Risto Stefov - Articles, Translations & Collaborations

[Soldier of Macedon]

In modern times , Macedonia never constituted a phyletic , linguistic or political entity , not even administrative before 1902.
Macedonia wasn't even a defined geographical term [*2].

The same can be said about Greece prior to independence, and pretty much all of the Balkan states. Macedonia may not have been a completely homogeneous linguistic entity, but Macedonia was a compact and distinguished geographic entity and the Macedonians along with their language were the majority. As for Macedonia not even being a geographical term, I think Dakin should put his kebab down for a second and re-visit history, as there are several maps and records which define Macedonia in geographical terms.

Is that all you had? How original.

[Dimko-piperkata]

Modern Greece and the Macedonian Heritage

Risto Stefov ,January 04, 2009

>>Part 1<<

BRAVO RISTO

[Thorvald]

an overwhelming majority of greeks that i have met would gladly welcome greece expanding its borders. the neo hellenic identity is built on aspiring to hellas macedonia and the roman empire as their exclusive legacy and to reclaim polis and the turkish and black sea coats is their nations latent territorial fantasy.

asking greeks to give up on polis ,are you kidding they would rather give up their native cultures instead, as indeed they have.

I agree, I noticed these comments by Greeks on many forums.

If you ask them further how to resolve the Macedonia-name-dispute, they confirm that Macedonia should be devided by Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece.

Never trust a Greek.

[Spartan]

^^
Especially when bearing gifts
Homer

[Soldier of Macedon]

Smartass Spartan

[Spartan]

A little "smart-ass-ishness" to lighten up the thread a little is ok SoM
After all, this forum is home to the king of the "smart asses", is it not?? <cough> Risto <cough>.

[Risto the Great]

A little "smart-ass-ishness" to lighten up the thread a little is ok SoM
After all, this forum is home to the king of the "smart asses", is it not?? <cough> Risto <cough>.

Hey man, I was hoping to become King of Macedonia ... but will settle for "Smart-asses" for now.

[AMINTA]

I have found a recent post somewhere on some Macedonian website, so I've decided to post it here... to show you how the Macedonians here are feeling

We have started the battle about the name of our country, the country from whose aches and dust we have become. That country is the aches and the dust of our ancestries, wet from rivers of blood and tears, floundered, kneaded and dried from the hoofs and the arsons of the hordes of beasts that have grumbled. That land is also build with sweat in bricks and straw that has been born for the warm rooms and eaves in the home of our ancestor to birth him and rise our grandfather and to birth him he for rising our father and he- for rising us.

Exactly in this country, named Macedonia, at the end, we will merge into like a transitory time of the insignificance - in the endless aches and dust of all of our ancestries. And that is the reason why this country has not deserve to spit at her, she isn't for giving like a present just like that to someone, nobody can negotiate easily for her and we can't stay calm when she is offended. That's why we are here -- exactly we, who are writing this lines, her birth, we are her voice and also her fist. We aren't writing of a good will of ours or because we have plenty of time in this world rush - No! , we are writing because the negations and the hysteria from the stealing of everything Macedonian isn't stopped yet -- the history, the souls, the territories...and the name. Not only they don't stop, they are flared up more then ever; just open any web site, media, even some product and you will see -- they have pasted our historical image and name. Through the times when we were slaves, they have destroyed, falsified and stolen documents, artifacts and cultural - material treasures from the Macedonian people.

And, nowadays, the give money for buying out material and archeological documents from us and from the world directing elites. No matter how much they steal, falsify and taking out -- they cannot do everything -- our cultural -- historical treasury is too big. While they have covered one hole, new holes are shown, until they get bigger and bigger in which they will fall into with their evil. In this informatics and educate society, their old tricks don't pass so easy, neither one secret can be undiscovered. Those who negate us, are in the tragicomedy's face of the emperor Trayan with the goat ears, who buried the secret in the soil. And as then, from the buried soil, germinated like reeds from who every new fife sings all the same - the truth about the emperor Trayan, just like now, those who negate us hear all the same- the truth about their lies and defects.

Our country, too discovered the buried secrets despite all told lies. In the moment when the digging up has been started, it has been discovered Macedonian royal tombs with masks, steals, guardians, armors, shields, carriages, there were called out whole capitals, divinities, mitt flyers and who knows what else that someone others claimed that it was theirs.

In Macedonia are forged millions of coins in every locality in Macedonia, there isn't place where isn't proved and also there are found foreign coins that proves the trade and the exchange of Macedonia with all known world those days. And everything is here, on the surface -- ruins, defenses, churches, epitaphs and memoirs and everything that the travelers, statesmen and foreign archives had collect and written about those who negate us - is here. Especially, about their brutalities, propaganda and crisis that they have given to us.

About all of that, especially about the Macedonian truth, it is worth fighting, no matter what they will do, we will fight for this values and this is a fight without giving up.

"They won't pass".

- Until whole horizon is our picture!!
- Until our brain thinks of our country!
- Until our hearts pulse liquid -- color of our flag!
- Until our chest breathe the air of our forests!
- Until our hearing hears the straight of the sadness in our songs!!

"MACEDONIA FOR THE MACEDONIANS"

[Pelister]

Risto,

Personal question; do you advocate the changing of borders by whatever means possible up to and including the use of violence. Yes or no?

C'mon Demos.

There is something far more important than a change of borders.

Greece has a responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the full cultural and historical presence of all of its minorities, including the Macedonians.

If it can do, then everyone lives in peace. Its that simple.

I would like to see a degree of compassion from the Greek State for its treatment of the Macedonians, and a chance to rescue the Macedonians from abstraction, and I would like to see the Greek State acknowledge that elements of its historical narrative have been distorted and manipulated, and that this distortion provides a basis for denying Macedonians in the present.

If it can do that - everyone will live happily ever after.

[Dimko-piperkata]

I am Macedonian- period!

January 31, 2009 by Risto Stefov

How is it possible in the 21st century for someone else to decide who I am, or who I am not? Does the "universal human right to self determination" as declared by the United Nations not apply to me? Am I excluded from this declaration?

How does one become what or who he or she is? Is it the government that decides? The priest, the church, the United Nations…? Who has the power to decide ethnically and nationally who I am, what language I can speak, what songs I can sing, what dances I can dance,…. And if anyone has that right who has given it to him or her?

My mother was Macedonian, my grandmothers were Macedonian, and my great grandmothers were Macedonian as were their parents; they told me so themselves! So what am I now CHINESE? Not that I want to be one but even if I wanted to I cannot be anything but Macedonian because all my ancestors were Macedonian!

In the beginning of the 20th century my ancestors struggled to free themselves and Macedonia from the grip of the Ottoman occupiers as did the other nations in the Balkans. After five centuries of occupation it was time for freedom; time for the Ottomans to leave. The spirit of freedom was felt everywhere and blood was spilled to achieve it. Unfortunately freedom to the Macedonians did not come easily in spite of their effort. Not to Macedonia and not to my ancestors! One tyrant was replaced by three and instead of gaining its freedom Macedonia was again occupied and divided. Worse than before, in addition to losing their homeland, Macedonians now lost their identity and forcibly were made into Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks.

The struggle for the Macedonian name, identity and language became and 100 years later is still a burden to all Macedonians and a shame for Greece, Bulgaria, the EU and the United Nations who still insist on their non-existence.

My ancestors fought hard for their identity, nation and country Macedonia but obviously not hard enough because they did not understand the power of politics and were naïve enough to trust their "neighbors" to have their best interest in their hearts when hundreds of thousands of them joined in the fight against the Ottomans to first free "their neighbors" and then their own homeland Macedonia. Macedonians believed in a United Macedonia and a Macedonia for Macedonians. The neighbors however had different ideas. The Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians fought against one another for a larger "land grab" of Macedonia, each claiming that Macedonia and Macedonians belong to them, only to settle for its division in 1913.

Historian JS Gandeto writes:

"Nineteenth century Greeks did not regard the Macedonians as people of the same ethnicity (Politis 1993:36; Dimaras 1958; Karagatsis, 1952). (1) Greeks in the late eighteen and early nineteenth century viewed the Macedonians as conquerors of Greece. Only after the "Megali Idea" took root in Greece did the Greeks embark on providing and securing 'evidence' for their new political vision…"



The Great Powers of the time particularly England, France and Russia decided to condone Macedonia´s division in accordance with their interests instead of relying on justice, democratic principles, or human rights. It was easy for them to offer the new Balkan states something that did not belong to them, instead of standing up for justice, decency, human rights and democracy. This is the "shame" of Europe. Europeans made a great mistake in the 20th century and Europeans must fix it now.

Serbia, to its credit, begrudgingly but none the less gave back "its" 1913 portion of the spoils to the Macedonians to whom it belongs. Bulgarians and Greeks are still holding on to more than 2/3 of Macedonia. All three committed "ethnocide "and, yes, GENOCIDE since they acquired Macedonian territories in 1913 but Greece and Bulgaria continue to do so to this day! Yes, even today Macedonians in Greece and Bulgaria are forbidden to use their language, sing their songs and freely express their ethnic identity even though both countries are members of the European Union! Both Greece and Bulgaria accuse Macedonians of stealing Greek and/or Bulgarian history, as both will do all they can in their power to exterminate the Macedonian name, language and history. Both claim that: "there is no such thing as a Macedonian nation, language, customs or history".

What about me, my ancestors, my mother, grandmothers, great grandmothers and millions of other Macedonians worldwide? What are we? Are we a mass of unidentified humans? A new species that just appeared on this planet out of nowhere!? What about all the songs that glorify Macedonia, Alexander, his father Philip II, Tsar Samoil, Gotse Delchev, Jane Sandanski, …. In fact there are thousands of folk songs mentioning Macedonia and the struggle for freedom from the Roman Empire, the Ottoman occupation, Macedonia´s division of 1913, the Second World War, etc, which are neither of Greek or of Bulgarian creation. Macedonia is not even mentioned, let alone glorified by Greece and Bulgaria. If Macedonia was Greek or Bulgarian why did both consent to splitting it into three pieces in 1913? Why split what is yours!! Only Macedonians were against splitting Macedonia and only the Macedonians want it put back together. I don´t hear any Greeks or Bulgarians wanting something back that they lost in 1913. They never lost anything because one cannot lose something if one never had it.

Both Greece and Bulgaria since 1913 have changed the names of people and places to wipe out everything Macedonian. Greeks even went so far as to change the names of the dead by inscribing Greek names on the gravestones of the deceased and long gone Macedonians. This is the SHAME of Europe!

If this historical injustice is not righted and if Macedonians are not given rights as other nations enjoy, there will never be true peace in the Balkans or in Europe!

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/89571

[Thorvald]

Good post, and I fully agree.

[TrueMacedonian]

An idiots response to Risto Stefov's articles

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/91930

About ethnicity.
Istor the Macedonian February 21, 2009First, allow me introducing myself. I am a Macedonian, that is Greek from Macedonia and I defend Macedonians´ doubtless and timeless Greekness against Slavs of FYROM attempt to slavicize Macedonia and Macedonians. I cannot call Slavs of FYROM or any other non-Greek people as Macedonians because the last 3000 years we Greeks have that name for the Greeks of Macedonia. Thus I ´ll call them as SlavoSkopians. This term is not derogative at all, because this is exactly what they are. If they want to call them after another name let them tell me about. If that name includes the term Macedonian, they themselves must use that name as well.

I have read carefully the last seven articles of Risto Stefov about Greeks´ Greekness. He claims that Greeks who had no Greek origin are not Greeks. They are not legalized to defend Macedonian name against FYROM´s attempt to monopolize it, he says.

Sorry to say, the whole issue, as it is presented by the writer who is the most famous SlavoSkopian propagandist, is built upon the wrong ground.

Ethnicity is a matter of consciousness and is acquired by education and acceptance. Blood and dna are not related to ethnicity, at least within a race. This is obvious to us Greeks and known since the times of Herodotus and Issocrates. While Issocrates said that "Greeks are those who had and accepted Greek education". Whoever relates blood to ethnicity is racist. Loring Danforth is asking "How can a woman give birth to a Macedonian and a SlavoSkopian boys?". In an aristotelic manner, the same writer says " I belong to an ethnic group if I want it and they accept me". Believe me, no blood test is needed for that acceptance. Otherwise assimilation would be possible ONLY with intermarriages.

If I adopt and educate any SlavoSkopian children I ´ll make them proud Macedonians like me and not like Slavs of FYROM, for sure. In fact, if Slavs of FYROM allow us Greeks controlling their education system as Tito did, we will call them Macedonians, because this is what they will be after, lets say, 30 years. It is called brainwashing and leads to assimilation. This is what Tito did to them, during 40 years of leadership. He manipulated them, sometimes brutally.


We Greeks have assimilated many populations we have met here in Greece. Starting from Pelasgians, Thracians, Illyrians, ……. we continued with Romans, Slavs, Albanians ….. We did that mainly peacefully, due to the attractiveness of our Civilization ( including Christianity). We are still doing that today with all those economic immigrant children who go to Greek schools. Greeks by assimilation are not less Greek than "pure" Greeks. There is no purity in ethnicity, btw. There is scale, though. If SlavoSkopians object that, they must tell us where Dardanians, Illyrians, Peonians, Thracians, Greeks, ….. all ex inhabitants of FYROM, are.

Many Greeks have been assimilated by peoples around. Third and fourth generation Greeks of Australia, USA, Germany, …. are mostly assimilated by populations they live in. In the past, Greeks have been assimilated by Turks, Slavs, … mainly brutally.

Ethnicity is pride. Thus, Greek is whoever is proud of it. How people do show that pride around is in issue; lets talk about it.

Macedonian is whoever is proud of that campaign that Macedonians did to spread Greek Language and Civilization to the World. That campaign was the "trade mark" of Macedonian history and identity.

Language is the main objective ethnic indicator. That´s why language and ethnicity usually share the same name. I cannot belong to an ethnic group that I cannot communicate with, but for a while that is during assimilation.

So, we modern Greeks are as Greek as any ancient or future Greek. Because we are as proud as they were. We do show that pride around by sharing the same names, toponyms, ways, heroes, language and, or course, pride for that famous and glorious Macedonian campaign which motivated Plutarch to raving: http://www.starkrealities.com/fortune.html ( passage 5 at least). Feel what Greeks feel when reading that passage!

Istor

Macedonian, therefore Greek

[TrueMacedonian]

Well what can I say.......I am laughing my head off at this retards ridiculous article. I am beside myself from laughing at Istorakis 3000 years of "hellenic" culture lol. I hope he writes more articles actually. This makes the modern "greek" look so bad that it helps our cause lol. Bravo to you Istor for a fine fine article. May modern "greece" keep adding toxins to your tap water.

[osiris]

let me say it for you, istors real name should be istran

[Magedon]

Morelike ISPRAN (mozok).

Actualy I find this article neither sad nor funny...I find it boring with a twist : ' blood and dna are not related to ethnicity - at least within a race '. seriosly, can ANYONE be more confused than this???

And your right, this poor fellow is actually doing a great favour to us, as he exposes the whole stupidity of the modern greek in glorious light. Am sure that if he was aware of this, he would have stopped humiliating his whole country publicly. I wonder what type of mental disorder he suffers from. Multiple person disorder syndrom, perhaps? His "Macedonian therefore Greek" signature makes this illness a serious candidate.

Macedonian therefore Macedonian.