New NGO! Educative and Cultural Movement in Voden!!!

[Risto the Great]

Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa (Voden)

It is with great honor to announce the formation of a new Non Governmental Organization (NGO) the “Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa”. The association is officially registered in Voden, Egejska Macedonia on February 11, 2009 and it is a non-profit association. The statue consists of five individuals that are dedicated to promote the needs of Education and Cultural activities in Aegean Macedonia.

The objective and activities are two fold, the first objective is start the teaching of the Macedonian Language and History, the association is pleased to announce that starting this summer (for two Months) classes will be available in Voden and surrounding Villages. For the first time local Macedonians will have the opportunity to write and read their Macedonian mother tongue. Further plans are in the works to expand the classes in Lerin and Kostur regions.

The second objective is to promote Cultural and Traditional activities in all of the Aegean Macedonia and the development of our relations with the people in the Republic of Macedonia and the Macedonian minorities that live in many Balkan States and the Diaspora. The association will cease every opportunity in promoting our rich and vibrant Macedonian Culture through music, songs and dance.

Lastly, I wish to make this clear, that this new NGO has no political affiliation or motive with any other political organization in Aegean Macedonia or any political organization in the Diaspora.

Just noticed this on Maknews. Very welcome news indeed.
I hope Vodenka can advise if she knows anything further about this.

[Dimko-piperkata]

great news !!!
is there a link of the NGO ?

[vodenka]

This is the translation of a part of the statute of the NGO, regarding the aims and activities it may take.

AIM
Company's aim will be the facilitation of cultural communication of the Pella Prefecture with other regions in regional, national and Balkan scale. The increase of the Prefecture citizens' sensibility for cultural matters in the presentation to the wide public of performed cultural work, mainly by organisation of exhibitions and of "cultural days" about special issues in a frame for the promotion of a permanently narrower union of populations in the Balkans. The development of State cultures with respect of their national and regional polymorphic expressions and the projection of common cultural heritage by the organization of relative events, as: a) organisation of concerts, exhibitions, projections, theatrical representations, congresses, meetings, seminars of training as well as any type of educative, informative, cultural and athletic activities. b) publications of CD/DVD c) exhibitions and presentations of books d) undertaking of editorial activity, printed or in electronic form.
e) as well as any other relative manifestations.
For the achievement of above-mentioned aims, the company might take any adequate actions.

[vodenka]

great news !!!
is there a link of the NGO ?

No, but we will create a website, soon!

[Dimko-piperkata]

No, but we will create a website, soon!

ako trebete pomosh za dezajnot ili bilo sho, kazhete mi.

[Risto the Great]

This is the translation of a part of the statute of the NGO, regarding the aims and activities it may take.

AIM
Company's aim will be the facilitation of cultural communication of the Pella Prefecture with other regions in regional, national and Balkan scale. The increase of the Prefecture citizens' sensibility for cultural matters in the presentation to the wide public of performed cultural work, mainly by organisation of exhibitions and of "cultural days" about special issues in a frame for the promotion of a permanently narrower union of populations in the Balkans. The development of State cultures with respect of their national and regional polymorphic expressions and the projection of common cultural heritage by the organization of relative events, as: a) organisation of concerts, exhibitions, projections, theatrical representations, congresses, meetings, seminars of training as well as any type of educative, informative, cultural and athletic activities. b) publications of CD/DVD c) exhibitions and presentations of books d) undertaking of editorial activity, printed or in electronic form.
e) as well as any other relative manifestations.
For the achievement of above-mentioned aims, the company might take any adequate actions.

Very broad aims with a lot of room for flexibility.
Excellent.
I am disappointed that making Solun the capital of an independent Macedonia was not there .... but maybe it was there in invisible ink.

[Daskalot]

Vodenka, just let us know what we can do to help.

[Rogi]

Во Грција ќе никне училиште на македонски јазик?

Македонците од Леринско и Воденско ќе можат да го учат македонскиот јазик во приватно училиште, кое наскоро треба да се отвори во Северна Грција. Ова го најавува новоформираната невладина организација на македонското малцинство во Грција „Образовно и културно движење на Воден“. Имињата на првите луѓе на организацијата што се формираше во Воден засега се држат во тајност поради страв дека Грција ќе започне силен притисок против движењето, кое има цел да му се спротивстави на грчкиот национализам преку афирмација на македонскиот јазик и култура. Далеку од очите на јавноста во Грција веќе се печатат книги на македонски јазик и се изработени 1.500 цедеа со македонски традиционални песни. Првите курсеви се планира да почнат за два месеца.

„Образовното и културно движење на Воден“ планира да го воскресне и весникот на Македонците во Грција „Зора“.

Со ова македонското малцинство го засилува своето дејствување против грчките власти, кои и покрај прозивката од повеќе организации за малцински права и натаму го негираат постоењето на македонско малцинство во Северна Грција. Не се откриваат ниту финансиерите на македонската невладина организација во Грција. Познато е само дека добива поддршка од македонското лоби во Канада и САД. Македонските лобисти од Канада тврдат дека организацијата има повеќе членови и поддржувачи кои не се плашат од грчките власти. Тие потенцираат дека организацијата не е политички мотивирана, ниту пак поврзана со која било политичка партија. И покрај тоа што Македонци од Грција објаснуваат дека грчките власти никогаш не би дозволиле регистрација на македонска невладина организација, Џим Дајкос, македонски лобист од Канада тврди дека невладината организација веќе е регистрирана.

- Првата цел е да се учат младите Македонци за македонската историја и да научат да читаат и да пишуваат на македонски јазик. Освен училиште, ќе се отвори и библиотека. Уште ова лето ќе се одржат првите курсеви во Воден и околните села - вели Дајкос од Обединетата македонска дијаспора.

Од Воден, движењето планира да ја прошири својата работа во Костур и Лерин. Во раководството на организацијата стојат пет имиња, кои не се откриваат.

- Младите не се плашат да си ја кажат својата мисла и да и се спротивстават на грчката пропаганда. Свесни сме дека грчките власти ќе се спротивстават, но не верувам дека Македонците ќе се плашат да ја развиваат својата култура - вели Дајкос. Македонци од Грција тврдат дека во селото Баница веќе има повеќе фамилии што тајно ги носат своите деца во куќа каде што се учи македонскиот јазик. Преку музика, културни активности и семинари, невладината организација треба да биде мост што ќе ги поврзе Македонците од Грција со македонското малцинство од Бугарија и Албанија, како и со македонската дијаспора. Од „Виножито“ тврдат дека не се запознаени дека е формирана македонска невладина организација во Грција.

http://www.novamakedonija.com.mk/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=2&fCat=1&top=1&EditionID=357&ArticleID=21708

[Risto the Great]

What a tragedy that people have to hide in the shadows in order to celebrate their cultural identity. I hope this initiative has the momentum to withstand the extreme prejudice that is inevitable in such a backward country.

[vodenka]

This was posted in the http://iliden.blogspot.com after the posting in many anti-macedonian blogs, about the new NGO "Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa", translated into English.

"The “Educative and Cultural Movement of Edessa”, is the new Macedonian association, that these last days was the object of fierce fascist attacks. The attacks began, as usually, via the anti-macedonian blogs and are expected to be continued via racist papers and mechanisms of black propaganda that flourish in our region. The association, by what I understood, is a Non Governmental Organisation with educational and cultural character. It is not limited to Macedonian culture, but because its founders are of Macedonian origin (from Edessa), automatically were considered suspicious. Especially at the moment that it appeared in some web page of the Macedonian Diaspora, it had to be exterminated. The persecutors immediately said that, “In Edessa was created a "skopian" Association called .....” followed by a sewer of mud-talking and calumny. Were reported also certain names of leaders, the names of whom were covered with mud and infamy. They sought also the names of the founding members. Why, I wonder? The founders, who ever they are, certainly created the association with a view to make public events and their activities will be addressed to all citizens. Hence they do not have aim to be hidden. To what, therefore, this hastiness to know the names? The reason is one and only. The anti-macedonian racists know they cannot anymore deter the creation of any association that cultivates any form of Macedonian culture. The pioneer activists of MAKIBE, Rainbow and others, individually, are acting in broad daylight and undisturbed. They are employed by the state, they take public work or government subsidies and the official state does not bother them, as in the past. The Rainbow congress took place under government protection, the festivals are protected from annoying racists (for example that of Meliti, recently), the same goes for activities of Macedonian cultural associations, too. This cannot "digest" the fascists and the racists. And because they cannot prevent them anymore, they resort to the tactic of calumny and mud-talking. The calumny is characteristic weapon of invalid intellectually persons. They know that the named and continuously increasing in number activists are not intimidated and will continue, and neither these racists hope in something like it. Their objective is the big majority of local people who are deceived, trapped by the anti-macedonian propaganda, the fears of the past and deficiently informed. Striking the pioneers, they send the messages to the majority:. “This will suffer whoever dares”.
This effort is not unique, nor makes a first-time appearance. By this way is faced each effort of invigoration of local Macedonian culture. By this way was faced even the initiative of establishing the annual Festival of Macedonian Dances in 1992. And we talk only for dances. Not only is not prohibited the Festival of Pontian Dances, but also is granted by air-conditioned closed gyms, is subsidised and appears at the television. The festival of Macedonian Dances, instead of being faced equivalently and be helped by the state, as the Pontian is, was faced in the same way as the new-founded association in Edessa. Macedonian associations should limit themselves only in music and no song in their events, other ways they enter in the foresight of fascists. They should not have relations with the associations of their fellow countrymen in the Republic of Macedonia and in the Diaspora. The Natives should be citizens of limited rights and the limits of their rights are determined by others. This that happens today is the continuity of the policy of castor oil, exiles, beatings, the fines to all Macedonians they used their maternal tongue. As the situation today does not allow anymore such methods, they have been inventing various other ways: black propaganda, calumny, mud-talking. Maybe someone will say it is exaggeration the use of terms like fascists and racists. Many times we hear to be stressed that basic characteristic of democracy is the respect of the right of others to express themselves with no restriction and no repercussion for their opinion. Many times we hear them repeat the maxim of Voltaire "I disagree with what you say, but I will be defending till my death your right to say it". The Natives' right to say what they believe, for what it concerns them, not only they do not respect it and they are not defending it up to death, but they undermine it. That is the opposite of democracy, that is to say fascism. And unfortunately this peculiar fascism has a lot of means and many tentacles. Huge responsibilities for this have also all those who tolerate this phenomenon. Even the silence is accomplice. Accomplices also are those institutions in the nucleus of which are cultivated anti-macedonian propagandas, like the political parties, the institutions kind of IMXA, the "Company of Macedonian Study", the “Pammacedonian Unions”, near the Church organisations, Pontian associations etc There are the nest where the suckling of all these dirty anti-macedonian propagandas take place. Do they not know that for the Macedonians it is considered an insult the characterization “Bulgar” and the language as “Bulgarian”? When they characterize our ancestors who made the revolution of Iliden as Bulgarians, do they understand that they characterize also us, who are their descendants, as Bulgarians? They know it very well, but they consider that they have the right to offend us, without us to react. Would they like us to start also to call the refugees Turks or Turks' seeds, as certain Macedonians do the same? Certainly, no. Therefore should take notice those who insult and defame us but also those who are hidden behind them, that if this disrespect is continued, this blog will start to post articles and comments of Macedonians that call those refugees from Asia Turks and Turks' seeds, “knowing well the consequences of law”. And we do not recognize to the state the right to observe two metres and two levels. To all of them we want to say this: enough is enough. You came in our homeland and instead of respecting our hospitality for you to sit by our side, with respect to our identity and our rights, you sat on our necks. Get down, therefore, from our necks, because we are not compelled to tolerate you as guardians, for ever. We will toss you off and your landing will be very abnormal."
Posted by Karatasho

[Bratot]

Thank you for the translation.

[Risto the Great]

To all of them we want to say this: enough is enough. You came in our homeland and instead of respecting our hospitality for you to sit by our side, with respect to our identity and our rights, you sat on our necks. Get down, therefore, from our necks, because we are not compelled to tolerate you as guardians, for ever. We will toss you off and your landing will be very abnormal.

Absolutely inspirational!

[Risto the Great]

Translated web page:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A//www.edessavoden.gr/page1.aspx&hl=en&langpair=auto|en&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8

The Non-Profit Organization "Cultural and Cultural Movement of Edessa" was created by people who love the local Macedonian tradition and want to provide for the preservation and dissemination of this rich cultural heritage of historical and political reasons it was not necessary protection and to disseminate our country.

Our Organization, in collaboration with educational and cultural associations and other bodies of the Region of Macedonia, all of Greece and the Balkan countries, will help to highlight any local Macedonian Cultural Expressions, old and modern.

One of the major initiatives of the Company will be the registration and issue of all folklore elements tend to disappear as the local Macedonian language of each region of Macedonia, the traditional songs sung in that language as the old customs, tales and stories of these areas.

Also, the Company will assist the emergence of new artists who often do not have the means to display their art.

Our responsibility is great with regard to younger generations and conveying morals, customs, tradition, culture and language of our ancestors is our duty and our purpose.

[Rogi]

http://www.edessavoden.gr

[Bratot]

Cestito i za ubavi vesti da ni sluzi!