La Renkontiĝo

Dankon al Mossy Hollow
 

La Klassistemo

 

Dankon al Donald Rooum

Esperantisto pereis ĉe la fronto en Ukrainio - An Esperantist died at the frontlines in Ukraine

Vadim tia, kia amikoj volas lin memori.

 El Libera Folio

 Fine de majo en la aĝo de 54 jaroj pereis ĉe la fronto la ukraina esperantisto Vadim Bikov. Li libervole aliĝis al la ukraina armeo tuj komence de la nuna milito kaj dum pli ol du jaroj servis en pluraj danĝeraj partoj de la fronto. Lin funebras lia esperantista edzino Julia Dmitrieva.

 

Vadim Bikov naskiĝis la 30-an de novembro 1969 en sovetia Kazaĥio kaj infanaĝe loĝis en Uzbekio. Li kreskis en ĉefe ruslingva medio kaj finis la lernejon en Donbaso en la orienta parto de Ukrainio, kie li poste loĝis.

Kiam komenciĝis la milito en Donbaso en 2014, li fuĝis al neokupita teritorio kaj libervole aliĝis al la ukrainia armeo por defendi la landon, kies civitano li iĝis lige kun la disfalo de Sovetio.

Kiam en februaro 2022 komenciĝis la grandskala atako de Rusio kontraŭ Ukrainio, Vadim unue aliĝis al la teritoria defendo kaj dum kelkaj semajnoj gardis hospitalon. Li tamen deziris aliĝi al la efektiva armeo, sed en la komenco de la milito estis multaj volontuloj kaj la vicoj ekster la rekrutejoj estis longaj.

Vadim dum kelkaj tagoj atendis sian vicon por aliĝi al la armeo kiel libervolulo, sed la respondeculoj de la rekrutejo fine anoncis, ke ĉiuj en la vico iru hejmen, ĉar momente ne eblos ekipi pliajn volontulojn. La plej multaj obeis kaj iris hejmen, sed Vadim kune kun amiko plu restis ekster la rekrutejo. Jam ekproksimiĝis la noktomezo kaj la horo de la dummilita nokta elirmalpermeso. Tiam oni fine alvokis ilin kaj registris ilin kiel rekrutojn, ĉar ili jam havis militan sperton.

En la civila vivo Vadim Bikov estis kuiristo kaj entreprenisto – li posedis en centra Kijivo budon, kie oni vendis bakaĵojn similajn al pico. Tre bongustajn, laŭ esperantistoj kiuj ilin gustumis. Dum someroj li kelkfoje laboris kiel kuiristo en tendaro de ŝakistoj sur ĝardena insulo en Dnepro en la centro de Kijivo. Tial ankaŭ en la armeo li ekhavis la taskon de kuiristo.

Tio tamen ne signifas, ke lia deĵorado estus sendanĝera. Al liaj taskoj apartenis porti manĝaĵojn al la batalantoj tre proksime al la malamiko, kaj la transportado de la manĝaĵoj ofte estis tre riska entrepreno. Krome li samkiel ĉiuj devis gardodeĵori ĉe la absoluta frontlinio kaj regule pafi kontraŭ la malamikoj kiuj rampe proksimiĝis al la tranĉeo. Tiujn noktojn li en diskutoj kun esperantistaj amikoj priskribis kiel la plej malfacilan sperton de sia vivo.

La taĉmento de Vadim plurfoje havis la tre danĝeran taskon protekti la retiriĝon de ukrainiaj trupoj, kiuj estis devigitaj forlasi siajn ne plu defendeblajn poziciojn. Li estis interalie en Severodonecko, kie en majo kaj junio 2022 daŭris intensaj bataloj kun grandaj perdoj ambaŭflanke, ĝis fine de junio la ukrainaj defendantoj pleje fortiriĝis.

Vadim estis denaske ruslingvano, sed intense studis la ukrainan lingvon, poste la anglan, kaj poste ankaŭ Esperanton, helpe de sia edzino Julia Dmitrieva. Ŝin li renkontis pro kurso de la angla lingvo, kie ŝi estis instruisto. Lerni lingvojn por li estis granda peno, kaj li neniam lernis tute flue paroli Esperanton. Li tamen kun granda ĝuo regule partoprenis precipe en neformalaj aranĝoj de la juna generacio de ukrainaj esperantistoj.

Kelkfoje dum la milito li havis forpermeson de la fronto kaj povis renkonti amikojn, kiuj ĉiam timis, ke ili lin vidas la lastan fojon. Lastfoje Vadim partoprenis en kunveno de esperantistoj nur du semajnojn antaŭ sia pereo, per retligo el ia subtera ejo proksime al la fronto. Li parolis pri tio, ke li samkiel aliaj ne komprenis kaj aprezis, kiel riĉa kaj libera estis la antaŭmilita vivo ekster la tranĉeoj.

La 26-an de majo li ne plu respondis al mesaĝoj de la edzino. Baldaŭ venis informo, ke en tiu tago li pereis pro raketa eksplodo. La enterigo okazis en Kijivo la 6-an de junio. Ĉeestis krom la edzino du aliaj esperantistoj el Kijivo. La ceremonion partoprenis ankaŭ anoj de la ŝakoklubo, ĉe kiu li en iuj someroj laboris kiel kuiristo, kaj trideko da liaj soldataj kamaradoj, kelkaj el ili kun protezo anstataŭ gambo.

 

English Version

Vadim Bikov was killed in the last days of May while serving at the front in Ukraine, he was 54 years old. He voluntarily joined the Ukrainian army immediately after the start of the war, and for over two years served in several dangerous hotspots along the frontline. He is mourned by his Esperantist wife Julia Dmitrieva.

Vadim Bikov was born on the 30th of November 1969 in Soviet Qazaqstan, and spent his childhood in Uzbekistan. He grew up with Russian language media and completed his education in Donbas in the east of Ukraine, and settled there. 

When conflict erupted in Donbas in 2014 Vadim fled to unoccupied territory and joined the Ukrainian army to defend the country whose citizenship he had obtained after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

In February 2022 after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine Vadim joined the Territorial Defence and spent some weeks guarding a hospital. However he wished to rejoin the professional army but in the beginning of the war there were many volunteers and the lines outside recruitment centres were very long.

For several days Vadim queued outside the recruitment office as a volunteer, but the authorities announced that everyone in the line must go home because it was not possible to take on any more recruits. The majority of the volunteers obeyed the order but Vadim and a friend remained outside the office. It was close to midnight and the martial law mandated curfew when they were finally able to sign up, and only thanks to both having prior military experience. 

In civilian life, Vadim had been a chef and businessman, he ran a stall in the centre of Kyiv selling baked goods similar to pizza. They were delicious according to the Esperantists who tasted them. During the Summers he sometimes worked as a chef for chess players camp on an island in the Dnieper river in the middle of Kyiv. These expereinces are why he was giving the task of cook in the army.

However that posting did not mean that his time on duty was without danger. Among the tasks he was assigned included the responsibility of delivering food to soldiers who were close to the enemy, and transportation of supplies was often a dangerous task. In addition, like everyone else he was often deployed to the farthest perimiter of the frontline and had to guard positions close to the enemy and fire on enemy troops crawling toward the trenches. He described those nights in discussions with his Esperantist friends as the most difficult experiences of his life.

On several occasions Vadim's Detachment had the difficult task of defending retreating Ukrainian troops after they were forced to evacuate positions that could no longer be defended. Among other things he fought in Svereodonetsk during the intense battles there in May-June 2022, the fighting cost both sides high casualties before Ukrainian forces withdrew at the end of June.

Vadim was a native Russian speaker, but he intensively studied the Ukrainian language and later the English language and Esperanto, aided by his wife Julia Dimitrieva. They met at an English language course that she taught. For Vadim learning languages was a great struggle, and he never learnt to speak Esperanto fluently. Though he still enthusiastically took part in informal events especially those organised by the younger generation of Ukrainian Esperantists.

On several occasions Vadim obtained leave from the front and was able to reconnect with friends who always feared that they would see him for the last time. Vadim took part in an Esperanto gathering for the last time just two weeks before his death, he used an internet link in an underground location close to the frontline. He spoke about how he, like the others did not realise and appreciate how free and rich the pre-war life outside the trenches had been.

On the 26th of May he stopped responding to his wife's messages. Information soon came that explained that on that day he had been killed by a rocket explosion. His burial was on the 6th of June in Kyiv. His wife and two other Kyiv Esperantists attended the service. Members of the chess club that he cooked for in the Summers also attended along with thirty of his soldier comrades, some baring prostheses instead of legs.   

 

Perdi Pezon

 

Laboru!

 

Dankon al Tommy Devoid

HALTIGU LA BARBARECON ! - Stop this Barbarism the conflict in Gaza

Stop the Barbarism!

Once again the flames of war have sparked into life in the Palestine/Israel region. This time Hamas took the inciative to start the atrocities. They did not act alone in this attack, militants from the PFLP also took part in the armed assaults. The pictures are unbearable: civilians murdered in the streets, and in their homes, the taken of hostages etc.

Although the Israeli government conducts a system of political Apartheid, which has even been acknowledged by Tamir Prado, the ex-director of Israel's Intelligence service. But that does not justify the conscious murder civilians. That is as condemnable as the murder of Palestinian civilans by the Israeli army! Without a doubt the response of the Israeli government will be just as terrible as it is blind. Already buildings in Gaza are being bombed and electricity has been cut throughout the whole territory. 

We can only express our deepest fears and concern for the civilian inhabitants, Palestinian and Israeli both hostages to their respective governments in this conflict, and we must remember that during these past months the civilian populations had been demonstrating against their own governments and this lethal politics; over the past weeks, especially since the 30th of July thousands of people in Gaza have been protesting against the rule of Hamas under the slogan "We Want to Live!"

At the same time in Israel, tens of thousands had repeatedly took to the streets to oppose the right wing policy of the government which was no longer capable of controlling the protests and was heading toward collapse. 

The attacks by Hamas therefore have occurred while on both sides of the wall of shame thousands of people had begun to organise themeselves against their rulers. 

The violence unleashed by these attacks will unite the people with their corrupt rulers and strengthen the nationalist fervour, fueled by desires for mutual revenge.

In Gaza, Hamas is calling for the whole population to rally behind its flag in an united front. Already Netanyahu has formed a government of national unity. The thousands of reservist soldiers who have been striking for weeks after announced the break up of their movement!

This attack also has an international dimension. It happened after the leader of Hamas met with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the leader of Iran and while Saudi Arabia - an enemy of Iran- has begun building official relations with Israel. Hezbollah the terrorist puppet of Iran in Lebanon has already declared that "the attack by Hamas against Israel sends a message to anyone who tries to normalise relations with Isreal or hopes that the Palestinian struggle is dead".     

In the aftermath it is the inhabitants of Israel and Gaza who will pay the price for this bloody game played between states in order to cement their own power.

Once again, those who decide to have a war are not those who die in it. 

Once again, the civilian will suffer, from Sderot to Gaza. All ideologies of power, especially nationalism and religious fervour are the pillars of logic that encoruages people to kill each other for the benefit of the rulers of the world.

CNT-AIT

During the pandemic two nurses in Ramdam hospital display an essential message.
"We refuse to be enemies. For a just and lasting peace!"

HALTIGU LA BARBARECON !
Denove la milito ekflamas en la Palestina/Israela regiono.
Ĉi-foje la Hamaso prenis la iniciativon komenci la
barbarecon. Ĝi ne estas sola en tiu atako, ankaŭ sturmantoj
de la FPLP partoprenas la armitajn agojn. La bildoj estas
neelteneblaj: civiluloj murditaj sur la stratoj aŭ hejme,
ostaĝigoj.
Kvankam la israela registaro kondukas politikon
kvalifikitan apartismo, eĉ de la eks-direktoro de la israelaj
spionservoj Tamir Prado, tio tute ne pravigas plenkonsciajn
murdojn de civiluloj. Tio estas tiel kondamnindaj kiel
mortigo de palestinaj civiluloj fare de la israela armeo !
Sendube, la milita respondo de la israela registaro estos
same terura kaj blinda. Jam konstruaĵoj de Gazao estis
bombaditaj kaj elektro estas interrompita en la tuta teritorio.
Ni nur povas esprimi la plej grandajn timojn por la civilaj
loĝantoj, palestinaj kaj israelaj, ostaĝigitaj de la iliaj
respektivaj registaroj en tiu konflikto kaj tio, dum tiuj
loĝantoj manifestaciis de monatoj kontraŭ siaj propraj
registaroj kaj ties mortigaj politikoj: dum la lastaj semajnoj,
kaj precipe la pasintan 30an de julio, miloj da Palestinanoj
manifestaciis en Gazao kontraŭ la politiko de la Hamaso per
la slogano « ni volas vivi ».
Samtempe en Israelo, dekoj da miloj da israelanoj multfoje
surstratiĝis kontraŭ la politiko de la dekstra registaro, kiu ne
plu kapablis kontroli la manifestaciojn kaj direktiĝis al
kolapso.
La atako de la Hamaso do okazas, kiam – ambaŭflanke de
la muro de la honto – la loĝantoj komencis memorganiziĝi
kontraŭ siaj estroj.
La perforto senbridigita de tiu atako tute male unuigos la
loĝantaron ĉirkaŭ tiuj koruptitaj estroj, plifortigante la
naciismajn sentojn nutratajn per deziroj de reciproka venĝo.
En Gazao, la Hamaso alvokas la sakralan unuiĝon malantaŭ
sia flago. Jam Netanjahu anoncas registaron de nacia unuiĝo
; la miloj da rezervistaj soldatoj, kiuj strikis de semajnoj
anoncis interrompon de sia movado !
Tiu atako aliparte intervenas, dum la ĉefo de la Hamaso
renkontis la ajatolon Ali Khamenej en Teherano pasintan
junion, kaj ke Sauda Arabio – reĝimo malamegata de Irano
– interdiskutas kun Israelo por starigi oficialajn rilatojn. Jam
la Hizbulaho, terorisma marioneto de Irano, anoncis, ke « la
ofensivo de la Hamaso kontraŭ Israleo konsistigas mesaĝon
al tiuj, kiuj provas normaligi siajn rilatojn kun Israelo por
esprimi, ke la palestina lukto ne mortas ». 

Post la israela loĝantaro, ja la loĝantaro de Gazao pagos la
prezon de tiuj sangoplenaj ludoj inter Ŝtatoj por certigi sian
potencon.
Unu plian fojon tiuj, kiuj decidas militojn ne estas tiuj, kiuj
mortas en ĝi…
Unu plian fojon, la civiluloj suferos, de Sderoto ĝis Gazao.
Ĉiuj ĉi ideologioj uzitaj de la potenco, nome naciismojn kaj
religiojn, estas la pilieroj de tiu mortiga logiko, kiu instigas
la homojn intermortigi sin por la plej granda profito de la
estroj de tiu mondo.
CNT-AIT
http://cnt-ait.info/2023/10/09/halte-a-la-barbarie/
dankon al nia amiko http://neniammilitointerni.over-
blog.com pro la traduko

 

1915: Two Obituaries of Sifo (Shifu)

 

 

Shifu's gravestone. Photos courtesy of the Chinese Anarchist Front.

 

This notice first appeared in the Esperanto language journal La Ondo de Esperanto (The Esperanto Wave) in July 1915 and can be viewed online here. 

Shifu was an influential Chinese pioneer of Anarchism. He changed his name on several occasions and was known as Shifu at the end of his life, though in English he's remembered under the name Liu Shifu. He was also an active Esperantist and used the pen name Sifo for Esperanto writings. I translated a short biography of his life earlier, which may help explain some points.

 Sifo

Shifu the editor of the Esperanto and Chinese language weekly newspaper The Voice of the People, died in Shanghai from tuberculosis. We take some biographical details about Shifu from his publication's 23rd issue. Shifu was born in 1884 in Hongsang* in the province of Canton. He was an extraordinarily talented boy in his youth. At the age of fifteen, he became a "Sin-Can"** the highest student in the local examinations. He participated energetically within the Chinese political movement and provided a lot of assistance to the well known Doctor Sun Yat-Sen. Sifo edited a progressive newspaper in Hong Kong and opened a school for women.

He was gravely wounded by an explosion and had to have his left hand amputated. Furthermore, he was arrested and while in prison he wrote the text On the reform of prison. After reading this text, the city officials were so stunned by the talent demonstrated by the author that they ordered his release. In total Sifo spent three years in prison, while incarcerated he also wrote texts on linguistics, including a book on the Canton Dialect. In 1912 Shifu founded an Esperanto group and became a Vice delegate for the U.E.A (Universal Esperanto Association). In 1913 Shifu published The Voice of the People, an Esperanto and Chinese language newspaper. It wasn't long before the new newspaper was suppressed and Sifu had to flee to Macau (the Portuguese Colony***) but the Portuguese authorities also disrupted the publication of Voice. 

Shifu published Voice, until the money ran out. He was an editor, administrator and printer at the same time. That is why he grew weaker with the publication of each issue, the work finally consumed him totally. When he fell ill, his poverty prevented him from seeing a doctor for treatment. Friends begged him to sell his printing press (Shifu's press was operated by hand, or in his case one-handed) but Shifu refused.

Shifu adored Lev Tolstoy and founded Conscience, a group whose principles were as follows:

1. Against Meat eating,
2. Against alcohol
3. Against smoking
4. Against slavery
5. Against using human vehicles (I.e. Rickshaws and pedicabs)
6. Against marriage
7. Against families
8. Against deputation 
9. Against political parties
   
10. Against state officials
11. Against war
12. Against religion

During his sickness, his friends begged him to eat meat, but he kept his principles until his death. 

We acknowledge the highly civilized principles of Shifu, but express extreme regret over his death. China has lost one of the most fervent and sincere pioneers of the international language. 

*I have not been able to figure out what the modern name of the city is, the English language biographies just refer to him being born in the Canton area.

** I don't know what that means, I believe this is an academic achievement, the second obituary by the British Esperantist goes into a bit more detail about this period of Shifu's life and I found a little more information in some brief biographies written in English.

** Returned to the control of the People's Republic in 1999.

Obituary from the British Esperantist, published in 1915, the original article can be found online here. And continues onto the following page.

Mr Sifu

Here is a biography of a remarkable man, excerpted from The Voice of the People, a weekly Chinese and Esperanto language newspaper. We present it here without changes.

Biography of Mr Sifu

Mr Shifu was born in 1884 in the city of Hongsang in Canton province. He was an extraordinarily talented boy in his youth. At the age of fifteen, he became a "Sin-Can" the highest student in the local examinations. However, he did not want to submit to the institution which demanded he behave like a slave. Instead, he taught himself about many practical sciences and read every kind of book he could find. Although he learnt without a guide, he came to understand many subjects at a profound level. In 1901 an 18-year-old Shifu appalled by the suffering of the people and disgusted with the rot and corruption of the government organised a public speech in his home city to inspire a political revolution, it made a good impression. He later travelled to Japan. While in Japan, he met Sun Yat-sen who was staying in Japan to recruit supporters for his organisation "Tongmenghui" after the failure of his revolt in Huizhou (1900). Shifu assisted Sun Yat-sen for a time. Shortly after, Shifu returned to China and started publishing a progressive newspaper in Hong Kong and founded a school for women. In 1907 the revolutionaries attempted to resume their activities. At that time, the official Lee Tseng ruled over Canton and opposed the revolutionary movement. Shifu believed that the first step had to be the removal of this devil.  Sifu lay in wait one morning with a suitcase for Lee Tseng to pass-by on the road, unfortunately the suitcase exploded before Lee Tseng had appeared. Shifu was wounded in the arms, head and chest. The police sent him unconscious to a hospital, after a month in hospital and a surgical amputation of his left arm he recovered from his wounds. Of course, he was tried in a courthouse. 

Shifu defended himself on several pretexts, but due to suspicion was sentenced to prison. While in prison, a living hell, he wrote the text On the reform of prison. After reading this text, the city officials were so stunned by the talent demonstrated by the author that they ordered his release. In three years of prison, instead of giving in to depression, he worked on the book "Cantonese Dialect", a work so brilliant that even famous linguists admired it. After leaving prison, he met with some sympathisers and founded a group for assassinations. In 1911 a member of this group Lin Kaun-Si threw a bomb at Lee Tseng while Shifu wished to go to Beijing to kill the Qing Prince Regent Zaifeng. Shifu was in Shanghai when the Qing Emperor abdicated, seeing a good opportunity to promote his ideas, he returned to Canton and founded the Fui Min (The Cock crows in Darkness) school.  

As you know, Chinese students of Anarchism in Paris had already begun publishing a Chinese language newspaper, The New Times. In its pages, many translations of different Anarchist ideas appeared, including Bakunin and Kropotkin. However, importing these ideas into China proved very difficult. Fui Min collecting The New Times and published them as small pamphlets that were easy to circulate, effectively becoming the soil seed of Anarchism planted within China. 

In 1912 Shifu founded an Esperanto group and soon became a Vice delegate for the U.E.A. In the summer of 1913 when civil war broke out within China he witnessed with his own eyes the crimes of the warlords and fervently attacked militarism in articles that were published in both Esperanto and Chinese in the newspaper The Voice of the People Issues 1 and 2. As a consequence The Voice was suppressed and Shifu had to escape persecution to Macau which is ruled by the Portuguese. But the Portuguese authorities agreed with their Chinese counterparts to prevent the publication of Shifu's work. That is why The Voice has only reappeared now after two years of great hardship. In July of last year, Shifu founded the "Anarchist-Communist Group" in Shanghai, which is influencing the founding of regional groups to spread Anarchist ideas throughout China.

 Shifu was brave, tolerant, decisive and hard-working. He published The Voice, with no funds and very few assistants. He was also its editor and administrator, but none of this frightened him. It is true that he was also quite sickly, as such he would fall ill after every issue of The Voice appeared and would rest for a short time before working just as hard as before once he started to recover. Understandably, this consumed his young life. When he fell ill, his poverty prevented him from hiring a doctor. We begged him to sell his press (his printing press was operated by hand) but he refused, explaining that the press was the sole source of life for our ideas in the East. It would be futile to save one person by selling it. 

Later with the help of some friends we were able to send Shifu to hospital, but alas! It was too late. The disease is incurable and so, at 10 o'clock in the morning of the 27th of March 1915 Shifu passed away aged 31. 

Shifu adored Lev Tolstoy not just for his wisdom, but also for his morality. Together with some friends, he founded Conscience, a group whose principles were as follows:

1. Against Meat eating,
2. Against alcohol
3. Against smoking
4. Against slavery
5. Against using human vehicles (I.e. Rickshaws and pedicabs)
6. Against marriage
7. Against families
8. Against deputation 
9. Against political parties
   
10. Against state officials
11. Against war
12. Against religion

During his sickness, his Doctor advised him to eat meat to keep his body strong, but he kept his principles until his death.

K. Ch. San