"Pesna ki ima? Will there be singing?"

Abstract

The paper examines the cultural and historical context in which Macedonian songs and singing practices are
performed in contemporary Greek Macedonia, primarily from the 1980s onwards. The author draws from
personal experiences and extensive research on musical recordings to investigate how Macedonian songs, while
historically constituting the primary cultural expression of many communities, have been treated, particularly
since the 1990s, as a stigmatised and rejectable cultural practice in public contexts. In some cases, Macedonian
songs were translated into Greek to be considered purified elements worthy of being integrated into Greek
national culture. The paper highlights the significant power of Greek national ideology and the roles of state
institutions and local cultural associations in shaping the narrative around Macedonian songs.
It emphasises how, under the guise of protecting Greek national identity, these entities have contributed to
portraying these songs as deviant practices despite their widespread acceptance.