The anniversary of the great Greek No to the Italian Invaders in 1940 is on October 28th. Without a doubt, one of the most significant persons at that time was Sofia Vempo, the woman whose voice became something like the symbol of the resistance and fight against the Italians, and later the Germans.
Vazei o Dutse ti stoli tou, sung here by Sofia Vempo, is one of the most known and popular songs of that time; it means Duce puts on his uniform in English.
Duce is of course Mussolini, the Italian ruler of the time who decided to invade the Balkan countries. Greece was among the first countries that faced the Italian threat, but managed to beat off the enemy.
The song has a rather derisive and satirical tone against the Italians, and mostly Mussolini, who believed that invading Greece would be something easy. The song presents Mussolini wondering – after the first series of defeats – why he decided to mess with Greece in the first place.
The song is one of the patriotic songs of the 40s and one of the songs still played in school celebrations for the anniversary of the 28th of October.
Lyrics: Giorgos Thisvios
Music: Theofrastos Sakkelaridis
Performed by: Sofia Vempo