Faced on the one hand with a catastrophe in Cyprus, he is faced at home with a governmental structure that has been eroded after years of dictatorship. Yet the Prime Minister and his government have kept their comments moderate while they set about the task of correcting the situation.
It should be a time of hope. The qualifications and reputations of the people involved are well-known and their statements make refreshing reading after the gibberish of the junta spokesmen. Yet Cyprus stands like a spectre before us, and many are at a loss to know where to place their sense of patriotism. Is the National Humiliation the set-back in Cyprus or is it the seven years of a dictatorship that led to the disaster? We heard a young man argue that a nation’s pride has no place next to the catastrophe suffered by the people of Cyprus. Perhaps so, but the population as a whole will never be convinced that recent developments must not one day be rectified and meanwhile their feelings are aroused and their anger is expressed in many ways just as distressing to many Greeks as it is to those who are on the receiving end. Blessedly the country is in the hands of reasonable men who may find reasonable solutions to our dilemma.
On Akadimias St. the other day we saw a familiar figure sauntering along by himself, without guards or fanfare. It was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Mavros. Recalling those black limousines of former ministers dashing around Athens as the traffic was halted and people pushed aside we thought that life is perhaps, indeed, returning to normal.
Anti-Americanism
THE surge of anti-Americanism that has swept through Greece in the past fortnight, as well as the demonstration against the British some weeks ago, forces one to try to make sense out of events which may often appear to be senseless.
We have witnessed the passions of crowds erupting in slogans, car bombings, and even assassinations.
Voices from around the world deplore these events, very often failing to see that these outbursts are rooted in the depths of years of resentment. It is nonetheless very difficult for most of us to condone violence of any sort, especially against innocent people who -are themselves not responsible. Most distressing of all is the evidence published in local newspapers that provocateurs have been at work pouring oil on the fires of anger that the population, frustrated and bitter, are now experiencing.
Many Greeks, if not most, are convinced that the foreign policy, overt and covert, of the United States has dominated, even for a time destroyed, their national life. Yet even in moments of passion we must try to see things in some perspective. Americans who live in Greece, out of their own choice or not, do not make American policy. Many of these Americans have been extremely critical of their own government’s policies over the past eight years.
Perhaps the storm has blown itself out, hopefully it has. What is of utmost importance is that Americans and Greeks, as individuals and nations, re-establish relationships in open, free, and equal ways.
It’s Greek to all of us
ATHENIANS turned on their television and wireless sets recently and could not believe their ears.
“Why, now we understand what they are saying!” was the general and delighted response.
Some days earlier the well-known stage actor, Dimitri Horn, was named General Director of the National Broadcasting Company (EIRT), and immediately changed everything around.
What a new-found joy it was to be, able to listen to Theodorakis without having to close all the windows and turn on the bath water; to hear Maria Farandouri sing without fearing that one would be accused of High Treason; to enjoy, with our minds at ease, the songs of Markopoulos and the poetry of Seferis.
Perhaps most astonishing of all, the announcers, reporters, and commentators were suddenly speaking a language that everyone could readily understand. Colonels’ Katharevousa (the extreme, Papadopoulian variety can only be compared to pidgin English with Latin endings, set to a grammar invented by Milton’s maiden aunt) was suddenly replaced by a form of demotic or spoken language ‘not too extreme but pleasant to hear.’
The Armed Forces network (YENED) by the way, still imagines itself to be talking in the immortal and labyrinthine style of Pindar. Without getting into the thorny question of language, we suggest turning from one network to the other, and with even a mediocre understanding of Greek, a foreigner will be able to distinguish quite readily between the two.
The guns of august
AT dawn on a recent Tuesday thousands of guns burst into action all over the country. It was not an invasion, however, nor target practise for EOKA-Gamma. It was the sound of the opening of the hunting season.
Greece has 240,000 registered Nimrods, 30,000 of whom are Athenians. Some call it a sport, others an amusement, but most agree that hunting is the best excuse for getting away from the family on Sundays.
In general the hunting season will last until March 10 but there are certain restrictions.
The season for wild boar begins on October 10 and lasts until February; for quail, August 20 to November 30; for field partridge, October 15 to November 15 and while the same dates apply to rock partridge and hare they may be hunted on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. It is forbidden to hunt rock partridge on Corfu, Patmos and Leros.
Some animals are considered pests and may be shot in any season. Among these are squirrels, wild rabbits, ferrets, magpies, starlings and sparrows. You may in fact, claim a ‘reward’ from the Ministry of Agriculture for killing some animals: 200 drachmas for a fox, 150 for a jackal, 100 for a badger, and 15 for a crow, A headless wolf earns 500 drachmas but if you bring in a wolf with its head on, you hit the jackpot: 700 drachmas.
Permit fees for foreigners have been raised this year: 9,000 drachmas for a 15-day license; 15,000 for a two-month license and 21,000 for a permit lasting the whole season.
If the costs seem high, remember, you have only to deliver 43 headless wolves to the Ministry of Agriculture to come out with a profit.
Super-patriot
MOVED by the events in Cyprus, a young Athenian stuntman, Yianni Karanicholaou, has offered his services to the cause. He will be happy to give, at any available stadium in town, ‘a brave performance of muscular strength.’
Among his many talents, he offers the following: Ί will stop a speeding car; I will let a car run over me; I will pull two cars with my teeth; I will break iron chains with my arms; I will pound thick nails through two-by-fours with my fists; I will bend iron bars with my teeth and arms and will accomplish many other feats will please the crowds.’
AH the proceeds of his two-hour show will go to help our brothers in Cyprus.
We feel certain that Mr. Karanicholaou’s performance will draw throngs of Athenians. His public spirit is to be warmly applauded.
On with the Show!
JΟΙΕ de vivre has been reborn out of the ashes of the phoenix. After the Seven Years’ Famine, Athenians are dying for entertainment. Greek theatre pretty much passes out of international notice after Aristophanes, but social-satire-with-revue is in its modest way a true descendant of that unique genius. Even with mini-Greek you’ll have a whale of a time and we recommend your going—if you can get in!
The situation was quite different a few weeks ago. For seven years everyone was moping,then everyone was mobilizing, and then everyone was out in the street: the theatres were empty. The producers met. At first they could only gloomily discuss their losses, but then things began to change. The producers scattered to their theatres, the writers leapt to their typewriters, new scenes emerged and were mimeographed, parts were learned, and in a matter of hours the curtain went up. Well—in a matter of hours plus one more hour. The one thing in our theatre which is always late is the curtain.
People would have dropped into the aisles with laughter if the aisles had not already been hastily filled with extra chairs. The backs of the theatres were full of people and the lines went out into the street.
The sudden change of mood has been accompanied by an equally sudden change of titles. ‘The Happy Neighbourhood,’ is now known as ‘Thanks be to God… Bravo to the People.’ ‘Black and White’ has become ‘The People Win.’ ‘Wind up People’ has been transformed into ‘Bye, Bye, Birdie; Now our Voices Warble.’
Other new titles are, ‘You are now Listening to Deutsche Welle,’ ‘Junta, no. The People, yes. The Storm has Passed.’ and ‘The Leader with the Eyebrows Has Come.’ They are all to be recommended.
