NEWS
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, on the occasion of the Slovenian national holiday, the day of dedicated to the poet France Prešeren:
The day will come when ‘the sons of the glorious mother’ will become again ‘the sons of the Slovenian mother’
Dear Slovenians,
Dear citizens,
Today’s holiday has hardly ever been so cold and laden with uncertainty. Whoever has set in on the day when the great poet was mourned by his compatriots on a dark and cold day? Indeed, it seems as if someone has deliberately set this holiday in the midst of winter when the memories of the colourful autumn have already faded away and springs seems so far away. I confess that it would be much more agreeable to celebrate the poet’s birthday anniversary at the beginning of the ravishing month of December, filled with hope and cheerful celebration.
Maybe this date was set by those who put the death mask of the writer Ivan Cankar on display at the heart of Slovenia’s principal cultural institution? Or those who took good care that Slovenians are ignorant of their Nobel Prize laureate, Friderik Pregl? Maybe those who denied us the right to honour our greatest Slavic scholar Fran Miklošič and took good care that none of his many books written in German have been translated into Slovene? Or perhaps their ranks also include those who translated the verse “the sons of the Slovenian mother” as “the sons of the glorious mother”?
On this 8 February, many people rightly find the general atmosphere in the country to be gloomy and full of despondency. Political instability generates uncertainty in the area of public finance and economy. The Government’s successful performance that brought the first signs of timid hope of success at the end of last year have united all those who are anxious about their privileges against the Government. The Government’s measures have interfered with the privileges enjoyed by the untouchable “holy cows” during the past ten, fifteen years. The purpose of these measures is to give more to everyone. Particularly to the needy and the unemployed who today rightly demand changes. However, I am afraid and it seems likely that their rightful claims will be abused and usurped by those who actually do not want the changes to go ahead and try their best to prevent them. Even at the cost of political crisis.
About the atmosphere, which is similar to that of today, France Prešeren wrote:
Too little food have I in store protected,
So long have we survived without assistance.
I'll blame not who surrender has selected.
To him who now accepts the slave's existence,
To suffer days like nights deprived of morning -
But wait till day - I'll offer no resistance.
And you the rest, who shrink from meek conforming,
I now invite you all, the non-compliant;
The night is dark, the clouds with thunder storming,
Our foe will be on shelter too reliant;
In darkness to the wood we'll cross the spaces,
The night will shield our sally all-defiant.
Most of this world belongs to Slavdom's races;
We'll find a path to where each blood relation
His trust in faith and justice freely places.
But should the gods decree for us damnation,
Less fearful the long night of life's denial
Than living 'neath the sun in subjugation!"
No one will leave him in this time of trial,
Each reaching for his sword this pledge endorses;
No single man will opt for safe betrayal.
Come, this road leads us to where it is better, to freedom, is Črtomir’s call.
As a nation, we have often gone through such hard times. In order, as the poet puts it, "… to find a path to where each … his trust in faith and justice freely places". Victories were followed by defeats and dark sides of our past. To date, we have not yet faced and reconciled ourselves with all of them; however, we should do it because they are a drag preventing us from breathing freely. We should do it in order to make our creativity shine with brightness and enable the best in us to change things for the better.
As a result, when we get rid of this "corvée", we shall have the right to praise those great Slovenians who were kept hidden from us for decades. They were shrouded in silence so that we would not be proud of them, including ourselves, since we have noble origins. After almost two hundred years we finally have the right to translate the works of Miklošič – this year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, and of Kopitar. Cankar’s death mask and a statue will be placed in a museum and in the ceremony hall of Cankarjev dom, respectively. Children at schools will be able to hear with pride that we Slovenians also have the Nobel Prize winner Pregl – this year marks the 90th anniversary of his Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Then, and it won’t take long, we will no longer be mocked about making films on Slovenian whores, suicides and drunkards. Then, their place will be taken by the heroes of our time. And our common "Prešeren’s mother" will again be the "Slovenian mother", since we really do not need "glorious" mothers.
Like the poet who calls on us to take the road to where it is better, towards freedom, I can see that the road ahead of me is the one to a more just world. This is the path that we have to follow as a nation. In order to relieve those whose burden is too heavy and in order to distribute the burden more equitably. The road is steep and not an easy one. We will be faced with many tests and battles but I believe that we can make it. And that soon, a day may come when unity, peace and glad conciliation come back to us throughout the land and when the sons of the "glorious mother" again become the "sons of Slovenian mother".