Monday, August 16, 2010

And So It Continues

So, Greece and Turkey have history. Which is the understatement of several centuries. Since 1821, they have been embroiled in four major wars. I am not going to get into the details because a) it is really, really complicated and b) I am bound to make some error that will result in my being disowned. Not really. Maybe. But I'm not taking any chances.

However, what is vital to this conversation is an understanding of the migration of shadow puppetry from Asia to Europe. Originating in China, the art form spread to areas of Mongolian conquest as troops used the puppets to entertain themselves. Additionally, French missionaries in China brought the style even more westward when they returned to their homes in the 1700s. One such area of Mongolian conquest, however, was Turkey.

In Turkey, shadow puppetry is called "Karagoz and Hacivat." These are the names of stock characters who are generally the leads in the shadow plays. The story is that there were two construction workers in the 1300s whose volleying banter amused their co-workers, but slowed progress considerably. They were killed as punishment, but they became folk heroes. Legend has it that one of their co-workers made puppets of their likenesses and began to perform stories that he had heard. Karagoz is lewd, uneducated, and deceitful, whereas Hacivat is learned, and speaks a more refined version of Turkish. Karagoz, of course, outwits Hacivat every time.

Greeks disagree about the origins of their shadow puppetry, referred to as "Karagiozis." Some believe that Greeks originated the form, however, most believe that it was an adaptation of the Turks' Karagoz. Becoming popular during Ottoman occupation, Karagiozis tales were able to express subversive themes that would not have been able to be expressed in other ways. Of course, this is only a brief description, and I urge anyone who has not seen such plays to visit YouTube, as live shows in the U.S. are infrequent.

At any rate, UNESCO recently decided to declare this style of puppetry to be of Turkish cultural heritage. And so the Greeks' hackles are raised, and perhaps rightfully so. Greece's foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras even stated, "The UNESCO convention on intangible cultural heritage enables neighboring countries to access the same commodity," a statement that is uncharacteristically ecumenical. Delavekouras assured Greeks, however, that there will be further discussion with UNESCO in October.

Didn't UNESCO officials know what they were stepping into when they announced the rightful "owners" of Karagoz or Karayiozis? More as this develops...

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