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- Ελληνικά
It is with feelings of deep emotion and national pride that we are here today, in this church of Panagia Evangelistria in the Municipality of Idali, to honour Dimitris Hamatsos.
Coming to the historic Municipality of Idali, Ladies and Gentlemen, one thinks of the figure of Chalkanoras, the founder of the city, who after the Trojan War arrived in Cyprus and in this area sees the sun rising, exclaims "Behold the Sun" and builds the city of the Sun, of light, Idalion. A hero of Chalkanoras and a warrior of another age, he seems to have heroically sealed the course of his city. At the same time, the visitor to the Municipality of Idalion, thinks of the walled Church in honor of the Virgin Mary of Evangelistria, the Church that honors the Virgin Mary of the Hellenes, of the Greek Revolution, the patroness of every struggle for freedom and vindication.
Chalkanoras and Panagia Evangelistria, therefore, inherit to modern Dalits a great responsibility of militancy, patriotism and national vision. If we also take into account the fact that in the old church of Saints Andronicus and Athanasia our national poet Vassilis Michaelides, the poet of Romanesque, learned his first letters, then the glorious pages of heroism of Idali are but a natural continuation of this very legacy. Like the glorious page of the heroic figure of Dimitris Hamatsos.
Dimitris Hamatsos, a scion of the land of Idalios, showed from a young age that his course in this life would be glorious and glorious. Inspired by the ideals of freedom, though born in the city of light, he could not endure the darkness of English Colonialism. As early as elementary school, Dimitrakis, the son of Nicholas and Milia, resists and manifests through his childish spontaneity every desire to shake off the English yoke. With all the strength of his soul and voice, he sings, together with other classmates, slogans and patriotic songs about EOKA, and urges and organizes friends to take down the English flag from the Primary School, forcing them to close the school or keep him under confinement for confinement. He was fond of poetry, painting and sport, and was a member of the Halkanoras Association with excellent results. But above all, in his mind and heart he had Freedom.
And the years of independence arrived. Cyprus, after centuries, and thanks to the glorious liberation struggle of EOKA, is a free and independent state. But peace and prosperity in our homeland were not to last long. The events of '63-'64 are a tragic milestone in the modern history of Cyprus, a prelude to the greatest tragedy, the Turkish invasion of 1974.
The year 1964 finds Dimitris Hamatsos as a student of the sixth grade of the Gymnasium of the Vocational School of Nicosia. It was 6 February 1964. In the nearby village of Agios Sozomenos, a village with mostly Turkish Cypriot inhabitants, shots were heard. Two Greek Cypriots, the gendarme Andreas Louka and the farm guard Takis Michael were killed while going to work on the village's water pump. The clashes that followed were unavoidable and uncontrollable. The message of national debt is carried like lightning through the Idali community and many rush to support their compatriots.
Dimitris is at home studying for his Mathematics exam. He is informed of what is going on, and immediately, without a second thought, he hooks the first gun he finds on his way, runs with great athletic strides, and with a leap of soul climbs into the car that has already started to leave for Agios Sozomenos. The tall and fit athlete of Chalkanora made the last jump of his life.
The battles at St. Sozomenos were fierce. Young Dimitris Hamatsos is experiencing the battlefield for the first time. But this does not frighten or upset him. On the contrary. When the leader of the expedition is wounded, without a second thought, Dimitris runs, loads him up and carries him to safety. Immediately afterwards, the policeman covering him is wounded. Again Dimitris exits the trench and approaches the policeman, bends over him and prepares to carry him. And it was at that moment that a hostile gun aimed well across the street and let the bullet travel through smoke, trees and dust and pierce piercingly into the heart, inflamed by the love of freedom and altruism, of the beautiful son of the land of Idali, the footballer of Chalkanora, the poet and the fighter of his childhood. Dimitris leaned over and burned out. He let out a scream and fell on the wounded policeman. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon of February 6, 1964. The day and hour when Dimitris Hamatsos' soul flew to the sky in the hour of sacrifice, the hour of self-sacrifice, the hour of duty. His funeral the next day was held with military honours. The pain of his family and his loved ones was soothed by feelings of pride and by the universal recognition of Dimitris' sacrifice.
Since then, Dimitris Hamatsos became a national symbol for the Municipality of Idali. He became the modern Chalkanoras. The "Halkanoras" Association named its stadium "Dimitris Hamatsos" and his statue, which was erected as it should have been at the roundabout, is a landmark for Dalits and not only. From there he gazes at the Virgin Mary the Evangelistria and greets her with prayer and pride. He became the modern history of Idali and revived in his face the heroic past of his origins, his family and his entire homeland.
We stand before him in awe and emotion. We admire his courage and integrity of character, his bravery and dynamism, his love for his country, his sacrificial action, his spontaneity and his passion for resistance to all forms of subjugation. His family and community have every right to feel proud of their son. They have given another hero to our country's iconostasis. They gave another living example of philanthropy and militancy.
The example of Dimitris Hamatsos' heroic sacrifice has much to tell us in Cyprus today. 60 years after his sacrifice and the sad events of '64, and 50 years after the brutal Turkish invasion of 1974, we are at a crucial turning point in the history of our country. Through many tireless efforts, mobilizations, contacts and pressure, we have managed to reopen the prospect of resuming the talks. The Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General is a sign of optimism, without ignoring the problems, difficulties and challenges. At the same time, we know very well that the current state of affairs cannot be the future of our country.
We therefore have an obligation to demonstrate strength and perseverance to end the current unacceptable state of affairs, to resolve the Cyprus problem and reunite our country on the basis of United Nations resolutions and the European acquis. We must stand with dignity in the face of the sacrifice of our heroes and fighters and strive with all our strength for a free, united and reunited Cyprus, a member state of the European Union. At the same time, we are here to make a pledge to his vision and sacrifice. That we will do our utmost to make this land a place of peace, freedom, unity and respect for human rights for all its lawful citizens. So that we, as other Chalcanians, may deserve to see the Sun of Peace rise and to praise the Virgin Mary for the joyful message of the liberation and reunification of our homeland. But also as other Cypriots, through the writing of your villager and our compatriot Vassilis Michaelides, let us proclaim that "the Romanosyne in the tribe of the world...the Romanosyne in the world is lost when the world is gone". We owe it to our heroes, we owe it to Dimitris Hamatsos, we owe it to future generations. May his memory be eternal.
(PM/EATH)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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