Don’t forget Chameria, friends!

My speech today is not directed unto you Cham mothers, fathers, brothers, nephews and sisters. You are everywhere inside me. We are each other’s offspring. Therefore, it doesn’t seem the right way to address to myself.
I want to address you, friends and sympathetic of Chameria. Injustices are numerous and varied, they can be made to people, one province and one individual. Injustices that can be done to the individual may remain intractable and can be extinguished along with the individual. Life is short!… But the injustice made to a nation can never remain forgotten. Because the generation inherits it by the former generation. Population doesn’t forget…
Can Cham issue remain forgotten? Greek politics interests want it so. And perhaps a part of Albanian politicians do not want to deal with this problem. They don’t care about this problem. We, the Chams, do not agree with this attitude. Enough have we been silent, enough pain have we endured in chest, enough with the excessive care, with the care not to touch the governments, governments that have betrayed us all life, governments that have forgotten us all life. We are neither against abstinence nor the care. But today, excessive care makes Cham torpid.
We are muhaajir population forcibly displaced. We are the most typical case in the world. Approximately twenty percent of the population massacred, all the properties robbed. Is there any more typical case than this? In this climate of brotherhood of people, shouldn’t you, my friends, deal with this issue?
We, the Cham, expect near radios, televisions to hear a word about our beloved Chameria. A good word of yours raise us, gives us strength.
Indeed, these days, we have heard hopeful words, words that have become balm for wounded hearts of the Chams. These words come from the most democratic country in the world, America, but there are other sayings and contradictions, that deepen more our wounds. So will we remain?! With the wound?! I speak to you, our friends, show your wisdom, your maturity, and lose some time to get acquainted with the Cham’s truth. It speaks for itself; we seek to look at this.
What do you say? Has the Greek government the right to deny us the properties? Has it the right to deny our homeland?
Had Enver Hoxha’s government the right in 1953 that, without asking us, changed our citizenship? Why was this action performed, by what motives? What backgrounds are played in those years in the detriment of the Cham people? These questions want an answer.
Today, the Greek government claims that the Cham issue is forgotten and doesn’t exist laying out ridiculous absurd excuses: Chams were allegedly fascist collaborators during the World War II and as such people are doomed to losing the right to return back to their homeland, are sentenced to loss their properties. “Great!” Greek diplomacy!
Let’s think for a moment that two or three Chams have collaborated with fascism. Haven’t been the Greeks also collaborating with fascism? And then? Their children must be punished, an entire people must be punished? Thumbs up Greek democracy!
We seek justice for our rights. We need back our citizenship, to live near our Greek brothers. You have to know well, we have thousands of friends and few enemies.
Make a trip to the northwest of Greece. You will listen that they still speak Cham language fluently. Foundations and broken walls of our homes will tell you grievous story, our grandparents and great-grandfathers graves will speak to you, their graves seek our graves.
Some of our fathers are still alive and they are seeking to talk with you. We, their children, who know well the extent of Chameria, are alive. We do not need maps, we do not need land patent, and we know exactly our limits. But, we seek your human support friends, seek your wisdom, ask to take a look and see the Cham issue which is packed with truths.

Namik Mane
Journalist, Poet, Writer

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