AN OPEN REPLY TO DR LEFTER MANCE

 

'SORRY, BUT NO MEDALS FOR FALSIFIERS OF HISTORY'

Recently we came upon an 'open letter', written by a Dr Lefter Mance, and prominently featured on the infamous "United Macedonists" website.

Mance claims that anyone who was born in the Macedonian region automatically becomes an ethnic "Macedonian". To him people who identify as Bulgarian, Greek, Albanian, Turkish, Vlah, Egyptian or whatever are a by-product of brain-washing, most often conducted at High schools. To justify this unique proposal Mance explains how two "pure" Macedonians from his village, Dimitar Blagoev and Vasil, became Bulgarian and Greek respectively after attending Bulgarian and Greek High schools in Solun. Vasil, does not concern us, perhaps his parents were actually Greek, but we know all about Dimitar Blagoev, and we can in all sincerity say that Mance's facts are incorrect. How do we know? Because Blagoev's personal memoirs are readily available, and they describe his early life in the village of Zagorichane. If you read Blagoev's own account it is plain that the Bulgarian ethnic was something that he felt long before he attended 'High School'. So here we have the alternatives? Mance, advancing narratives told by others, long removed from the event, or the very words of Blagoev himself?  The choice would appear obvious.

Dr Mance next complains that since originally there was no Macedonian alphabet, all the Macedonian revolutionary heroes were forced to write and teach in the Bulgarian language. Is Dr Mance serious? The Bulgarian national revival actually began in Macedonia! Can Dr Mance (incidentally he tells us he graduated from 2 Universities) explain to us all why in 1843, that is 35 years before the re-establishment of the modern Bulgarian state (1878), the people of Prilep, in the very heart of the Macedonian region, chose to build a Bulgarian (not Macedonian or Yugoslavian or Serbian) school for the education of themselves and their children. Dr Mance please clarify for the readers exactly who brain-washed these people? We know there was no Bulgarian government, there was not even a Bulgarian state! And of course there was most definitely no Bulgarian High School anywhere.

Not content with all this diatribe, Mance then proceeds to issue a challenge to Mr G Lebamoff, whose parents' came from the Aegean village "Visheni". That challenge is for Lebamoff to find "one-person" from Visheni who identified as "Bulgarian". Mance suggests that they embark on a journey to various localities (mainly it seems to meet Mance's relatives), and if Lebamoff is successful Mance will pay the costs, if not, Lebamoff pays. Boastfully Mance writes

"I WOULD HAVE SUGGESTED AUSTRALIA AS A BETTER PLACE SINCE THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF CHILDREN-REFUGEES I GREW UP TOGETHER WITH IN HUNGARY, BUT I'M AFRAID IF THEY SEE ME WITH YOU, THEY WILL BEAT ME UP THINKING I BECAME A JANISSARY."

Some people should exercise extreme caution in what they commit to print. If Mance wants to follow the link to the text "The History of the Village: Visheni", written by the recently deceased Mr Leikov, he will be left in absolutely no doubt how the people of Visheni saw themselves. In the real world Mr Lebamoff has no problem whatsoever in finding "one-person" from Visheni who identifies as a Macedonian of Bulgarian ancestry. You see Dr Mance, Mr Lebamoff found them long ago, and together they worked to ensure that the history of Visheni would not be forgotten. Take note Dr Mance, of what a real contribution and dedication to the Macedonian cause is, rather than the Titoist ideology you carry. We can also tell you Dr Mance that the Vishentsi in Australia welcomed Mr Lebamoff with open arms and tears of joy, and not the hate you spew forth.

Unfortunately Mance and his fellow "United Macedonists" have a real problem, and that problem stems from the simple fact that they allowed communist ideology to shape their very identity. We are very sorry to tell you Dr Mance, but Blagoev, Lebamoff and all the other Bulgarian Macedonians are not the ones who were brain-washed, it was actually you and your colleagues. And that is why you lash out and write such shameful material which defiles the very memory and sacrifices of our ancestors. Why would you possibly write

MACEDONIAN HISTORY STARTING FROM THE TIMES OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT TO CYRIL AND METHODIUS AND TSAR SAMUIL, FOLLOWED BY KARPOSH, DELCHEV AND CHENTO ENDING WITH KIRO GLIGOROV, IN OTHER WORDS EVERYTHING THAT IS MACEDONIAN

When we all know that even the serbophile Kiro Gligorov, who you so proudly claim as part of "your" Macedonian history (certainly not ours), categorically stated

"WE ARE SLAVS WHO CAME AND SETTLED IN THIS REGION IN THE SIXTH CENTURY.
WE ARE NOT DESCENDANTS OF THE ANCIENT MACEDONIANS."

Dr Mance we urge you to reconsider this obsession for a heritage of racial purity, which disavows all that our fore-fathers believed.

Dr Mance readily uses words like "fascist" when describing Ivan Mihailov and others, but has he ever heard of Metodi Shatorov? Let me first explain that Shatorov was leader of the Macedonian Communist Party at the outbreak of WWII, and thus hardly qualifies as a fascist. When the Bulgarian forces, which included 1000s of former Macedonian refugees entered Skopie, they received a tumultuous welcome. But when Tito ordered Shatorov to resist the so-called "fascist-occupiers", Shatorov, putting country before communist ideology, replied NO, and declared Macedonia was liberated. Does Dr Mance know, or even want to know such facts? We doubt it very very much, since he obviously places communist ideology before country.

Dr Mance, next time you wish to express your thoughts please remember most readers are not fanatics, and most can readily discern fact from fiction. Perhaps the "United Macedonists" even awarded you a medal for services rendered in the pursuit of falsifying the historic truth and shaming your ancestors, but don't expect any medals from us.