by Christos Zabounis

After it took us a few decades to decide whether Metaxas said NO or the people just said NO (“Ochi”), I have a faint impression that we have realized the greater importance of national issues on the political agenda. National anniversaries and parades are a golden opportunity to remind us of History, but also of our identity, but the events they refer to, if we judge from the students’ reports, are far from their knowledge. This is not the case in Kastellorizo, where, for example, during the lifetime of the celebrations for October 28, the Greek soul was assigned. Seeing and hearing the children of the Kindergarten and Elementary School singing the National Anthem, even the Albanian kids, I realized once again the importance of the Akrites in guarding the sanctuaries and relics of Hellenism. Decently dressed, in contrast to the eccentricites of the mainland, they paraded with a high spirit and with a determination rare for their age, as if they wanted to show the hundreds of Turkish tourists who were disembarking at that moment on the opposite Hero Pier, that not only the Army will protect their island, but also themselves.

Video by @geraldinemeissirel