my toil
I haven't even a grain of wheat,
Because others grab everything!
My lot, alas, is to labour,
To sweep the streets,
To work all day in the fields,
Without even raising my head!
It's pouring with rain, but just the same
I have to go to work.
When evening comes the sun goes to rest,
But I still toil in the fields;
And when in the morning it rises again,
I'm still among the clods.
All have bread and water;
I alone haven't even a crust!
All wear fine clothes,
Even of green velvet;
I alone, shunned by all,
Wear cast-off rags.
If anyone looks at me
When I sit beside him,
Cursed be the day I was born,
He hurls dreadful oaths at me!
The joy of childhood fades
In my lonely heart like a flower;
And now before my eyes
Happiness grows dim and steals away.
Everyone has a family
Where he can laugh and sing!
My hopes are swept away from
By the winds, as in a desert!
And I feel a pain in my heart
Which reduces all to dust and ashes;
It's as if I had only winter before me,
As if I were always walking in dark fog.
NOTES:
(1) Grigor Prlichev, "Autobiography", Skopje, 1967. p. 49.
(2) M. Tsepenkov, "Autobiography", Makedonski jazik ("Macedonian Language"), Skopje, vols. I-II, p. 127.
(3) K. Penushliski, "The Collection of the Brothers Miladinov", Literaturen zbor ("Literary Word"), Skopje, 1961, year VIII, No.3.
(4) H. Polenakovik, "The Brothers Miladinov and Vassil D. D. Cholakov", "Annual Collection" of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Skopje, 1962, vol. XIV, pp. 218-219.
(5) K. Shapkarev, "Materials for a Biography of the Brothers Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinov", Plovdiv, 1884.
(6) K. Shapkarev, Ibid., p. 29.
(7) G. S. Rakovski, "Archives", Sofia, vol. II, p. 410.
(8) H. Polenaikovik, "The Poet Konstantin Miladinov", Book for the Brothers Miladinov, Skopje, 1962, p. 179.
(9) "Letters of the Brothers Miladinov", Edition of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1964, p. 39.
(10) D. Mitrev, "In the Footsteps of the Achievement of the Brothers Miladinov", Preface to the Jubilee Edition of the "Collection", Skopje, 1962, p. v.
Source:
Nurigiani, Giorgio. The Macedonian Genius Through the Centuries. London: David Harvey Publishers, 1972.
THE MACEDONIAN GENIUS THROUGH THE CENTURIES
"Macedonian Genius through the Centuries", by a noted Italian writer and scholar of Balkan affairs, describes the life and work of the most outstanding figures of the Macedonian nation and their contributions to the treasury of European and world culture. Written in a lively style, but on a sound scholarly basis, the book discusses the most profound and original achievements of Macedonians in the course of their turbulent, tragic history and their struggle for national survival and affirmation. This volume fittingly rounds off the "Macedonian opus" of Giorgio Nurigiani, who has already written a number of notable books on this subject. It enables the reader to become familiar with the Macedonian character and nation through its highest achievements.
GIORGIO NORIGIANI
Nurigiani was born in Leghorn, Italy, on 23rd September 1892. He graduated in law at the University of Rome and then went to Sofia, where he acted as correspondent of various Italian newspapers. From 1919 to 1930 he was head of the press office at the Italian Legation in the Bulgarian capital.
Giorgio Nurigiani's works show him to be a versatile, creative writer of refined taste, a redoubtable controversialist and keen scholar. With unflagging enthusiasm he has devoted his gifts as a man of letters and philosopher to the study of problems of the Slav speaking world, and of the cultural history of Italy, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. He has also distinguished himself in some other fields with his penetrating intellect and profound erudition.
Stories
DON = ZEUS = VEN
My intention here is to prove that "Don" = "Zhe" = "Ven".
*Zeus (Don/Zhe/Ven) is synonomous with "life"
PRELUDE:
*Read carefully
Aye was the Gaedel/Gaythelos
*Anyone who has been reading the Macedonian Digest should already know who
this important character was. (I'd just like to point out at this stage that "Gaedel" is
the proto S-la-"vi"-c or Gio-r-"gi"-an pronounciation
and "Gaythelos" is the later hybrid Koine pronounciation.)
".....What, then does the name Gaythelos really mean? Actually, the rather
astounding answer to this question is that 'Gaythelos' most probably means 'Caesar'
- yes, Caesar, as in the Roman emperor." (1)
*(Gae-"de"-l & Gay-"the"-los > Lives-zeus-li)
* (G>K>C> Cae-"sa"-r > Lives-zeus-ra)
"....it should be noted that the name Caesar was adopted as a title for
subsequent emperors, many of whom were not of the Caesar family at all. So why
was this name thought to be so important that it would be used as a title that
was almost akin to 'king'? The answer is that the title did refer to a king,
but this was not a king of Rome. Instead, the name Caesar was also held by a
pharaoh of Egypt and in the Egyptian original the name is given as Kaisares.,....,." (2)
*(G>K> "Kai-sa-res" > Lives-zeus-ra)
*The historian Manetho, thought to be a priest of Heliopolis, Egypt, in around
300 BC, wrote that the Kingdom of Scythia is older than the Kingdom of Egypt.
*Since the Scythians were Gio-r-gi and/or S-lo-veni, then the Slavic term
Gae-de-l is older than the White Egyptian's term of
Kai-sa-res and the Koine term of Gay-the-los.
*Make-don-ija = Mother of Zeus state. The indigenous tribes of peoples whom
constituted ancient Macedonia were "Make-donna" (Mother
of Zeus) believers as well as "Gio-r(a)-gi" and/or "S-lo-veni" (Slavs!)
*Here is some more examples:
Maradonna ! > Ma-ra-don (don = zeus)
Ramadan > Ra-ma-dan
Marathon > Ma-ra-thon (thon = zeus, the later koine version!)
(1)(2)
'Scota: Egyptian Queen Of The Scots', By Ralph Ellis, Adventures Unlimited,
USA, 2006, Pages 21-22
By A Digest Reader
BIG Bastardized Koine
Speaking Arvanito-Vlacho-Prosfigo Lie #68
"The territory of Makedonia was called 'Emathia' in earlier times."
Various indigenous Giorgi-Sloveni-Makedonna believing tribes (not Graikos-Ellines-Mathia
believing!) lived throughout the entire southern balkans for millennia before
the Hebrews (and their Nubian allies) first began colonising the "southern
most" part of the region from around 1600 BC.
The Hebrew Aye arrived at Morea in about 1320 BC. The proto-Slav Pe-la-s-gi-ans
there called him Gaedel, not Gaythelos (the latter being the hybrid attic/koine
version of the name which was developed later!)
The Hebrews and Nubians never ventured north of Mt.Olympus.
Vasil Ilyov "On one ceramic plate which is 3,500 years old (approx 1,500
BC), Zet (ruler) Pir Macedon is mentioned. That means Macedon is the adjective
from the substantive noun Macedonia". (1)
***After 1,600 BC it was the hybrids south of Mt.Olympus whom referred
to the territory of "Makedonia" as "Emathia", not the
indigenous Makedonna believing tribes whom always lived there!!!***
Also, was it not the Make-donna believing Do-ri-ans whom conquered the Hebrew
controlled territories south of Mt.Olympus sometime between 1,050 BC and
950 BC?!
It is thought that King Ca-ran founded the A-r-gea-d Macedonian dynasty at
around 825 BC.
The International Mediterranean Koine or Common Language only started
to arrive in Macedonia a little before King Philip II's time!
*** The Ra-ma-da theology was probably developed by the homo-sapiens
before they first left Africa on their migration push.
Barak Obama > Ba-ra-k(os) > B>"V">P> Va/Lives, ra/the
sun god, k(os)>g(os)>z>zeus>life.
**********> O-ba-ma > O>"E"> Lives, "va" > zeus, "ma" > mother.
**********> Obama = E'-ven-ma = E'-don-ma = E'-make-don = E-ma-thia.
(1) 'DISCOVERIES ABOUT AND IMPORTANT EVENTS IN MACEDONIAN HISTORY', By
Janko Tomov, Queensland, Australia, 2004, Page 35.
By A Digest Reader
JESUS WAS THE GREAT
GRANDSON OF CLEOPATRA (PART 3)
"We have seen historical evidence that an Egypto-Parthian royal family were
exiled to Bethanya (Jordano-Syria) in about AD 4, and also that a new Judaic
sect appeared in this same location in about AD 7. It has also been demonstrated
that many of these same events and characters can be directly linked to the biblical
Jesus, whose family was also said to have been forced to travel to a new location
in AD 7 because of the taxation by Cyrenius (Quirinius). This forced exile and
subsequent long and arduous journey of the Parthian royal family would help explain
the reasoning behind the mythology that Jesus was born in a stable." (1)
"Initially, the classical biblical story of a 'royal' birth in humble surroundings
sounds unlikely in the extreme. But since we now know that Thea Muse and Phraataces
were forced into exile at about this same time, the reason for a royal birth
in a 'guesthouse' or 'stable' becomes more understandable. Queen Thea Muse Ourania
was no longer in her sumptuous royal palace in Parthia, and so the surroundings
for this royal birth would indeed have been something to take note of." (2)
'Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came 'wise men' from the east to Jerusalem...,....to
worship him.' (3)
"However, this biblical story about wise men coming from the east has always
been a bit of a mystery to me, for these 'wise men' were actually the Persian
(or Parthian) 'Magus': the Magi." (4)
"King Phraataces and Queen Thea Muse Ourania had been the king and queen
of Parthia from AD 2 until they were dethroned in AD 4. This may have been a
short and turbulent reign, but they were nevertheless king and queen of Parthia
(and Thea Muse had been queen of Parthia for about 25 years prior to this), as
the numismatic (coin) evidence proves.
Following their exile from Parthia, Rome took the opportunity of installing
one of Phraates IV's exiled sons back onto the throne of Parthia. Augustus'
first attempt was the installation of Orodes III, but Josephus says that
he was deposed within two years due to his extreme cruelty. If Thea Muse
and Phraataces were deposed in AD 4 and a year had passed before Orodes III
took over the monarchy from them, then the Parthian throne would have been
vacant once more around AD 7, when Orodes III was deposed. However, AD 7
is the very date of the Roman taxation of Judaea and thus the very date that
the Gospel of Luke claims for the birth of the biblical Jesus. With the dethronement
of Orodes III in AD 7, the Parthian Magi would have been on the lookout for
a new king from the royal bloodline of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty. While
Thea Muse and Phraataces may have been dethroned, due to their unorthodox
Egyptian-style marriage, a son (or grandson) of theirs would still have been
an Arsacid Parthian prince - and it was for this reason that the Parthian
Magi travelled all the way to Judaeo-Syria to see for themselves this new
Parthian prince." (5)
"Following the visit of the Magi, the very next verses in the Gospel of
Mathew relate the flight of Jesus and his family into Egypt.
Just why would the mother of a Parthian prince, who had been visited by the
Magi of Parthia, decide that Egypt was a much safer location for her child
than Parthia?
The Persian (Parthian) Magi came to see Jesus because he was a Parthian prince,
as we have just seen. However, his mother may well have decided that Parthia
was not exactly the safest place for their new child, as the royal family
had only just been exiled from that empire.
But this royal family did have other options and alternative supporters in
other countries - for Thea Muse Ourania was the lost daughter of Cleopatra
VII. In the circumstances, perhaps Egypt was the safest place for this royal
prince, and this choice would give the double benefit of allowing him to
gain a first-class royal education at the great Temple of Heliopolis and
to explore the great libraries of Alexandria." (6)
(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)
'CLEOPATRA TO CHRIST' (JESUS WAS THE GREAT GRANDSON OF CLEOPATRA), By Ralph
Ellis, Adventures Unlimited, USA, 2006, Pages 78-87
By A Digest Reader
Book and other Reviews
Nick Stoyan - Premiere on Christmas 2009
The film is based on a true story: Nick Stoyan, a US marine on R&R
from Kosovo, discovers that being an American in Greece is one thing. But
being an American from Macedonian descent is a different story. A simple
twist of fate turns Nick’s dream of visiting his father’s birthplace into
a nightmare.
Separated from his family, he now stands the ultimate test of survival in
the land also known as
Ellada. The other Greece
Macedonian translation of the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4-IPCDS3g4&NR=1
English (original) version of the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8xg72VCPe8&NR=1
Really sad that this story has happened very recently :((
Posted by Boyan
From the Archives
Nation and State: The creation of the Modern Greek
Humble beginnings lacking 'ethnic' validity
Due to the assistance rendered by the Slavic and Latin speaking people to
the Austrian and Russian powers against the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans
during the 17th and 18th centuries, the interests of Greek-speakers and
their Turkish rulers grew closer as the former was able to coerce the
latter into banning the Slavic and Latin speaking clergy from the churches,
which had the benefit of consolidating the whole Roman (Christian) Millet
firmly under the one head. This also resulted in a monopoly of the church
by the Greek-speaking clergy, which originated mostly from Constantinople.
Thus, from 1767 onwards great efforts were made by the Greek-speaking
‘upper classes’ to homogenize the various peoples within the respective
millet, infiltrating elements of the church, education and the very culture
of the native populations. An early example of these efforts is reflected
in the Quadra Language Dictionary written by Daniel of Moschopolis in
the late 18th century (or early 19th century), which consisted of a revealing
poem in terms of the lengths Greek-speaking clergy and teachers were
willing to go to for the sake of assimilating the native populace of
the Balkans, after being emboldened by the complimentary actions of their
Turkish friends:
Albanians, Vlachs, Bulgarians, speakers of other tongues, rejoice! And
ready yourselves all to become Romans. Abandoning your barbaric tongues,
speech and customs, so that to your descendants they may appear as myths……..
The national identities of the various Balkan peoples only began to re-assert
themselves and take shape from the 19th century onwards, hence the terminology
used by the writer is inaccurate when speaking of the modern Balkans nations,
as it “reflects an eighteenth century linguistic consciousness to which
it would be anachronistic to apply to late twentieth century conceptions”
(V.A Friedman, 2000). The Macedonian and Serbian languages are not cited
as both are lumped together under the Bulgarian (Slavic) group, although
it is vital to note that the vernacular used for the Slavic group was recorded
in Ohrid, Macedonia. It must be stressed that regardless of ethnic origins
the ‘Roman’ name was used generally for all the members of the Roman (Christian)
Millet, although the Greek-speaking Ottoman Christians also used this term
in a more specific manner to self-described themselves and their language.
The target audience of the dictionary were the peasant masses in the region
who did not speak or identify with the Greek-speaking 'Romans', with the
specific aim of convincing them that their language and history was ‘barbaric’,
unworthy and secondary to the 'Roman', which ‘should’ be their preferred
option. This was a process of homogenization via linguistic assimilation,
and not one of “Hellenism”, for, in the same works there is a complete absence
of any citation referring to a “Hellenic” (or Greek for that matter) language
or identity.
Opportunism, luck and mixed ideals
The assimilation tactics of Greek-speakers stretched as far as Ottoman Serbia,
where as late as 1810, during the prime years of their struggle for freedom
against the Turks, the two elementary schools in the Belgrade Pashalik
had the Greek tongue as their language of instruction. In 1814 the Philliki
Eteria was founded in the Russian Empire by Greek-speaking merchants
hundreds of kilometres away from what was to become the future Greek
state. The aim of this new organisation was to make preparations for
a general rising against Ottoman rule in the hope of establishing a renewed
East Roman Empire by utilising the strength of the various Christian
peoples in the region. The idea was not well received in most areas,
for although it promoted the liberation of the Christian peasantry from
Muslim domination, it also had the more narrow aims of employing Greek-speaking
leaders and their language (who were in a minority compared to Slavic-speakers)
as prime over the other local elements. Despite the fact that Karagoerge
Petrovic, the future ruler of the modern Serbian state joined the ranks
of Philliki Eteria, Serbian leaders in general rejected the proposal
on the grounds that their movement of liberation had already been initiated,
while others in the region had mixed feelings towards the same people
who had manipulated them via the church and whom they regarded as being
little better than the Turkish oppressors.
In the year 1820 Sultan Mahmut II made moves to re-assert Ottoman strength
within his weakening empire, with the primary focus against the rebellious
and semi-autonomous Ali Pasha, the Albanian Muslim who held sway over the
westernmost European lands which were within the Ottoman confines. Despite
Ali Pasha’s earlier disputes with his Albanian kinsmen of the Christian faith,
their forces were partially allied in defiance of the Ottoman Sultan. As
Ali Pasha repelled several Ottoman advances against his realm, the Christians
of the region grew bolder, which in turned instilled confidence in the local
population resulting in the occurrence of several spontaneous revolts while
the Ottoman forces were pre-occupied with other disputes.
In late February 1821 the Danubian Principalities, long oppressed by the
Greek-speaking Phanariots, saw the first signs of action by the Philliki
Eteria under the leadership of Alexander Ypsilantis, who raised the banner
of revolt when several fighters accompanied him into Moldavia from Russia.
However, due to poor organisation and an almost complete lack of local support,
it turned out to be a complete failure. Despite some initial successes, the
Latin-speaking peasant majority in the region were not interested in providing
support for the so-called 'movement', and internal conflicts arose between
the supporters of the movement and the supporters of local leaders such as
Tudor Vladimirescu, who had their own aims of liberation from the Turks which
excluded the involvement of the would-be Greek-speaking bravados. The result
of these inter-Christian clashes was the death of Vladimirescu and the withdrawal
of local support for the Philliki Eteria.
With the events in Moldavia unfolding and the pre-occupation of the Ottomans
with Ali Pasha and his forces in Epirus, sporadic actions occurred in March
of the same year against the Muslims of the Peloponnese. The rebels consisted
of local peasant bands inclusive of the various Christian peoples in the
region, Greek-speakers and particularly the Albanians, who, faced with the
choice of siding with their kin of the Muslim faith in the armies of Ali
Pasha or the Ottomans, opted to support the Christian movement against the
latter. While the Greek-speaking Archbishop Germanos is credited with raising
the banner of revolt around the same time as the spontaneous actions took
place, at the head of a loose confederation of rebel groups was the aging
Theodore Kolokotronis, battle-hardened from his time as a volunteer fighter
for the British against the French.
Weak foundations and a transformation from liberators to murderers
That which began as an expression of revolt against the tyrannic Ottoman
overlords however, quickly turned into an act of brutal extermination
against Muslim civilians. George Finlay would later write that the “Greeks
violated every principle of private morality and national honour…………slaughter
of women, and children was therefore declared to be a necessary measure
of wise policy, and popular songs spoke of it……”. Popular song spoke
of it - A disgrace now covered up in false romanticism and chants
of "liberty"! The Ottomans for their part, retaliated with
extreme measures of their own, hanging the Greek-speaking Patriarch Gregory
of Constantinople in a most cruel and ruthless way, despite his denouncement
of the uprising. It has been said that this event, probably more than
any other in the initial stages, drew large sympathies from Western Europe
for the cause of the Christians rebelling in the Ottoman Empire.
Come early June, Ypsilantis and his weak entourage suffered a crushing defeat
in the village of Dragashani by Ottoman forces, forcing the Greek-speaking
leader to flee in cowardice and disgrace. The so-called rebellion was left
in tatters and died out shortly afterwards, along with the unrealistic notion
of a reborn East Roman Empire. The rebellion in the Peloponnese differed
however, for it began to receive support from foreigners who sympathized
with the Christians under the Ottoman yoke, although they arrived with a
different mindset to that of the Philliki Eteria and the ‘Roman’ dream. The
‘Philhellenes’, as they came to be known, came not to assist the re-birth
of East Rome, but rather, for what they perceived as the liberation
of ancient ‘Hellenic’ land. It is not surprising thus, that it would be outsiders
and foreigners, inspired by the ‘enlightenment’ of the renaissance period,
who would shape the new country and identity which would eventuate after
the Ottomans were defeated. The ‘Hellenic’ name, not used as a self-designated
common identifier of a people since antiquity, was now promoted in replacement
of the traditional ‘Roman’ name, which had been in use for almost 2,000 years
by the local populace.
‘Hellenism’, in all its foreign and artificially imported ‘glory’,
was born.
Saved and created by circumstance, favour and foreigners
Early in the year 1822, circumstances changed as Ali Pasha was finally defeated
by the Ottomans, which allowed their forces to concentrate on the rebellious
Christians of the Peloponnese. Up until this point, the main casualties of
this so-called war of ‘liberation’ were largely civilians, who far outweighed
the number of casualties resulting from direct conflicts and battles. The
barbarity displayed by both Christians and Ottomans sent shockwaves throughout
the region, although European opinion and sympathy rested with the former.
Despite further widespread support for the Christians with the death of the
most celebrated ‘Philhellene’, Lord Byron, in the year 1824, the tide had
turned significantly in favour of the Ottomans who had requested the assistance
of the powerful Muhammed Ali of Egypt. This figure, who, like the now deceased
Ali Pasha was also of Albanian origin, answered the call by sending a large
force to the Peloponnese headed by his son, Ibrahim. Over the next few years
Ottoman forces regained lost territory, exposing the clear weakness of the
rebels in terms of military might, organisation and the disunity amongst
the peasants and their ‘leadership’ on the ground. With a complete Ottoman
victory imminent, Russia, Britain and France finally signed the London Agreement
in July 1827, placing their differences aside to initiate an intervention
on behalf of the Christians, who were all but defeated. The decisive battle
took place during late October at Navarino, which saw the annihilation of
the Ottoman navy by the European forces, giving life to a near-extinct rebellion,
and thus ensuring its last minute success.
The first President of the newly liberated territory was John Capodistrias,
who, after arriving ‘triumphantly’ into the harbour of the Italianate-styled
new capital of Nafplio (Know also as Napolia di Romania at the time) in 1828,
had to immediately make attempts at quelling two local warlords that were
busy firing off cannons into each others bases.
The foreign powers from Europe, without whom there could be no victory,
now took it upon themselves to begin the process of creating a new state
carved out of Ottoman territory in the strategically important Mediterranean
region. The London Conference, held in February 1830 and attended by Britain,
France and Russia, was the first step. The borders of the new state were
drawn up while a monarch was to be elected at a later date, however, throughout
the whole proceedings there were no representatives from the Christian peoples
in the newly liberated territories and the new state’s leaders were not consulted
about the ensuing treaty. Therefore, the constitutional heart of what
was to eventuate into the modern ‘Hellenic’ state was not native or ‘Hellenic’
by any means, it was a foreign construct, designed to primarily suit the
strategic needs of the European powers which were responsible for its creation
while at the same time fulfilling the aspirations of a part of the Christians
under Ottoman rule. Despite the support of the ‘Philhellenes’, most
returned to their own countries with utter disgust at the methodology and
behaviour displayed by the Christian rebels who called themselves 'Romans',
and were disappointed in the fact that what they found in the region were
not the ‘Hellenes’ of antiquity in either looks or manner, but rather a barbarous
people who were viewed little better than the Turks where it concerned the
factors and defining characteristics of a people.
True to form of the newly created nation and its origins, in 1831 President
Capodistrias was murdered on the door steps of Nafplio’s St Spiridon Church
by the family members of the warlord Mavromihaili. This was apparently due
to an established network of spies within the government which were used
to ‘control’ the population, tactics not favoured by the likes of warlords
such as Kolokotronis and Mavromihaili. Capodistrias had also espoused a more
Romaic rather than Hellenic character for his state, looking east rather
than west, in accordance with the thoughts and beliefs of the peasant masses,
and it was they who mourned his death with great despair, while those struggling
for power such as warlords and intellectuals were overjoyed by the disgraceful
event. The new state had still yet to cleanse its hands, which were soaked
with the blood of civilians and non-combatants.
Hypocrisy and Contradictions: Invented 'Hellenes' of the Orthodox faith inherit a Germanic Catholic Monarch
The new state was still terminally incoherent when the Great Powers agreed
to create a monarch and appoint a sovereign king in the year 1833. After
some deliberation, a 16 year old Bavarian German prince named Otto came to
the throne, again, without the consultation of the inhabitants of the now,
‘Kingdom of Hellenes’. The young prince of this Christian Orthodox state
was a devout Catholic who refused to convert to the same rite as his newly
adopted flock, furthermore, he took as a bride not a local or even Orthodox
woman but rather, one of the Protestant rite. Hence, the first royal couple
of the new Orthodox ‘Kingdom of Hellenes’ were Catholic and Protestant.
Adding to this complex and interesting amalgamation was the ministerial staff
of the new ‘kingdom’ comprised of Germans who set about demolishing any last
vestiges of power emanating from the newly established (or converted) ‘Hellenic’
Church. The most significant of these Germans, George Maurer, who promoted
the severance of the new ‘Hellenic’ Church from the Patriarchate of Constantinople,
even established a ‘Holy Synod’ of government appointees to administer the
new ‘Hellenic’ Church, and was responsible for the closure of hundreds of
Orthodox monasteries. There was little outcry from the peasantry, the many
hardships faced under the heads of greedy Greek-speaking priests in previous
years were still fresh in the memory of the people despite the ‘leadership’
rendered during the rebellion.
Adding to this rainbow of elements, the capital of the new state was moved
to Athens, which at the time was surrounded by Albanians, and even referred
to as an Albanian village.
With the state and church organs finally established, a new nation was in
need of creation. Everything was baptised ‘Hellenic’, from state, to church,
to culture, to language, as all other historical terminology was forcible
buried, the 'Romans' of the Balkans, a heterogeneous group of various peoples
bonded by their Christian Orthodox faith were now the new nation of ‘Hellenes’,
wether they liked it or not.
Even during the rebellion itself, the idea and actual belief of “Hellenism”
was barely in its infant stages, restricted almost solely among a handful
of intellectuals who were mostly inspired by stories told to them by their
supporters in Western Europe. The overwhelming participants of the rebellion
viewed the event as a Christian liberation movement against the Muslim oppressors.
Perpetuating the centuries-old East Roman tradition of Orthodox Christian
values and culture, which viewed anything to do with a so-called “Hellenism”
as nothing short of devil worshipping, it was then quite a bizarre contradiction
that the Greek-speaking clergy of the Orthodox millet began to claim it was
operating in the name of “Hellenism”! Such a turn of attitude also resulted
in sharp reactions from Constantinople which firmly believed in the East
Roman heritage, an anger which was further aggravated by the proclamation
of a separate church within the new 'Kingdom of Hellenes', viewed as a deviation
of Orthodox unity. Many of the people supported the uprising in the name
of Christianity versus Islamic oppression, not because they had some feeling
of being a “Hellene”, it was not until the 1850’s when the neo-state and
neo-church finally reconciled with Constantinople. Although the Patriarch
at Constantinople encouraged a homogenization of the Christians via language,
it had absolutely nothing to do with ‘Hellenes’ or ‘Hellenic ideals’ initially,
it was about Christian unity within the Empire on one side, and the retainment
of control over the Christian subjects by the Patriarch and hence the Sultan
on the other.
After the reconciliation between the new ‘Hellenic’ Church and Constantinople,
the situation was taken advantage of as the new state and the Patriarch both
supported the promotion of the ‘Roman’ language, subsequently termed “Hellenic”,
and the spread of it among the Christians in the Ottoman Empire, thus resulting
in an indiscriminate push of propaganda. This is the point where the Constantinople
mother church turned its back on the other Orthodox Christians and became
a mere tool for the new ‘Hellenic’ nationalists, plans for a rejuvenated
multi-ethnic East Rome gave way for the fanciful ‘Megali Idea’. In so many
ways it is incomprehensible how this modern ‘Hellenic’ nation can claim two
totally opposing cultures as one in the same, as calls for Orthodox unity
from the east died out, the west never stopped feeding the new nation of
‘Hellenes’ stories of their “glorious” past, regardless of how baseless they
were.
Conclusively, one fact stands out above the rest, the only commonality among
the 'Roman' peasantry of the 18th and 19th centuries in Morea was that they
were Orthodox Christians, language and origins separated them vastly, there
was no notion of 'Hellenism' or an 'ethnic Hellene' prior to the brainchild
of westerners resulting in a 'Hellenic' state.
Feedback
Risto,
Re: Come take a ride in Tito's time Machine - Part 10 - Macedonians Executed
Well done with exposing the roots of Hellenism but, there is an anachronism and misguiding element.
It seems that Germans created modern Greece? Only partly true.
It was the so called Austrian Monarchy the main Royal family of Europe.
From here derived all the other monarchies, Russian English, Balkan etc.
If You read German historians like Falremayer, they all claim Slavs populated the Balkans and M. East and in Peloponnesus the Slavic nomenclature prevails.
So what happened?
When Russia was pushing for a Macedonian independent state and Macedonian legions were ready in Ukraine, the Macedonian generals lead the Armies, later called Filiky Eteria not by Germans but by Anglo-Franks.
We have Petre and Dimitar Makedonski in charge.
Then was agreed to send Al. Ypsilanty as head, then were sent French officers, Kolokotronis, Kapodistrias etc all English Mercenaries, they killed all the Balkan leaders: Tudor Vladimirescu, Romania, Karagiorgevich, Serbia, Levski and Botev Bulgaria. Why? They would not submit. See today Nato and former Yugoslavia, Miloshevich, Karazhic, Tarchulovski etc.
Germans had no part in creating Greece or political benefit. They with Russia were barred from Egeysko morie.
That's why Germany allied with Turkey and both suffered in two world wars.
The only railways built in the Balkans were built by Germany. Greece was not connected.
Anglo-Frank Masonry was and still is in charge. Russia is still barred from World Trade Organization. Why?
I hope this is of some help.
Manoly.
E-mail(s) of the Month
TRUTH
From: cob10 cob10
You’re a busy boy from what I have read on the internet, why don’t you look into a mirror and ask yourself why you speak a Bulgarian dialect and have a Slavic culture and think your a true Macedonian, and then maybe you can say something about the Hellenic race. You’re nothing more then an Anti Hellenic fat f-ck who needs to go on a diet and loose some fat off of his head, maybe then you will be able to see things more clear. By belittling the Hellenic race you only show what your true nature is, it’s as old as the Greek race not the Slavic one, from which you come from, and not the Macedonian one, from which is a Greek one. You see this is what your forefathers did - those communist pigs they tried to distance you from the Bulgarians and the rest of the Slavic peoples, to create a new race, but the world is not buying your lies and propaganda. I know you have read what over 350 world historians have said about the Macedonians and who they really are, so you keep preaching your lies and hatred of the Greek people, maybe one day one of those Greeks will end your sorry excuse of a life and kill your fat face. When you preach hatred you will get it in return - you live in Canada and I live in New York, not far from each other, if you’re ever in New York let me know. I will be very happy to show you around here, and show you what a Greek is and what a Slav is, all the Slavs that I know laugh at your people, you are the joke of Europe and the world.
The enemy within
From: George Georgiou
Dear Mr Risto Stefov
Could you please publish my email in your next Macedonian digest as
Email of the month
Thank you
The Enemy within
Rather than spending 100% all your hours blaming Greece for everything
(with absurd racial theories and historical revisionism) stop and consider
this for a moment.
The FYROM census in 2002 showed 1.3 million Slav Macedonians, 509.000
Albanians, 77.000 Turks, 53.879 Gypsies and 35.939 Serbs. Today Albanian
is a duel national language.
The Albanians have a greater Albania policy in mind to incorporate one third
of FYROM into Albania. The Albanians will out populate you in the not so
distant future. On the other hand 50.000 Slav Macedonians have gone the other
way and are now Bulgarian citizens as they have acknowledged their Bulgarian
roots and realize that FYROM is an economic basket case. This trend
will continue.
You have two choices accept a composite name with Greece such as
Upper Macedonia, Northern Macedonia etc or be eventually incorporated into
a greater Albania (NATO member) and Bulgaria (EU and NATO member) Greece
is on very friendly terms with Bulgaria and Albania.
Remember Yugoslavia? Yugoslavia lasted from 1929 to 2003 and at the
time nearly all countries in the world had recognized them. How long
before FYROM is dismembered?
Sincerely
George Georgiou
Quotable Quotes
“It is really embarrassing for Europe and anyone who supports Greece on this stance, to have this so-called 'democratic' state of Greece, bully, blackmail and humiliate its much smaller and poorer neighbor to the north because of some fairy tales and imaginary history that every sane man knows it is mostly made up anyway.” (Bruce from Vancouver, http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/talks+Macedonia+until+changes+name+Greece/2154479/story.html )
“How Pathetic and childish that the so called Cradle of Democracy is trying to force a country to change its name.” (John)
Question/Answers for the Readers
Hi Risto,
There is a rumor floating around our neck of the woods that near the Mountains near Nevoljani (Lerinsko), Greek officials have found, and are still finding at the moment many old Macedonian clay works in an archaeological dig and surprise, surprise, nothing has been broadcasted yet. Is there a way to let the international public know about this before they take them and re-bury them further south and / or carve Greek symbols on them?
Just thought that you might be interested.
All the best and keep up the good work
Michael.
From the Un-answered Questions File
What is 'Hellenism'???
Although modern Greek literature full of references to 'Hellenism', especially
with regard to Macedonia ("Alexander spread Hellenism", "Macedonia
is a bastion of Hellenism" etc), I have still yet to read a basic
definition as to exactly what 'Hellenism' means.
This question is even more perplexing when you consider that 'Hellenism'
is a completely modern term which the ancients had absolutely no idea or
concept of.
Therefore can one of our Modern Greek friends on this forum please give us
a definition of what 'Hellenism' means in order to clear up this issue.
Thanks in advance.
Asked by Napoleon from http://www.macedoniantruth.org/forum/showthread.php?t=673
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