Publication of the "Abecedar" is a Result of International Pressure on Greece
By Ivan Karardzhiev
Source: UtrinskiVesnik.com.mk
Translated from Macedonian to English and Edited by Risto Stefov
rstefov@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.oshchima.com/
The first printing of the Macedonian primer the Abecedar was introduced during harsh times right after the First World War.
The latest printing of the Abecedar, already promoted in Athens and Solun came as a result of Vinozhito's, the political party representing the Macedonian minority in Greece [and the Greek branch of EBLUL's, the European Bureau of Lesser Used Languages] initiatives and is being publicized not only inside Greece but in the Balkans and in a wider part of Europe.
Up until now, the Abecedar was something that was talked about in a historical sense, mainly by the Macedonian press. There were stories of its introduction in 1925, its fate in Greek hands and stories about how it came out at dire times right after World War I and how it was dangerous for the peace in the region, especially for its Macedonian proponents.
Unfortunately very little was said about the conditions that led to the publication of the Abecedar. To give you an idea, in Greece during World War I, according to 1935 Greek Communist Party statistics, lived from 240,000 to 280,000 Macedonian speakers. In the Region of Lerin lived 60,000 Macedonians or 71% of the whole population. In Kostur Region lived 34,000 or 55% of the whole population. In Voden lived 75,000, etc, etc.
At the time the Macedonian primer came out, the Macedonian language was used in everyday life, at home, in the market, in the streets, etc, and everywhere where Macedonian people existed in Aegean Macedonia. Even in the courts important decisions and court verdicts were translated to the Macedonian language.
The massacre of 19 Macedonian people in the village Trlis in Drama Region on July 24, 1924, by Greek authorities was brought to the attention of the international community which pressured Greece to sign the well known Karlov-Politis protocol which called for the recognition of a "Bulgarian" minority inside Greece. The Greek Parliament however refused to ratify the protocol which prompted the League of Nations under a British proposal to call on Greece to act on the educational and religious needs of the Macedonian speakers living inside its territory. Greece was obliged to undertake certain actions to implement the protocol.
Being unable to sidestep this directive, Venizelos's Greek government announced that it would undertake a study and research the needs, mainly religious and educational, of that minority in respect to its obligation.
On July 10th, 1925 the Greek representative in the League of Nations announced that the Greek government would fulfill its obligations to its minority by undertaking the following measures:
1. Place funds in its State budget for opening schools for the Macedonian minority.
2. As per article 9 of the agreement, it would produce a special teaching program for public school teaching of that minority.
3. It will train teachers at the expense of the State.
4. It will allow the faithful to choose their own priests.
A little later, Greece published the Abecedar and delivered it to the League of Nations commission while at the same time, making every effort to stop its application. By now the League of Nations representatives had a clear understanding of the "double-faced" Greek politics especially about the rights of the Macedonian minority in Greece. Because of their mistrust of Greek dealings, the League of Nations established a monitoring mission to monitor the progress of the protocol's implementation. During mission visits the Greek government undertook rigorous measures to prevent unfavorable occurrences.
Here is what a Greek teacher had to say about one such League of Nations mission visit to Voden in 1926: "It was astonishing for me to see state representatives gathering students from the various schools and coaching them to answer 'no' to questions 'if they knew or spoke another language.' It was also a shameful display to see previously coached students and teachers gathering in front of mission representatives, clapping hands at anti minority rhetoric, singing anti minority Greek heroic songs and vigorously waving Greek flags."
News of the Abecedar in Bulgaria was received unfavorably and with much violence. There was much written about the subject including some by prominent academics such as the renowned Bulgarian professors Lubomir Miletich and Ivan Shishmanov. According to Miletich "Because of political reasons we now have to accept a convention appointed name instead of Bulgarians for the Macedonian Bulgarophones. The Greek government is treating its Bulgarophone subjects like some new people it uncovered without its own literacy, without a literary tradition and without a standardized literary language."
Speaking on the same theme, Professor Ivan Shishmanov, among other things, said: "Many Bulgarian dialects exist and are different from the Bulgarian literary language. While the Bulgarian Literary Language is based on Eastern dialects, the Macedonian language no less is a dialect of the Bulgarian dialectal languages. There is no doubt that the publication of the Abecedar is a sure attempt by the Greek State to distance the Macedonian population from the 'Bulgarian dangers'. To put it another way, the Greek government wants to give the Macedonians special status so it can separate them from Bulgarian influence. Having Bulgarian speakers within its borders and having them fed separatist ideas is dangerous for Greece."
News of the Abecedar in Royal Yugoslavia was also received unfavorably and with a similar attitude as the Bulgarians.
In a final note, according to French sources from the mission in Athens in December 1925, Greece, on October 21st, 1925 crossed the Bulgarian border in an attempt to invade and occupy the city of Petrich. According to the French "This small battle was undertaken for the 'Macedonian' alphabet, a gift from Greece to the children of another race in Macedonia." [A Greek gift indeed!]
By Ivan Karardzhiev
Source: UtrinskiVesnik.com.mk
Translated from Macedonian to English and Edited by Risto Stefov
rstefov@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.oshchima.com/
The first printing of the Macedonian primer the Abecedar was introduced during harsh times right after the First World War.
The latest printing of the Abecedar, already promoted in Athens and Solun came as a result of Vinozhito's, the political party representing the Macedonian minority in Greece [and the Greek branch of EBLUL's, the European Bureau of Lesser Used Languages] initiatives and is being publicized not only inside Greece but in the Balkans and in a wider part of Europe.
Up until now, the Abecedar was something that was talked about in a historical sense, mainly by the Macedonian press. There were stories of its introduction in 1925, its fate in Greek hands and stories about how it came out at dire times right after World War I and how it was dangerous for the peace in the region, especially for its Macedonian proponents.
Unfortunately very little was said about the conditions that led to the publication of the Abecedar. To give you an idea, in Greece during World War I, according to 1935 Greek Communist Party statistics, lived from 240,000 to 280,000 Macedonian speakers. In the Region of Lerin lived 60,000 Macedonians or 71% of the whole population. In Kostur Region lived 34,000 or 55% of the whole population. In Voden lived 75,000, etc, etc.
At the time the Macedonian primer came out, the Macedonian language was used in everyday life, at home, in the market, in the streets, etc, and everywhere where Macedonian people existed in Aegean Macedonia. Even in the courts important decisions and court verdicts were translated to the Macedonian language.
The massacre of 19 Macedonian people in the village Trlis in Drama Region on July 24, 1924, by Greek authorities was brought to the attention of the international community which pressured Greece to sign the well known Karlov-Politis protocol which called for the recognition of a "Bulgarian" minority inside Greece. The Greek Parliament however refused to ratify the protocol which prompted the League of Nations under a British proposal to call on Greece to act on the educational and religious needs of the Macedonian speakers living inside its territory. Greece was obliged to undertake certain actions to implement the protocol.
Being unable to sidestep this directive, Venizelos's Greek government announced that it would undertake a study and research the needs, mainly religious and educational, of that minority in respect to its obligation.
On July 10th, 1925 the Greek representative in the League of Nations announced that the Greek government would fulfill its obligations to its minority by undertaking the following measures:
1. Place funds in its State budget for opening schools for the Macedonian minority.
2. As per article 9 of the agreement, it would produce a special teaching program for public school teaching of that minority.
3. It will train teachers at the expense of the State.
4. It will allow the faithful to choose their own priests.
A little later, Greece published the Abecedar and delivered it to the League of Nations commission while at the same time, making every effort to stop its application. By now the League of Nations representatives had a clear understanding of the "double-faced" Greek politics especially about the rights of the Macedonian minority in Greece. Because of their mistrust of Greek dealings, the League of Nations established a monitoring mission to monitor the progress of the protocol's implementation. During mission visits the Greek government undertook rigorous measures to prevent unfavorable occurrences.
Here is what a Greek teacher had to say about one such League of Nations mission visit to Voden in 1926: "It was astonishing for me to see state representatives gathering students from the various schools and coaching them to answer 'no' to questions 'if they knew or spoke another language.' It was also a shameful display to see previously coached students and teachers gathering in front of mission representatives, clapping hands at anti minority rhetoric, singing anti minority Greek heroic songs and vigorously waving Greek flags."
News of the Abecedar in Bulgaria was received unfavorably and with much violence. There was much written about the subject including some by prominent academics such as the renowned Bulgarian professors Lubomir Miletich and Ivan Shishmanov. According to Miletich "Because of political reasons we now have to accept a convention appointed name instead of Bulgarians for the Macedonian Bulgarophones. The Greek government is treating its Bulgarophone subjects like some new people it uncovered without its own literacy, without a literary tradition and without a standardized literary language."
Speaking on the same theme, Professor Ivan Shishmanov, among other things, said: "Many Bulgarian dialects exist and are different from the Bulgarian literary language. While the Bulgarian Literary Language is based on Eastern dialects, the Macedonian language no less is a dialect of the Bulgarian dialectal languages. There is no doubt that the publication of the Abecedar is a sure attempt by the Greek State to distance the Macedonian population from the 'Bulgarian dangers'. To put it another way, the Greek government wants to give the Macedonians special status so it can separate them from Bulgarian influence. Having Bulgarian speakers within its borders and having them fed separatist ideas is dangerous for Greece."
News of the Abecedar in Royal Yugoslavia was also received unfavorably and with a similar attitude as the Bulgarians.
In a final note, according to French sources from the mission in Athens in December 1925, Greece, on October 21st, 1925 crossed the Bulgarian border in an attempt to invade and occupy the city of Petrich. According to the French "This small battle was undertaken for the 'Macedonian' alphabet, a gift from Greece to the children of another race in Macedonia." [A Greek gift indeed!]
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