#Transidelia

[theoutcastrogue]

In Turkish, this song is called "Gavur İmam İsyanı", the Revolt of Gavur Imam. Said revolt, in 1833, involved both Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot rebels (and a bunch of in-betweens/other, it's complicated) against the Ottoman authorities. Turkish lyrics by anonymous, set to traditional music by Hamza Irkad, later translated in Greek by Monsieur Doumani. The original tune ("Dolama dolamayı" / "Θα σου γοράσω μηχανήν") is a love song.

Gavur İmam İsyanı / Το σύστημαν / The system

The wheel will turn, and it'll be the poor man's turn to smile Enough's enough, we're up to here, no one's obeying this time

My oh my, down with this system the pasha's system who steals all the bread, the grain, the flock

We had such a drought this year, not a drop of rain did fall, and the sowing didn't take, and the seedlings didn't grow. But the pasha wants his gold, doesn't care we're hungry, all.

And the peasants get their hoes, shovels, hammers, pipes of lead And they raid the pasha's court, grab him and chop off his head

and chop off his head and chop off his head and chop off his head and chop off his head and chop off his head and chop off his head and chop off his head and chop off his head

[Turkish- and Greek-Cypriot lyrics, and sources, after the cut]

Gavur İmam İsyanı

Performances: Hamza Irkad 1994, Sol Anahtarı 2009, bANDİSTA 2010, Oz Karahan 2019

Dolama dolamayı Getirin bağlamayı Bıktım ben bu zulümden Osmanlının elinden

Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden Ben eker ben biçerim paşa alır elimden Amman amman elinden, yandım bak be zulmünden Ben eker ben biçerim ağa alır elimden

Gene gurak varıdı Hiç yağmur yağmadıydı Tohum toprakta kaldı Mahsul hiç çıkmadıydı

Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden Ben eker ben biçerim paşa alır elimden Amman amman elinden, yandım bak be zulmünden Ben eker ben biçerim ağa alır elimden

Paşa öşür isterdi Köylü da veremezdi Asger köye saldırdı Her şeyi yağmaladı (Herşeyi yakıp yıktı)

Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden Ben eker ben biçerim paşa alır elimden Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden Ben eker ben biçerim ağa alır elimden

Köylüler birlik oldu, paşaya karşı durdu Halk isyanı coştukça, askerler kaçar oldu Köylüler birlik oldu, paşaya karşı durdu Gavur İmam vurdukça, Osmanlı kaçar oldu

Το σύστημαν

Performances: Monsieur Doumani 2013 [official video], Transidelia 2023

Εννα γυρίσουν οι τροσιοί τζι'έννα γελάσουν τζι'οι φτωσιοί εφτάσαμεν εις το αμήν, εν σας ακούμε πιόν κανεί

Αμάν κάτω τούντο σύστημα, του πασσιά το σύστημα κλέφκει ούλλον το ψουμίν, το σιτάριν, το μαντρίν

Έππεσεν ξηρασιά φέτι εν έβρεξεν πιον τίποτις ο σπόρος εν έπιασεν, ο σπόρος εν εβλάστησεν

Μα ο πασσιάς θέλει ππαράν, εν βλέπει το χωρκόν πεινά Τζι'οι χωρκανοί πιάνουν κουσπίν, φκιάρκα, σωλήνες τζιαι σφυρίν Τζιαι στου πασσιά παν την αυλή τζιαι κόφκουν του την τζιεφαλήν

Sources

Dolama dolamayı / Gavur İmam / Θα σου γοράσω μηχανήν

Gavur Imam Revolt

GR | Η ιστορία (τζιαι η γενεαλογία) ενός τραουθκιού

TR | Gavur İmam İsyanı

The Monsieur Doumani Documentary

[theoutcastrogue]

I don't think so. But look. When I drive and someone cuts me or dashes through a stop sign or a red light or something, I say (the belligerent version is yelling it through an open window, which I don't do because I am wise and mature and with my instincts of self-preservation intact thankyouverymuch)

so as I was saying, when someone drives terribly I express my disapproval by saying "hai tsaPRRRRRRR, get the sheep!", which is an approximation of a local shepherd call (what's the word, when you call an animal to you?), and I'm always acutely aware of what I'm perpetuating, but I can't stop. It's so funny. Haide, tsaPRRRRRR, learn to fucking drive, look at me everyone, I'm from the city and therefore by definition civilised.

To drag this back on topic, the prejudice and disdain of

settled people vs. nomadic people

farmers vs. shepherds

city people vs. country people

urban elites vs. nomads / shepherds / country people

everyone else vs. transhumant pastors in particular

are phenomena that are related and more or less overlapping in a continuum, but I would argue distinct. What applies to one doesn't necessarily apply to all.

And here's a traditional folk song (metal version) from the island of Naxos, where the islanders are making fun of shepherds, I think.

the sheep fell dead and their bells were left behind and the shepherd's left playing the bagpipe

why did you leave the door open in the shed? the dogs got in and made a big old mess

they knocked over the jug and spilled the milk and ate the two biggest hunks of cheese

Is there a pithy one-word term for the chauvinism of literate/urban/agrarian elites toward nomadic pastoralists and hunter-gatherers? Like as far as bigotries go it's pretty much literally as old as civilization (that is, since those elites have existed to record/feel their chauvinism), but I can't think of a specific term for it.