Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-02-01 / 6. szám
would you believe itP Well many things happen in the world and we are speechless about it. But there is something else that comes into consideration. That is: do we put up with it? Circumstances may delay taking action. A question come along with this. For how long? Let us remember the great liberation of Hungary by the Soviet forces. It didn’t take long to find out that the liberation is really an occupation. It took just over a decade, from 1945 to 1956, for the Hungarian people to do something about it. They gave their blood, they gave their life, they suffered through tortures, the tore up their root and ran. It happened just about five decades ago. And here is an other decades since the soviet left the country. Many actions were taken to rectify the many things. Even monuments on public squares reminded the population that there was the 1956 October 23 Uprising. Here I want to stop for a moment. The big historical events usually have one or more leaders singled out, and the monuments of these persons represent the specific events. Just to list a few: St. István, Rákóczi, Kossuth, Petőfi, Bem, King Mátyás, István Dobó, and the list could go on. We don’t see much of the Peasant Revolution, of the recent war time figures, and we could think of other grassroot events. It is more difficult to have a monument on these. Though the sacrifices of these times are embodied in the fighting or fallen soldiers. What would you do about the 1956 Uprising? It is a grass-root historical event. Those people who died for the freedom of the country, and also made a substantial contribution to the end of the cold war would really deserve having a monument that reminds the onlooker that this event wasn’t about getting somebody’s signature on a piece of paper. It should tell the story that it was the life, the flesh and blood of people. It should be evident, it shouldn’t need and explanation. I have a couple of pictures showing monuments about the uprising. I’ll start with the easier one. It is a tall twisted needle with the eternal light on top of it. It is a symbol of standing high with the warmth and light expanding out of it. An idea - that could be anywhere about any nice thing. An other monument is a block of high polished granite. You might ask what happened to it. The top of it is broken away. This means that there was something strong and beautiful, but unwanted events broke the path to reach a well deserved height. shows the bottom and top. If these were exhibited in a gallery where they are showing memorabilia of the Uprising, then these art pieces would lift our souls and we would understand what they are about. Do we want some further generation stand there with a question mark in his head? Or do we want their hearts to be filled with respect for their ancestors? There is no question about the monuments of the Soviet. Some of these are still around. The picture on this page shows what they are about. The Soviets are coming in with force, the machine gun is still in hand, displaying the sole symbol of power, the flag with the sickle and hammer. Not to make a mistake, on the base of the monument Stalin’s portrait underlines the ideology. Wasn’t 40 years enough? Recently the Magyar Studies of America (MSA) unveiled a plaque in Fairfield Conn, honoring the memory of the Uprising. Since, Gyula Egervári past president, and Zsuzsa Lengyel president of MSA opened up a new avenue to correct the present situation. They started a campaign to create, and build a monument that speaks for itself with a clear message. Something that doesn’t need a person standing next to it explaining what it is about. They are successfully organizing the multifacet campaign that includes all Hungarians around the world. It is quite an undertaking because in involves choosing the best place, artist, architect, fundraising, supervision, and the understanding of the 1956-ers and all who has the love for Hungary in their heart. Not only do we wish them success, but we also line up behind them. JFB folk ensemble concert will take place on February 8, 2004 starting at 4:00 PM at the Wallingford Hungarian Club Tickets $15.00, at the door $17.00 Dinner: "Gulyás leves" coffee pastry $ 10.00 Call: Lenke 203 634-0602; Barbara 269-9768 e-mail <kathy@designwareinc. com> Page 3
