Deserted villages of Pindos
Deserted villages
The Pindos mountain range is vast, with hundreds of villages scattered throughout a large area of western Greece.
In the mountains of Pindos, for centuries hundreds of thousands of people lived and left their imprint under conditions that were both benign and difficult, even dark.
The difficulty of living in the mountains was routine and built up people`s endurance, as well as their spirit, so that adversity was like fate and God`s will. This is how civilization was born in these places, through the difficulties of everyday life and the pride of the people who, in cooperation with nature, managed to invent practices that we still use today. Today, unfortunately, we find the elements of folk tradition half-buried and the last images of the mountain dwellers struggling daily for survival, forgotten by the state and by the people.
What reasons could have led most of the population of Pindos to leave behind their life and the fresh air? Perhaps the answer is not exclusively hidden behind some unexpected event, e.g. civil war, earthquakes of 66` - 67`, but is due to the systemic nature of the government of the day, which has gradually weakened the countryside, to empty the mountains so that the developing cities do not lack the labour force and it is expensive to maintain them there in the wilderness.
How did they achieve this? Was there an evacuation plan or did it just happen gradually over the years? Obviously a lot of discussion is needed, with flashbacks to recent history, the political scene of the last century and today, people`s need for ease and comfort, etc. in order to deduce what contributed to the abandonment of the countryside and the unprecedented desertification we see today.
Knowing what contributed to it arms us with knowledge for the future. Some believe that there is no future. How is that possible?
The lure of a new beginning in the city was obviously great in those difficult years, when people were learning that an improvement in their standard of living could come in a clean and warm apartment with electricity, later in an apartment building with an elevator, finding structured institutions and amenities such as food on the shelves, 8-hour work, public health, education, public transportation, policing, entertainment centers, arts, sciences, etc. etc. that now existed only in cities, making life easy, with perspective but at the same time confined to an unknown pattern of perception and behaviour in the pursuit of happiness.
Tell me really, wouldn`t we do the same?
Urbanisation, however, has absorbed almost the entire population of the mountainous areas of the country, so that for half a century now we have been facing the phenomenon of desertification without a care, which has negative consequences both in the weakened countryside and in the urban centres that are incessantly flooded by souls seeking a better future. Now 50% of the country`s population is concentrated and living in 3% of its territory and this has negative consequences, what else? Could we then predict the future in the mountain villages?
In part yes, but not accurately when shaky mentalities unashamedly hand over every piece of land to investors of all kinds and treat the unsuspecting inhabitants who have lost all hope, and the suspicious ones who have been depriving others of hope for years for their own individual interests.
Who can really protect this heritage when the villages are left deserted and there are no dynamic presences and no collective?
The standard of living is increasingly deteriorating in villages and towns, losing the fruits of the primary sector and the values that have sustained and nourished the people of Pindos, as well as other mountainous areas of the country, for centuries. There is, of course, the other side of the coin for fans of development and modernisation. The modern world, however, is no place for traditional professions and survival practices that require effort, time and passion.
Do we not have time to implement them? Do they not work? Are we failing in practice or simply discrediting them? On what basis do we operate?
We will need to answer many questions before we take the next step into these sacred grounds.
It is said that the environment shapes the human being, but in the expanse of the mountain range, beyond the wisdom of nature, the arts, traditions and the pure landscapes that fostered every birth, people became both part of and witness to tragic events, bathed in injustice and at different times.
So who can blame them if they became strict and suspicious, if they left in order to escape the yoke of the conqueror or their own father, the harsh weather conditions, the daily toil and so on? Today we can compare and acknowledge the good and the bad as a memory, but let us not forget that gentleness, pure oxygen and sparkling water were an integral part of life, but so was cruelty.
So the villages were empty, but the cities were full. If we look at the latest censuses, they do not reflect the reality, those remaining in Pindos are dramatically fewer. With the exception of some head villages, the villages built on the expanse of our great mountain range do not exceed an average of 20 people, and many of them maintain less than 5 people, usually elderly and the chronically ill. However, there are also those that are completely empty!
A big problem is the closed schools and the lack of basic infrastructure, which oblige many families with young children to go to other locations, starting from scratch with their souls in their mouths without help, leaving their place and their lives at the mercy of the situation. Can we think what it means for a family of four who owns their own house or farm, renting another house in a neighbouring village or town and finding a job for a new start that you never feel ready to make?
So how much does a teacher`s salary cost? How much does our life cost? How many more domestic migrants will urban centres accommodate? What will they eat when the countryside empties out and doesn`t produce? Clearly science predicts and takes care of this now. Stem cells can feed us.
If we understand which mountains make up the Pindos mountain range and what they mean for the balance of the ecosystem. Why it is so important to protect it, the mountain tops and deep gorges. How big it is and how many villages it hosts on its lush slopes, maybe we will understand our mistake and have time to fix some things.
As we described at the beginning of the article, Pindos is vast, but it has a beginning and an end, or rather a physical boundary.
Based on geomorphology, Pindos extends along the length of western Greece, occupying areas from the height of Gramos, bordering Albania, to the Gulf of Corinth, which interrupts the extension of the nine-mountain complex in the south for a few kilometers before emerging from the sea and continuing to rise over most of the Peloponnese. It is the largest mountain range in the country, with a common geological physiognomy and differences that shape its biodiversity.
The natural wealth of Pindos is invaluable, as are the chronicles, traditions and architecture that have shaped its cultural characteristics.
Can we reflect on how we view the mountains over the years; the ecosystems; our identity as a people?
Naturally, there are few citizens who are concerned and react, either by informing fellow citizens and competent authorities, or by taking initiatives, but they are powerless in the face of the inaction of the state and the subculture of a few local heads who embrace the harassment of nature.
At the same time, the current government is proudly declaring that the country is going to become an exporter of electricity and already the environmental rebates have begun by approving companies to install wind turbines on mountain ridges, photovoltaic panels on hills, semi-mountainous plains and plains, hydroelectric power stations and dams on rivers and streams. This business phenomenon is general and proceeds without any particular distinction, except where there is strong opposition through legal action. This destructive action at the expense of the environment and the citizen is being carried out under the pretext of climate balancing and a clean environment... What exactly is the formula, gentlemen?
In the promising industrialised landscape, which is constantly developing for the few, the state intends to promote tourism unconditionally, even in areas that do not maintain basic living infrastructures, making life more difficult for the already indignant people who have been waiting for years for a lifeline.
In simpler words, tourism development is the pretext in areas where there is no sesame seeds lying on the floor, no transport, no shops open, no accommodation, no health care, no youth, worn and dangerous roads, tightly closed paths and few riders of agricultural vehicles or pedestrians with a rifle by the side of the road.
Tourism we will say to close, comes to complement with good ingredients a region when it maintains its identity, circular economy, basic infrastructure and above all knows how to set the conditions. Anything else stigmatises areas that for the first time in centuries have become deserted and villages are offered with the blessing of the local authorities to visitors for a barbecue and a drink, maybe even a walk.
The villages are deserted, despite the desire of some people to return to the countryside to build an interdependent society based on traditions, producing rich food products and a purer way of life that would lay the foundations for future generations. Who counts them?
So what does the future hold for us in our absence or indifferent presence in the mountains?
Friendly, anxious and yours forever,
Apostolis Tsimpanakos