TO RSTEFOV@GMAIL - Part 02

dead; to which they never belonged. Ninety-two years later, the Macedonians of Greek occupied Macedonia were asked to do the same; become Hellenes, something foreign and alien. One-hundred and seventy years later we are re-living the curse of Hellenism as the Republic of Macedonia is attempting to assert its identity. In the book “Entangled Identities Nations and Europe” edited by Atsuko Ichijo and Willfried Spohn on page 109 we read “It should be strongly emphasized, however, that this new image of classical Greece was constructed in Europe and was imported to the new born Greek state (Tsoukalas 2002). Modern ideas touched the general Greek population only marginally, if at all.” After the Greek state was created for the first time in 1829 it was incapable of governing itself and was placed under foreign rule and a foreign administration. On page 110 of the book “Entangled Identities Nations and Europe” we read “Greece was governed by an imported young monarch, Prince Frederic Otto of Wittlesbach, the seventeen year old son of King Ludwig of Bavaria.” “The three men regency council which in fact was to rule [Greece] was also Bavarian and protestant. What came to be called ‘the protecting powers’ exercised such an influence on the newly-born state that the first political parties were named appropriately ‘the English party’, ‘the French party’ and ‘the Russian party.’ Supporters of these parties represented nascent class structures in Greek society but above all these parties represented corresponding foreign influences and interests.” As we continue to read the book “Entangled Identities Nations and Europe” on page 111 we find “The political parties which existed, as we mentioned earlier, reflected the interests and the antagonisms of foreign powers.” “In reality, however, this utopian, irredentist idea [which the Greeks developed on their own] served as a smoke screen for corruption and severe socio-economic problems faced by the government and as an excuse for the even greater blatant intervention of the Great Powers in Greek affairs. (Clogg 1979: 76-79)” In the book “The Greek Phoenix” by Joseph Braddock on page 137 we read “Colonel Napier was seeing a lot of his celebrated guest, and paid him every attention, realizing that Byron, as a representative of the London Greek committee, might have considerable influence both in Greece and London in helping him obtain military command. So it was arranged that Napier should be given leave to go to London, furnished with a letter of introduction from Byron to the London Greek committee. He arrived in January 1824, carrying a letter written on the 10th of December 1823 in which Byron advised that a loan of 500,000

pounds should be raised to provide an army for Greece to be commanded by Napier. ‘Of his military character it was superfluous to speak; of his personal, I can say from my own knowledge’ Byron wrote ‘that it is excellent as his military -in short a better or a braver man is not easy to be found. He is our man to lead a regular force or to organize a national one for the Greeks. Ask the army; ask anybody! He is, besides, the personal friend of Mavrocordato, Colonel Stanhope and myself; and in such concord with all three that we should pull together, an indispensable as well as rare point, especially in Greece at present.’ Alas, the London committee was too preoccupied to welcome Napier’s services. At the moment they were busy devising acrimoniously the menu for their next public dinner, and were more interested in making plans for the cultural regeneration of Greece than in hearing about Napier’s military virtues.” In the “Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece” edited by Nigel Wilson, which so many Modern Greeks encouraged me to read so that I can “educate” myself, on page 345 we read “Hellenization denotes the spread of Hellenic culture in non-Greek ‘barbarian’ society and the process under which ‘barbarians’ accept, adopt, and incorporate Hellenic culture.” “The first modern appearance of the concept of Hellenism and Hellenization occurs in Geschchite des Hellenismus, G. Droysen’s great three volume work published between 1833 and 1843” Hellenism, whatever purpose it was intended to serve should have died a long time ago along with Fascism, Nazism and slavery but unfortunately it has not. Instead, nurtured by the Powers that created it, it has flourished and swallowed and destroyed nations of people including part of my own; the Macedonians in Greek occupied Macedonia who to this day are struggling to get free. What is this phenomenon called “Hellenism”? Whatever it is, it has different interpretations to different people but as Macedonians that have been touched by it, while refusing to yield to it, for us it has been a nightmare. Greece, after invading, occupying and annexing 51% of the Macedonian territories in 1912, 1913, in the name of Hellenism tortured, murdered and expelled all Macedonians who refused to become “Hellenes”. It then changed all peoples’ and place names to “Hellenize” them and make them Greek. If that was not enough, Greece then abolished the Macedonian language rendering it illegal to be spoken both in public and private, all this in the name of “Hellenism”. In other words, Hellenism for the Macedonians has been a relentless enemy whose aim has been to destroy what is real and replace it with something artificial which has no roots or a real past.

Essay 6 – On the way to Hellenism

“In 1821, the Greeks rose in revolt against the rule of Turkey and declared themselves an independent nation. Their goal was far more ambitious than freedom alone, for they proclaimed the resurrection of an ancient vision in which liberty was but a single component. That vision was Hellas–the achievements of the ancient Greeks in knowledge, morality, and art, summed up in one evocative word. What was more, the new Greek revolutionaries went one step further than their forebears had ever managed to do: they proposed to embody their entire vision in a unified, independent polity. This unique nation-state would represent the ultimate achievement of the Hellenic ideal and, as such, would lead all Europe to the highest levels of culture yet known.” (Michael Herzfeld, “Ours Once More”, page 3) What Herzfeld fails to mention above is that it was not the Greeks that rose in revolt against the rule of Turkey but rather the Philhellenes who instigated this so-called “rise” whose origin was anything but Greek. And who were these Greeks anyway? In this essay I will provide the reader with further evidence to show that not only did the so-called “Greeks” not exist but the architects of “Hellenism” could not care less if they existed or not. Their aim was to bring back Hellenism at any cost because after all, as mentioned in a previous essay, “Hellenization denotes the spread of Hellenic culture in non-Greek ‘barbarian’ society and the process under which ‘barbarians’ accept, adopt, and incorporate Hellenic culture.” (“Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece” edited by Nigel Wilson, page 345) The Philhellenes neither thought nor cared what Hellenism could do to the living and vibrant cultures that existed on those lands. Like the Borg in the fictional Star Trek movie series, the Philhellenes wanted to create a race of “perfect” humans and model them in an image created of their own imagination. They did that not because they cared for the plight of the indigenous people whose cultures they destroyed but to achieve their own moral and political aims. And how did the Modern Hellenes came to know of “Hellenism”? Was it passed on from generation to generation? Did they come to know it from their parents and grandparents? NO! It was taught to them by foreigners! In the “Scottish Geographic Magazine” Volume XIII published in 1897 on page 370 we read “The Turks who came in at the time of conquest, and were mostly landowners, have almost entirely disappeared since the Turkish yoke was thrown off. The Vlachs, on the contrary, descendants of the Romanized people of the Balkan Peninsula, live in considerable numbers in the mountains of north and

central Greece. The number of these people, called by G. Weigand Aromunes, is at most 50,000. Formerly, the Aromunes of whom there are 150,000 in the south-western part of the Balkan Peninsula, were champions of the Greater Greece policy, but since the Bulgarians have obtained their freedom, the Aromunes have also fostered a national feeling. In Greece however, the well to do classes are opposed to the movement, and here, too, the government has made great efforts to win over these people, which probably will be attended with success. Lastly, Gypsies must be mentioned, who are numerous all over the country. They are to a large extent Hellenized, and their numbers therefore cannot be exactly ascertained.” In the book “Greek Pictures” by J. P. Mahaffy published in 1890, on pages 20 and 21 we read “…in the Middle Ages, these Albanian mountaineers have brought both war like spirit, bright costume and beauty of person, to refresh the Hellenic race. There are still, even in Attica, districts where Albanian is the common language; there are Albanian names famous in Greek annuals, especially in the great War of Independence (1821-1831), and among the sailors of Hydra, so famed for their commercial enterprise and their deeds of war, the chief families were Albanian in origin.” Further down on page 21 we read “Before I return from the Albanian digression, I will say a word about the costume which has become the national dress of the Greeks. The most characteristic feature is the ‘fustanella’, a white petticoat which like the Scottish kilt, gives its name to the whole attire. Wearing the fustanella in Greece is like ‘wearing the kilt’ in Scotland. This petticoat is however, more troublesome and exacting than its Highland brother; and this is the reason that the king’s guard in Athens, who wear it as a uniform, look so straight and well drilled.” In the book “History of the War of Independence in Greece”, by Thomas Keightley, Esq. on page 260 we read “Colocotronis was the son of the man, who, after giving the Turks most effectual aid against the Albanians after 1770, was put to death by them. Having with difficulty escaped from the murders of his father, he had served in the Greeks troops of the different powers who successively occupied the Seven Isles. He had frequently returned to Morea, and putting himself at the head of parties of Klefts, made the Turks tremble within the walls of Tripolitsa and purchased his departure with considerable sums of money. He had risen to the rank of Major in the Albanian regiment, in the pay of England when it was disbanded.” We now turn to the “The Atlantic Monthly: A Magazine of Literature, Art and Politics” volume XLIX, January 1882, to page 31 where we read “I have received an invitation to spend a September

Sunday at Poros, a little island in the Aegean Sea, lying to the south east, and about five hours distant by steamer from the port of Peraeus. It is one of a group made famous in the Greek revolution of 1821 by bravery of its Albanian settlers, in defense of a country which they never adopted for their own until this moment of danger came. Some two centuries ago, Albanian fugitives, who had fled from their northern home on account of the oppression of their Turkish rulers, alighted like wild sea-birds on the rocky cliffs of Hydra, Speza and Poros. Here they built their nests high and secure above the reach of invasion, feeling themselves safe as long as they could keep control of the surrounding waters. Joined from time to time by small companies of their countrymen, they gradually increased in numbers, and formed themselves into a more stable community, with laws and habits of its own.” Later on the same page we read “At the time of the revolution, these Albanian settlements had developed into a colony of rich and imperious merchants, who lived in their island homes with a rude, barbaric luxury.” Further down the same page we read “Albanian Captains, Albanian ships, and Albanian gold became the strength of the Greek and the dread of the Turk. The successful close of the revolution found them as firmly allied with the Greek nationality as they had previously been alien to it, and there are now no names more honoured and beloved in Athens, no families more influential in its polite circles, than those of the Albanian leaders of 1821, the Tombazis, the Miaulis, the Coundouriottis.” In “The New Monthly Magazine” edited by W. Harrison Ainsworth, Esq. Volume 88 on page 480 we read “It is a singular fact that the Vlachs call themselves, in their own patois, Romans. Their total number in the provinces of European Turkey is supposedly to exceed half a million; and, during the Greek revolution, they furnished at least ten thousand armed men, under Zongas. This leader was formerly the protopalicar, or lieutenant, of their famous chief Catz Antoni who was put to death in the most cruel manner by Ali Pasha, for numberless acts of brigandage.” In the book “Race or Mongrel” by Alfred P. Schultz on page 90 we read “About this time the Avars came from Asia to Europe. Bajan-Chan, their leader, incited the Slavs to invade Greece in 578[AD]. They crossed the Danube, a hundred thousand men strong, invaded Greece, and extended their incursions as far south as the Peloponnesus. Manander states that Hellas was torn to pieces by the Slavs. A few years later Bajan Chan was at war with the Emperor and at his instigation other hordes of Slavs and Avars poured into Greece.

Evagrius writes that in 578 and in 593 the Avars conquered all of Greece and devastated it with fire and sword. After these invasions the Slavs and Avars did not again leave Greece. They remained as the lords of the lands with Huns and Bulgarians. When peaceful conditions were again established, a great number of the inhabitants were Slavs, who retained their customs, religion and language for a long time. Cities, villages, brooks, mountains now have Slavic names. Marathon is Vrana; Salamis, Kiluri; Platea, Kochla; Olympia, Miraka; Delphi, Kastri; and other places are named Goritza, Vostiza, Kaminitza, Pirnatsha, Chlumutzi, Slavitza. Names similar to these are found in Gelicia, Poland, and other Slavic countries. Hellenic they are not.”

Avars, Slavs, Albanians, Vlachs, Gypsies? Where are the Greeks?

On page 91 of the same book we read “In 1204, Venice, having a German-Frankish army at her command declared war on the Eastern Empire and took Constantinople. A Frankish army landed at Patras (Morea), and many of the knights received latifundia in the Peloponnesus and subsequently remained in Greece. In the 14th century the Albanians invaded Greece, and settled there. The influx of Albanians continued for a considerable time. In 1407, we are told, Theodore Paleologus settled ten thousand Albanians with their wives and children, in the Peloponnesus. Mazari, writing in 1446, states that the Greeks of this time were not a race but a debris of other races.” Then on page 351 of the same book we read “That environment is of little importance to the development of a race is clearly demonstrated by the fact that when Hellenes lived in Greece, Greece was great. Since their mongrelization, Greece has produced nothing.” Here I have given the reader evidence from half a dozen writers and authors who have published their work more than a century ago, writers and authors who lived much closer to the time when Greece became a country for the first time, to the time when Hellenism was invented and unleashed on the people of the Balkans. Who are the Modern Greeks? A fair and reasonable question indeed! A question that needs to be asked! Modern Greeks have placed the Macedonians in a precarious position regarding the Macedonian ethnic identity. Modern Greeks have systematically and relentlessly denied the Macedonian ethnic identity robbing both the Modern and Ancient Macedonians of their heritage. If that is fair then let us equally be fair in answering the question “Who are the Modern Greeks?” The best answer I can give you at this moment is that they are NOT who they say they are! I have been accused on several occasions of

being a “liar” when it comes to answering such questions so I will use Mazari’s words; “Mazari, writing in 1446, states that the Greeks of this time were not a race but a debris of other races.” If the Greeks of 1446 were a debris of other races, then what are the Modern Greeks of today? 98% pure Greeks and 2% Muslim Greeks? I think not! The question that then begs to be asked is “What right do these imposters and charlatans have to meddle in Macedonian affairs and to question the Macedonian identity when their own identity is fabricated, false and fake?” To be fair then the world too should deny the Modern Greeks the right to self identify because after all, unlike the Macedonians, the Modern Greeks are NOT really who they claim to be! And now I leave you with this. “Is Hellenization a term that reflects the reality of an ancient society, or a term and concept created by modern scholars in the course of their study? Is it a tool, useful shorthand or a phantom? According to G. Bowersock ‘Hellenization is… a modern idea reflecting modern forms of cultural domination’.” (“Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece”, edited by Nigel Wilson, page 345.)

Essay 7 - The Greek President is Albanian!

“I can’t believe how much Greeks have changed in the last two or three decades. In the 1980’s I used to go shopping at various boutiques in Greece where signs were readily displayed; ‘we speak Macedonian’, ‘we speak Albanian’, etc. I recall meeting a Greek lady of Albanian descent who proudly spoke Albanian and was always happy to show off her knowledge of the Albanian language. In fact she was hired for the job because she spoke Albanian. Greek merchants in those days did everything to attract customers. Today, unfortunately, they say there are no Albanians or Macedonians living in their country. Unbelievable!” These were the words of my Albanian language interpreter, whom I hired to translate for me at my meeting with Albanian publicist, historian and researcher Arben Ljalja. “Yes, things in Greece today have changed a lot but for the worse especially for the Albanians, Macedonians and Turks but Pandora’s Box for the minorities has been opened. I think Europe is tired of Greece’s politics, especially of the non recognition of ethnic minorities. The question is when will Greece come to terms with its past and start paying for the damages it has caused owing to its unproductive and negative politics”, says Ljalja, who himself is as an economic immigrant and has lived in Greece for eleven years. Ljalja has first hand experience of what it is to be an Albanian living in Greece. Albanians living in Greece have witnessed various forms of repression and scandals involving the Greek police. Only last year two Albanian immigrants were physically beaten by several policemen. We know about it because it became public knowledge only after a video, made through a cell phone, was released. Ironically the video was made by the same policemen who did the beating. In its latest report the European Committee for Torture has placed Greece at the bottom of its ranking for abusing minorities and immigrants. Similar reports on Greece are published by various international organizations for human rights including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch. Fifteen years in a row, the American State Department in its own yearly Publication on human rights has written about Greece’s violations of human rights with regard to its Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish minorities and their non-recognition.