Shortly after the end of the Russo-Circassian War—which resulted in the genocide of the Circassians, involving the extermination and expulsion of about 90% of our people from their homeland—Russian generals wrote that within a few generations, Circassians would cease to exist as a people.
Indeed, our people found themselves on the brink of extinction. Yet I am convinced that we have already passed the most dangerous period—the time when Circassians were at risk of vanishing as a nation.
The greatest danger arises when a people loses its self-awareness and ceases to think in terms of national interests or as a unified community.
For many years, Circassians scattered across numerous countries and regions were cut off from one another, lacking connections. We lived in isolation, like separate islands. But despite everything, that era is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
Today, Circassians around the world are reconnecting. With each passing year, new horizontal ties—linking individuals, organizations, and communities—are emerging and strengthening. More and more Circassians are coming to see themselves as part of a single people, bound by shared interests and a common future.
A process of shaping shared goals and understanding is underway: the strengthening of the Circassian position in one country or region bolsters the entire people, wherever they may live. Conversely, the suffering of Circassians in one part of the world becomes a shared pain for us all.
While not everyone may yet grasp these processes, their numbers are growing every year. Those who view Circassians merely as fragmented groups—scattered across the regions of the Caucasus, the cities of Turkey, and the diasporas of Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas—fail to see our people's true potential.
That potential has not yet been fully realized; it lies dormant, as it were, but the awakening has already begun.
Today, Circassians live in more than fifty countries worldwide. In each of them, we possess our own connections, opportunities, and influence. We are united by a shared historical memory, a common tragedy, and the pain we have endured, but also by a shared culture and worldview—*adygaghe* and *khabze*—as well as our native language, self-identity, flag, and bonds of kinship.
We are once again becoming a single, unified entity. With every new contact and every joint initiative between Circassians in different countries, we strengthen one another. Any achievement, any victory, and any strengthening of our position in one region bolsters the entire nation.
That is why it is so important—wherever we may be—to strive to know one another, to offer support, to cooperate, and to act in unison.
The Circassian people are alive—and they are awakening.
The Circassian nation lives!
The Circassian nation is awakening!
Martin Kochesoko
Comments
Post a Comment