100 Years Since the Union of Crete with Greece
From the Struggle for Freedom,
to the Bright Future
EMMANUEL BOUHALAKIS
“It’s folks and people who cry to God in prayer
with tears or with perseverance and stamina or
with cursing. The Cretans call upon Him with
the rifle. They are standing outside the door
of God and thunder the rifle for Him to hear.
‘Mutiny!’ Screams the Sultan. ‘Insolence!’
Shout the Franks. ‘Patience, be decent, do not
put me in the blood,’ begs poor mother Greece.
‘Freedom or death,’ respond the Cretans and
thunder on the door of the Lord.”
—Nikos Kazantzakis, “Kapetan Michalis”
T
his characteristic excerpt from the book, “Kapetan
Michalis,” vividly sums up the longing of the Cretan
for freedom. But above all it describes his great desire
not just to be called Greek but a proud Greek who honors the traditions and struggles of his ancestors.
This year marks 100 years since the Union of Crete with
Greece. Nothing has been the same in Crete since then.
The Great Powers are not engaged in the Cretan Issue;
the Ottoman Empire is past. The sweet yet strong voice of
Venizelos does not sound in the streets and squares, urging the Cretans to support the revolution for freedom.
The Crete of 2013 is completely different; developed,
cosmopolitan, outgoing, with millions of visitors each
year, with progress in the arts, literature and science
and a world full of vibrancy without old dilemmas such
as “Venizelos or Constantine,” or “Liberal party of the
People’s Party.”
But things were very different a century ago. The
wretched island struggled with all the strength it had to
get rid of everything that had to do with the Ottoman
Empire, which since 1669 had occupied the island and
had brought countless ills, endless revolutions and rivers of blood for freedom.
Basically, from the early years of slavery, the Cretan
people reacted. The revolutions were continuous and
despite all the brutality of the conquerors, Cretans never ceased to demand their freedom.
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KPHTH | NOVEMBER 2013