Living and working with indigenous people.
The essence of an ancient village habitat, to be preserved on Thassos Island in the Northern Aegean Sea
Im Aufbau - Bilder und Text
Nicht einmal die altehrwürdigen Platanen am Portal zur Schlucht von Kazaviti vermögen wir gegen Vandalismus zu beschützen - vor Einwohnern des Dorfes die sich "Naturschützer" nennen. Angeblich war dieser Baum tot - Brennholz. So wäre es ein Naturwunder, dass er wieder lebendig geworden ist und neu austreibt...Die Forstbehörde hatte nur ein blindes Auge - unser Protest ist verhallt.
Das große Katzenelend
Das Dorf Kazaviti auf der Insel Thassos im Norden der Ägäis wird im Herbst fast gänzlich verlassen. Einheimische und Sommergäste lassen dann mehr oder weniger bedenkenlos all die vielen Katzen ohne Versorgung zurück (photo # 17). Es beginnt ein unerträgliches, doch kaum beachtetes Martyrium, Die Tiere hungern nicht nur, es breiten sich auch Krankheiten aus; Jahr für Jahr geht die Katzengrippe um - sie bedeutet für jüngere Tiere häufig den Tod ( photo # 26). Und Jahr für Jahr, seit das Dorf wieder aus seinem Dornröschenschlaf erwacht ist und im Sommer wieder bewohnt wird, vergrößert sich das Leiden der Tiere. Es werden immer mehr Katzen (trotz der Todesfälle). Das kümmert die Leute wenig. Und wer ist bereit, dafür Geld für eine Geburtenkontrolle auszugeben... Noch schlimmer: die auch im Winter hier ausharren und sich der Katzen annehmen, werden deswegen angefeindet. Sollen die Katzen doch verenden! Es sind ja viel zu viele! ...weiterlesen "Kätzchengeschichten aus Kazaviti"
- with emphasis on Kazaviti village, Thassos Island
Note also articles/parts I (Introduction/general); II (New Guinea - Melanesia) and IV (Bavaria)
All pictures and captions on page 5
The schizofrenic situation in Greece is characterized by the overwhelming power of urban life style on the one hand side, and close affinity of town people to the village where their forefathers lived, on the other. “Tradition” is on everybody's lips, but hardly anyone really understands what it means. And praxis shows the opposite of preserving the old. Pseudo-rustic design is in vogue as fulfilment of nostalgia – without that people have maintained any meaningful comprehension of village heritage. ...weiterlesen "The dilemma of rural architecture – part III (Greece)"
A sustainable way to make optimum use of the natural and cultural assets in the environment of the village and to preserve these ancient landscapes as a treasured heritage for the lasting benefit of future generations.
The Organizers: The non – profit making society KALLIERGIA with seat in Kazaviti, in close collaboration with the Dimos Thasou and the Nomarchia Kavalas.
Actively participating Institutions: Archaeological Museum of Thasos, Cultural Association of Kazaviti, Mountaineering Society of Thasos.
Governmental supervision: The Ministries of Environment, Culture, Agricultural Production and Tourism through their respective representations, in particular EOT; the Forestry Service and the Planning Authority of Kavala.
The assets: In the close vicinity of Kazaviti, an immense treasure of ancient rural landscapes and numerous historical monuments from antique times have survived up to the recent past. But only because of the region „lagging behind“ in development and not because of any conservation considerations or intended measures, nor any adequate exploration and research. Now, as massive waves of modern developments have reached also Kazaviti with a dramatic impact and with much destructive power, these hitherto undisturbed landscapes and the traditional architecture of the village are in alarming danger: SOS KAZAVITI !
So far, only the „plane tree woodlands“, but without indicating any specific location, were included into the NATURA 2000 network. No further protected area status was imposed, simply because the hidden natural and cultural treasures of the Kazaviti environment remained unknown and unpromoted up to the present time. The village itself is characterized „traditional“ (παραδοσιακο) by Presidential Decree of 1978, but the Planning Authority of Kavala issues building permissions which clearly violate the definitions of the Decree. ...weiterlesen "Agro-historical Park of Kazaviti on Thassos"
Under construction!
Part I - Introduction/general:
Village architecture was strictly traditional like all forms of life on the small community level. Much older than urban architecture, but now totally dominated by that. Urbanized people now design rural “traditional” buildings pseudo and suburban rather than rural in their genuine communal context.
Cf. three more articles/examples: New Guinea (Melanesia) - part II; Greece - part III and Bavaria - part IV