By: Franci Kindlhofer
Anyone not familiar with the fairy tales of the seven-headed dragon? Its appearance, with a crocodile’s body, suggests its homeland is by the Nile. Our renowned archaeologist, Dr Marko Frelih, a great connoisseur and lover of Egyptian culture, says the dragon looks like an unfortunate attempt at genetic engineering… Of course, this engineering was human imagination and fantasy. In the last millennium before Christ, the dragon with multiple heads of large snakes was considered the master of the desert underworld. People were protected from it by the sky god Horus, who, in the form of a silver falcon, fought the dragon’s heads.
In our region, the seven-headed dragon from Križna Jama, beneath Križna Gora in Loška Dolina, is very well-known. At that time, when this dragon haunted the area, it was all covered with stones. Some brave men decided to end the reign of terror of this dragon. In a heroic battle, they managed to cut off six bloodthirsty heads. When it came to the seventh head, the dragon begged for mercy. He asked them to leave him with the only head he had left; otherwise, he would have to die. The men gave him a chance to atone for his past sins. They tasked him with removing all the stones throughout Loška Dolina. In order to save his last criminal head, he agreed to penance and removed all the stones, making the land fertile. Despite being pardoned, the dragon succumbed to exhaustion.
This comparison with the seven-headed dragon occurred to me when I took a closer look at who in Slovenia is still ensuring that the spirit of the communist revolution still hovers over us like the sword of Damocles. Every time one thinks they can breathe freely and inhale deeply, this sword stabs them in the shoulders. The system that constantly imposes remnants of the communist past as part of the Slovenian identity operates like a seven-headed dragon: when you cut off one head, two new ones grow in its place. I cannot shake off this feeling, especially since I learned a few days ago that supporters of the communist continuity are preparing yet another, demeaning for the residents of Dražgoše, partisan comedy.
That the Association of Veterans of the National Liberation War (ZZB) stands as an organiser behind such partisan displays of power, funded for its divisive work among citizens even from the state budget, is no secret. What is disturbing is the unacceptable behaviour of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia (PZS), which, through its branches and mountaineering clubs, assists in organising these partisan hikes. According to its statute, PZS is a politically and ideologically completely independent association, open to all citizens regardless of their worldviews. Most of us know that anything related to partisans and the so-called National Liberation War (NOB) in Slovenia is highly controversial and has a significant destructive force against efforts to achieve mutual understanding and harmony. Therefore, PZS should be the first to counteract all these efforts for national reconciliation with its unilateral and thoughtless actions.
Unfortunately, PZS is just one head of this red dragon. Other heads that collectively spew fire include the Association of Military Mountaineers, pensioners’ associations, the Association of Veterans of the Independence War, the Union of Slovenian Officers, and the Police Veterans Association Sever Ljubljana. Surely, I have not listed them all. The most dangerous head belongs to the Ministry of Education. In textbooks for primary schools, the time of occupation and revolution is either incorrectly or very inadequately addressed. A particular head deserving attention is labelled RTVS (Radiotelevizija Slovenija, Slovenia’s national broadcaster). Recently, it presented us with the wisdom of former President Danilo Türk, who was given the opportunity to mislead viewers with intentionally manipulated “facts”. He claimed that Israel’s accusation of genocide is correct because Israel threatens destruction in Gaza. However, he failed to mention the destruction of what? Hamas, rockets, weapons, tunnels… He left this question open, allowing everyone to interpret it as they wish.
Not to mention the government and governmental departments. Robert Golob’s government could be compared to that dragon in Križna Jama, which only admitted its sins when it came to the last head. That dragon from Križna Jama cleared the Loška Dolina of stones. However, this government has accumulated a pile of unresolved and newly created problems that would require engaging all the dragons of the current government to clear our valley of the burden of piled-up ballast.
The question remains, who will cut off the heads of these dragons? Of course, not with a sword but with ballot papers. Will we wait for the god Horus, or will courageous men among us be found, as in the fairy tale about the dragon beneath Križna Gora?