We were saddened to learn of the recent
passing of Spiro Vasilescu, a longtime member and past officer of the Society
Farsarotul. We hope to feature a brief profile of this wonderful man in a
future issue of the Newsletter.
We continue to be amazed at the sheer volume
of information about the Vlachs and their history now available on the
internet. For example, see “The Vlach Connection and Further Reflections on
Roman History” by Kelley L. Ross, Ph.D. at
www.friesian. com/decdenc2.htm. Among many other things, the article
discusses the reputed origins of Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in a
Latin-speaking village in Macedonia.
The news from Albania continues to be mixed –
in October 2004 a press release was issued by the Albanian Helsinki Committee
announcing the results of a roundtable discussion held in Korce and sponsored
by the AHC. The topic was “respect for the rights of the Macedonian, Roma,
Arumunian/Vllah minorities,” among others. Although the roundtable was billed
as an awareness-raising event, requests were made for more official support of
the culture, history, and traditions of these minorities. A few months later,
we received an email announcing the inauguration of a Greek school in Korce;
the message noted, “Even though the words ‘Vlach’ or ‘Vlachophone Greek’ were
not mentioned in the official announcements in the Greek press, it is a known
fact that demographically, the backbone of the Greek minority in Korce and
environs is Vlach-speaking or bilingual (Vlach- and Greek-speaking).” The
writer seemed conflicted – proud of the Vlachs of Korce and embarrassed that
the Greek newspapers failed to even mention the overwhelming Vlach element
among the potential students of the school.
The Vlachs continue to prove fertile ground
for plenty of interesting academic work. We recently read about two papers
presented by a talented scholar in the UK named Andromahi Koufogiorgou on
sociolinguistics: the first, “Identity and Language: the Case of the Vlachs/
Aromanians of Metsovo, Greece,” discusses how Vlachs in Metsovo are able to
shift identity (between Vlach and Greek, we presume) based on their use of
Arumanian and Greek; the second, entitled “When a dying language becomes a
lingua franca,” is a fascinating look at how the arrival of Vlach-speakers
from Albania in Metsovo may actually be renewing the use of the Arumanian
language in that famous town.
Traditional Greek clarinet music increasingly
has been crowded out by newer musical trends from rembetika to MTV… So we
were especially delighted to read in Kathimerini (23 November 2004)
that the klarino is alive and well in Athens, of all places, at a club
called Elatos, at Lavriou Square (not far from Omonia Square). Founded in
1918, the club is still going strong among lovers of Greek folk music.
As 2004 wound down to a close, we were also
happy to hear that the Greek government had designated the Pindos Mountain
range a national park. Only certain activities that do not harm the park will
be permitted by the new rules within the protected zone. We hope that this is
the beginning of an effort to save this important but lesser-known treasure
within Greece, so that in the years to come, more and more visitors to Greece
will see not only the country’s beautiful islands, but also the rugged beauty
of the Pindos Mountains.
There has been
much activity in the small Arumanian village of Malovishti in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Young people are banding together to learn
traditional crafts such as weaving and woodcarving. Located on Pelister
Mountain not far from Bitola, within the boundaries of Pelister National Park,
Malovishti is a small village of cobblestone streets and traditional
architecture that is home to some 300 souls. These people are hoping that
tourists will come visit their village and buy their products, generating
enough income to turn traditional Vlach handicrafts into viable modern
businesses – thereby preserving both these crafts and their village. The
group, The Association for Sustainable Development of Malovista and villages
beneath Pelister Mountain, sponsored an event recently featuring an exhibit of
local crafts and celebrating the creation of a new water supply for the
village; the exhibit received support from the King Bouduen Foundation of
Belgium and the Open Society Foundation of Macedonia, while the water supply
was donated by the US embassy in the Republic of Macedonia. The EKE has also
been organizing an annual cultural festival for Vlachs from all Balkan
countries. See
www.malovista-eke.org.mk.
We recently
ran across a Balkan War Story by Virgil R. Marco, Sr., describing an incident
in the Spring of 1908 when Turkish troops in pursuit of Greek soldiers
occupied the village of Perivoli, in the Pindus Mountains. See
www.marcolowe.com.
We recently
ran across a Balkan War Story by Virgil R. Marco, Sr., describing an incident
in the Spring of 1908 when Turkish troops in pursuit of Greek soldiers
occupied the village of Perivoli, in the Pindus Mountains. See
www.marcolowe.com.
In March of
this year, Greek doctors announced the results of a study comparing mortality
from heart disease in the mountain village of Arahova (famous for its feta
cheese) and two low-lying villages. Mortality was 50-60 percent lower in
Arahova than in the other villages.
For a look at
how a community might preserve its culture, history, and connections in the
digital era, see what families from the Grrek island of Kythera have done at
www.kythera-family.net. James Prineas, an Australian of Kytheran descent,
founded this unique web site in 1999.
