MARIA CHRISTODOULOU
This name could be the name of your aunty or mother or sister, or it could mean nothing to you but read the name very carefully: MARIA CHRISTODOULOU, and remember it. This is the first woman to be officially identified out of 116 women that went missing during the 1974 invasion of Cyprus. Maria lived with her four children, Niki, Eleni, Christodoulos, & Irini and with her husband Andreas in the village of Sysclipos. The Turkish army invaded Maria’s village at day break on the 26th of July 1974. Maria was 52 years old and blind. She was unable to run like most of her family. Two women, the last to see Maria alive, left the village on the 2nd August 1974 as they realised that their lives were in danger. They managed to walk to safety and rely that Maria was still alive on the day they left. As the International Women’s Day is upon us this is a fitting tribute to Maria who was killed by soldiers invading her world, a war started by someone else’s governments and not by ordinary people like her. It is fitting that at last her family can lay her to rest as every human being should have the right to say goodbye to their loved ones during the International Women’s Day events.
Pressure must be kept up to find all the remains of individuals missing for almost 37 years. The exhumation of the remains of 14 more people were found at Sychari in the Kyrenia district of the Turkish occupied area of Cyprus, unfortunately, digging had been suspended for two weeks because of the unearthing of unexploded artillery shells. On average the laboratory carries out 50-60 identifications a year: at this speed it will take another decade to identify the remains already exhumed and many decades to identify those still to be found. This is too slow. Help is needed by the Organisation of Relatives of Missing Cypriots both here in the UK and in Cyprus. There are still 30 children aged between 0-16 of age to be found, this should be a priority if there is any hope of finding that some of these children are still alive somewhere. It is heartbreaking and as I was involved in the first committee of the Missing Persons back in the early 80’s I would have hoped that this terrible chapter of this war could have been closed once everyone was reunited dead or alive. You can get involved by donating money to the ORMC (UK) to keep the digging going and for the families to have a closure once and for all.
RACIST CYPRUS?
In a research study that was done by the European University in 30 countries Cyprus topped the list in most of the negative categories including: racism, low trust in others, selfishness, negative attitude towards immigrants, possessive individualism, being passive and detached from a set of important issues and obsession with television. Can it be worse? On the positive side it was found that Cypriots are the satisfied by the public health system, the tax system, the standard of living and trust in state institutions. In the research study that was done by the European University in the 30 countries Cyprus in 2006 30% of the population was watching more than 3 hours of TV per day but by 2008 this increased to 50%. What does this say about our fellow Cypriots that live in Cyprus that we did not know already, absolutely nothing? We know that most Cypriots have problems believing that people from other parts of the world, including their servants from Sierra Lanka and the Philippines, are actually equal as human beings to themselves. Again I covered this issue years’ ago in this very column that the many Cypriots treated their servants disgustingly as far as I was concerned. Many factors need to be taken into consideration. I actually believe that education is needed. When I was visiting my own village one such worker, a Sierra Lankan who had lived in Cyprus for 8 years and adopted a Greek name, was in fact, taken in as part of the family and treated with respect. BUT my cousin would refer to him as ‘o mavris’. I sat my cousin down and said to her that this is a very racist way of referring to someone who I could see was much loved, and why, if he had a name would you call him by the colour of his skin: would she like to be referred to simply as ‘E Kypria’? She looked at me as if I had hit her hard on the face and said that she meant nothing by it and that she did not realise that this was a racist thing. She never called him ‘o mavris’ ever again and called him by his first name when she realised. Educating a whole nation is difficult but I really believe that the average Cypriot is not evil or unkind, he just needs to be told these things the same as we have been educated in this country about the respect we should show to our fellow man and what the correct terms of addressing people from different backgrounds by. The old Chinese saying comes to mind ‘a thousand miles starts with one step’: as I educated my cousin, so she will educate someone else and so on. Cypriots have been through a lot by invading forces over the years it is understandable that they do not trust many ‘foreigners’ but I think they will get there eventually.
DVD’S OF THE WEEK
All at just £5 each, good quality –
ASTERO: starring ALIKI VOUYOUGLAKI
LENIO I VOSKOPOULOS starring Nicos XANTHOPOULOS
O AGAPITIKOS TIS VOSKOPOULAS starring Demetris PAPAMICHAEL
FORTHCOMING TRIP
9th to 14th May 2011 - TRIP to IRELAND has been arranged to take you to see Ireland at its best, visiting the Irish Countryside, a lace museum, a distillery, the famous ‘Rope Bridge’ in Carrick, the Connemara Galway & lots more including traditional pubs. The coach trip will be made even more fun with laughter and singing: special guest star SALABASIS keeping you entertained on this really special trip. Inclusive of all hotel bills & food £875.00 – telephone GREEK CITY on 0208 889 0186 for bookings.
GOOD BOUZOUKIA AT ABBEY TAVERNA
Live bouzoukia every Friday at the famous ABBEY TAVERNA with the two piece band Chris Amadeus on guitar & vocals & Tony Panayi bouzouki and vocals, playing the best in both Greek & English music.
For a fun evening of good food, nice friendly atmosphere phone the Abbey Taverna on 01992 767602 in Waltham Abbey, EN9 1PH
Chris & Tony are also available for bookings 7 days a week, for more information call Peter on 0208 889 0186.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS: if you have any events that you want me to put into this section of my column it will be my pleasure to do so just email me at info@greekcity.co.uk and let me have details: its free so don’t worry about a thing.
ANTENNA EUROPE
ANTENNA EUROPE SATELLITE, for new cards or for renewals GREEK CITY on 0208 889 0186
PETER & MYSELF ON LGR
We are getting very popular on Monday night’s 10p.m. to 12 midnight – for you grown ups only.
Legal show every other Wednesday’s at 7.15p.m. to 8p.m. Lucy Loizou is happy to answer any of your questions regarding FAMILY LAW with myself hosting. If there is anything worrying you then email me at info@greekcity.co.uk and it will be a pleasure to pass it onto Lucy for her answers, everything done in complete confidentiality.
GREAT BOOK!
Last year remember I told you about a great book, a book that when I finished it I started reading it immediately from the beginning again and that book was WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. I was delighted to read that they are making this into a film and just wanted to tell you to look out for it: I just hope it does the book justice.
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
So we have a Cypriot representing Cyprus, a Cypriot representing Greece and a Cypriot (Anthony Costa) in the group Blue representing the UK: we have three chances to back our winner in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Do we have a chance in hell of winning? I doubt it even if we have at least 3 Cypriots that I know of!
TURKISH CYPRIOTS DEMONSTRATIONS
It would be a travesty of justice if I did not mention the Turkish Cypriot demonstrations which took place all last week in northern Cyprus. It is not enough that all British newspapers and TV news media completely ignored it, here, in this newspaper we should not. Thousands demonstrated that they, the Turkish Cypriots, want to rule their own country without interference from Ankara. I did say a couple of weeks ago before the demonstrations that they were waking up to the fact that Turkey not only invaded Cyprus they invaded the Turkish Cypriots too. Many of the Turkish Cypriots spoke that they do not want the army there all the time, they do not need to be protected from the Greek Cypriots and that they, the Cypriots alone, can sort out their own problems on their own. It must have taken some guts to demonstrate in the streets of Nicosia by these people against the military might which is always watching every move everyone makes. We must spread the word and help wherever we can even if it is just to write about it in a small column like mine. It is wrong to ignore their plight as we now have seen for ourselves that it is politicians and outside forces, not the ordinary Cypriot people as a whole, who want to divide and rule. If the Turkish Cypriots remain strong I can see a solution coming very soon, 37 years too late for some, but nevertheless it will be here soon if we all support them.
PRETTY SERIOUS STUFF
I’ve just read my column and it’s got some pretty serious stuff in it today, I am sorry, I’m normally the light hearted one but there has been so much Cypriot news around that you need to know about that there is only a little section left for a smile or two.
So I apologies for being serious for once in my life but I still have my sense of humour in the back of my very empty head.
I will talk to you all next week but if there is anything that is on your mind I know you will always email me or telephone me as many of you do every week.
Keep well, and we will see each other next week.
Me Poli Love
Olympia
