Macedonian Human Rights Review

Issue # 17 January 2014 ISSN 1839‐8639 page January 2014 MHR Review Contents... MHR Review no.17 published in January 2014 as a survey of the previous September ‐ November 3 Reflections on our Status George Vlahov 6 The Poetry of Mihail Rendzhov Dr. Michael Seraphinoff 8 The Australian Macedonian Drama Group Jim Thomev 16 Good Neighbourliness a la Bulgare Dr. Chris Popov 23 Forthcoming Young Bilbili and Human Rights Tour of Australia 24 The Only Solution & Always Behind George Papadakis 30 “Celebrations” of the Council of Europe 32 UN Hypocrisy Bill Nicholov 34 A Macedonian Revival Tom Vangelovski 37 Pre & Post Cold War Greece Dr. Dimitar Ljorovski Vamvakovski page 2 January 2014 MHR Review Front and Back cover photos ‘OHRID Street Scene 2011’ by Johnny Tsiglev Some Reflections on our Current Status By George Vlahov The MHR Review is now into its fifth year of exis‐ tence and in reading through the articles of this is‐ sue, I couldn’t help reflecting on the obvious, which is that many of the themes that were prevalent in the very first issue are still occupying the pages of our journal. While reading the articles for this issue, I also gained the feeling that it is a particularly reflective collection. There is a lot of looking back and concern about what may lay ahead, though there is always going to be a decent proportion of that anyway – members of social movements will ‘naturally’ feel a need to attempt to measure whether they are indeed moving, be that forwards or backwards. There also seems to be a notion floating at the edges of our circles about the present as beginning to ap‐ pear to be a permanent present, which again, is indi‐ cated by the similarity of themes in the first issue. One cannot help, at times, feeling engulfed by a little too rapid. He comes towards patrons with a step sense that one is cemented, that one isn’t going any‐ a little too quick. He bends forward a little too ea‐ where and that one has become pigeon holed; or gerly; his voice, his eyes express an interest a little too worse still, that one is going backwards, that one is solicitous for the order of the customer. Finally there losing the battle. I am going to begin to reflect a little he returns, trying to imitate in his walk the inflexible on this, by reversing the emphasis and slightly alter‐ stiffness of some kind of automaton”. Sartre then ing the lexicon of a quote from the Simpsons cartoon adds that he, the waiter, is playing, “playing at being show: Sartre may be smartre, but Camus can do (on a waiter in a café… This obligation is not different to the show, the quote went “Camus can do, but Sartre that which is imposed on all tradesmen. Their condi‐ is smartre”). tion is wholly one of ceremony. The public demands So in accordance with that, I shall begin by noting of them that they realize it as a ceremony; there is that in Being and Nothingness Sartre discusses some the dance of the grocer, of the tailor…” etc. of the problems associated with life in modern soci‐ Sartre’s complaint is that society demands of the gro‐ ety. His discussion is wide ranging and there is not cer that “he limit himself to his function as a grocer” space here to do it justice. I am merely going to seize and thereby, requires that the grocer act in what Sar‐ upon an aspect of it and try to connect it back, via tre often referred to as “bad faith”. He acts as if he is Camus, to the concerns mentioned in the paragraph something which he is not; societal pressures have above. Sartre describes a waiter in a café whose “… reduced him, to a meaningless, for him, highly lim‐ movement is quick and forward, a little too precise, a ited, repetitious set of motions. page 3 January 2014 MHR Review One could launch discussions of various sorts from strictive hegemonic cultural forms and because of here. For example, I have often heard the claim that the often inequitable, or even iniquitous nature of individuals inhabiting modern society need to be lib‐ economic/market forces. erated from their societal masks so that their real We have commented in an earlier issue that this can selves might be permitted to become manifest. Such undoubtedly be a problem for many; though it can simplistically put assertions can be rejected after only be exaggerated and sometimes is, by people willing a little reflection – there is simply no self beyond so‐ to claim the rights afforded to them by society, but ciety or community; selves inhabiting a particular not the responsibilities attached to the maintenance society are created via the social interaction of that of those very rights. There is also of course the argu‐ society. ment that one’s attitude towards one’s occupational On the other hand, it might, quite legitimately be role is important; but there is no point in making gen‐ complained that the numerous sides of a particular eralized claims which ignore specific contexts – all individual’s real, i.e. socially created self, are suffo‐ one can say is that for some people, the advice of “be cated as a result of the imposition of limits resulting positive”, “make the best of it”, “do something about from a society’s uneven dispersal of power, or re‐ it”, might be of some use. It is a piece of advice one can draw from Albert Ca‐ might be able to exert themselves more productively mus’s ruminations in “The Myth of Sisyphus”. As in some other field. some of you will know, Sisyphus was a man con‐ Camus concluded that if the Sisyphus “myth is tragic, demned by the gods to roll a large rock up a hill, only that is because it here is conscious.” And undoubt‐ to observe it roll back down to the bottom of the hill edly, from a certain perspective, as Sartre also sug‐ again and then to keep repeating the chore again and gested, the “workman of today works every day in his again for eternity. Sisyphus is a labourer who might life at the same tasks, and his fate is no less absurd.” be viewed as an “absurd hero”, given, as Camus A higher level of self‐awareness is undoubtedly wrote: “that unspeakable penalty in which the whole something that distinguishes humanity from animals being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing.” This and the repetitive nature of certain work activities, is an extreme version of the “bad faith” holding pat‐ more in some fields than others, can make one feel tern alluded to at the beginning of this essay, which demeaned or downgraded to the level of an animal may be causing some members of the Macedonian condemned to an endless replication of cycles of ex‐ human rights movement to wonder whether they cruciatingly boring actions. On the other hand in the page 4 January 2014 MHR Review field of repetitive and for the most part physical la‐ Camus remarked that “Happiness and the absurd are bours, there are pleasures of the flesh to be gained two sons of the same earth” and we can agree that and if humanity is to endure, it must not forget this much pleasure can be gained by some of us at least, essential side of existence. from existence in modern society, by embracing what for others is an unworkable paradox. Camus Moreover, consciousness of a never ending and concluded on Sisyphus by reminding us that “his rock thereby for some, of a degrading repetitiveness, is his thing” and that: “The struggle itself toward the might be avoided by losing oneself in the role, by be‐ heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must coming the role, by immersing oneself in “bad faith” imagine Sisyphus happy.” For better or worse, being and thus defying the contempt of those in positions Macedonian is our thing and even if we feel at times of power, seemingly possessing more liberty of as if we are not progressing, that we are locked up in movement, more freedom to express their creative a Sisyphustic cage, we would do well at those points sides. Again this is not to be taken as a generaliza‐ to remind ourselves that we are striving to affirm our tion; it is just something which might apply to certain embodied reality; that for many of us, there is no people in some scenarios. other reality which can satisfactorily transcend the Perhaps more importantly, in the context of the Ma‐ particular “societal mask” we have inherited. In other cedonian human rights movement, by reminding our‐ words, our inheritance is not a mask veiling the real, selves that our labours, unlike those of Sisyphus, still it is reality. possess the possibility of transcending what momen‐ tarily appears to be a forever present, we might still remain positive, if not entirely happy. This can be Lastly, many of us would do well to observe that reinforced by bearing in mind that our efforts are while our bigoted opponents possess more power directly linked to the way many of us feel we need to and seem to have more freedom of movement, they exist as a result of the cultural context we have inher‐ are currently in a state which can be deemed even ited. Others who sneer at the Macedonian human more Sisyphustic than ours – as is demonstrated by rights movement, because they view it as something the mocking laughter they often induce against which is not related to “real material” issues like the themselves for the chronic utterance of deceit, like inequalities created by various economic and political Sisyphus himself, who was banished to his rock by structures, would do well to grasp that ethnic or any the gods, for similar behavior.

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