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Thanassis of the Kalash

Thanassis LerounisThanassis Lerounis, a greek teacher and lone volunteer, selflessly and tirelessly working for over 15 years with the famous Kalash people in the Chitral area of Northern Pakistan (2,500 m. asl),  was abducted, allegedly by Afghan Taliban in September 2009, and is still being held captive in Nooristan. His captors are reported to demand an exchange with a number of captive leaders imprisoned by Pakistani authorities. The last report I have seen on Thanassis was in January 12 2010 in the local Chitral Times  website after a delegation from Chitral went to hold talks with his captors, and includes a photo where he sports a long beard and even smiles.

As a teacher he had read about the Kalash tribe, of whom just 4,200 remain, and was fascinated by their traditional belief that they are descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great, a belief supported by their unique language, customs, and polytheistic religion (with 12 gods like the ancient greek one) and looks, so Thanassis first visited the remote mountainous area as a tourist in 1994. He was instantly hooked and when he returned to Greece he started lecturing across the country, raising funds and generating awareness. He would return each year with a volunteer team since then to spend 6 months with the Kalash, undeterred by the constantly worsening security situation in the area. Since 2001 he managed to secure some funding from HellenicAid, the greek national aid agency, with which he built various infrastructure improvements as well as a school, a clinic and a 2,000 sq. mtr cultural centre and library for the Kalash. It was from there that Thanassis was violently taken with one of the two guards who had been lately provided to him by the state of Pakistan, Zafar Ahmad having a fatal heart attack.

To the Kalash, "Atanasi" is one of them, so they spontaneously organised a protest march for his release and even offered to sell their houses to raise cash for the ransom. An online petition is also active if you would like to sign. It is always decent, ordinary people that suffer and pay for the injustices of men of violence, chieftains but also imperialists, whose leaders are elected on tickets of peace, only to continue war. They are to be blamed as much, as the abductors.

As ECOCLUB.com we have the good fortune to have Mr Shams Uddin, who is also doing great work in the area through his ngo CAMAT Chitral, as a Member, and the honour to provide a microgrant to an environmental education program in the Kalash Valleys through our 2008 Awards. Imagine what could be done if all the trillions - the trillions that belong to the people - and that are wasted through idiotic wars was to be peacefully invested in the interests of the people.

Still, I remain optimistic. Thanassis (Athanassios) after all derives from "Athanatos" - Immortal.

More info at the website of the ngo "Greek Volunteers" which he founded:

 

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Workshop for Kalash Tour Guides in Bumborate