The Maronites of Cyprus

2010-08-16

The Maronites of Cyprus originally came from Lebanon and have been living on the island for hundreds of years. During the course of their existence in Cyprus they have suffered and endured countless hardships. First under the Latin Franks who tried to Latinize the Maronite community even thought they have always been close to Catholicism. Then under Turkish rule, when many of them were forced to convert to Islam and become members of the Turkish community. Lastly but not least, they had to face the vengeance of the Greeks of the island, and paid the cause of the harsh rule of the Latins over the Greeks simply because they were Catholic. Many of their churches were confiscated by the Greek Orthodox Church, their Maronite Church was dismantled, and they had to accept conversions to Orthodoxy out of fear and discrimination. Yet, even at a point in history when they found themselves completely disappearing from the island, they managed to survive and gradually increase in numbers. The year 1974 found them living in four villages in the north part of the island while their original villages once counted over sixty. However, the year 1974 proved to be detrimental to their survival on the island. When the Turkish army invaded the island during this same year, the Maronites of Cyprus lost their last surviving villages and became refugees along with thousands of Greek Cypriots. With the loss of their villages, the Maronites also lost their reference point with their past, with their traditions, and lastly with their language. The language of the Maronites of Cyprus is a mixture of Aramaic and Arabic which is unique to the island and found nowhere else. It is therefore a special Cypriot language. Before the Turkish invasion, the Cypriot Maronite language survived for hundreds of years and was spoken in the largest Maronite village of Kormakitis. With the displacement of the Maronites and particularly the Maronites of the village of Kormakitis, the so called Cypriot Maronite Arabic had stopped being transferred over to the new generation, and it is now slowly and definitely falling to its complete extinction since today it is spoken only by less than hundred people who are almost all over the age of seventy. Yet, loosing this language will also mean loosing not only a unique language in the world, but also a part of Cypriot culture. Thankfully, a group of young people who did not want to see this ancient language of Cyprus disappear, had formed a mission of saving the language. Their name is XKI FI SANNA which means" speak our language". During the short existence of this group, much has been done to promote Cypriot Maronite Arabic and make it once again a spoken language for the younger generation. It has been given an alphabet which it never had before and has now been introduced into the Maronite Public School (Saint Maron) in Nicosia. In addition educational camping trips are being made at the village of Kormakitis where the students are taught and to speak only in Cypriot Maronite Arabic. These days XKI FI SANNA is introducing Cypriot Maronite Arabic lessons over the Cyprus Broadcasting Co-operation at its First Program during the airing time of "The Voice of the Maronites". For those who are interested in learning Cypriot Maronite Arabic, the courses will be aired every Friday between 5 pm and 6 pm and it will be transmitted also via the Internet. The duration of the lessons will be ten minutes every week. For those interested in learning Cypriot Maronite Arabic here is the connection: www.cybc.com.cy/eng/

God bless the Maronites of Cyprus and help them survive the many challenges.