Sevgul Uludag
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It is incredible how `nationalism` makes people `deaf, dumb and blind` so to say, how they can only look through the `lens` with `ethnic` eyes only and how they might miss out the `humanity` while being fixated on `ethnicity`… Photographs taken from Famagusta gathering of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots during the Agios Exorinos Good Friday ceremony showed me clearly how `nationalism` might make some people `perceive` same scenes but with different `focus`.
One of my Greek Cypriot friends attended the ceremony and all she could see from the Good Friday ceremony were the `salty tears` of the church, all she could see was buildings and not necessarily the people gathering in friendship and understanding there… Because `nationalism` leaves no other space except your `own` and you simply cannot create `space` within your identity for others to be let alone `visible` but to also `express` themselves… She could see the fanatic group trying to demonstrate against this gathering in Famagusta who were pacified but she could not see the meeting of old neighbours – Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots – old friends sharing their memories, the humanity that came out of this gathering… Her camera missed out anything to do with the gathering of humans and embracing each other, her camera could only see the priests and the `tears` of the church… She would later photograph streets, old buildings and some
historical sites but again she would miss out on the real people embracing each other… The only thing I felt when I looked at the photos she took was sadness, sadness because she was `missing out` the most important thing: Reunification is not the reunification of `land` only, reunification is the reunification of our communities, our people…
But there were `testimonies` made up of photographs of that meaningful day which reflected the humanity in the Famagustians that gathered there – both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots… For me, the most meaningful photographs came from my cousin Ertan Ince, a Famagustian...
He published a photo of an old Greek Cypriot woman called Andriani and he wrote:
`Before the Greek Cypriots left Famagusta, my father Ahmet Ince had bought the house from the father of auntie Andriani within the walls where we stay… His name was Sotiri… Auntie Andriani was married to a Greek Cypriot teacher working at the Greek Cypriot school in Famagusta… My elder brothers Alper and Sarper grew up in the arms of Andriani and other Greek Cypriot neighbours… When I was born, Greek Cypriots had left Famagusta… 57 years later we met at the Agios Georgios Exorinos Church…`
The photograph shows Andriani, together with the elder brother of Ertan, Alper Ince…
Another photograph Ertan took and published on Facebook shows Mr. Michalakis… Ertan says:
`Mr. Michalakis who is standing on the left with glasses… He had been a neighbour from the same neighbourhood with us… They stayed in the same houses, played in the same streets, they ate the same meals together with my elder brother Alper Ince… Michalakis speaks perfect Turkish… We met in Famagusta at the Agios Georgios Exorinos Church after 57 years…`
And one other photograph he publishes is that of Mr. Costas Sofokleous… Ertan writes:
`Mr. Costas Sofokleous (the one on the far right). His nickname is `Kara Kosta` (`Black Costa`)… He was born in Famagusta in 1939 and grew up here… His house was next to the old market (bandabuliya)… He grew up playing marbles (pirilli) together with famous Famagustans like Ismet Kotak and Shemmedi… He knows the Famagusta of 40s and 50s very well… Now he stays in Limassol. But his spirit is living for 24 hours a day in Famagusta… Uncle Costa too, speaks very good Turkish…`
In fact Sevgi Yalman, one of our journalists working for YENIDUZEN newspaper for Famagusta area had an interview with Costas Sofokleous that was published on the 21st of April 2014 in YENIDUZEN.
Costas Sofokleous said, `My home is Famagusta, not 40 but even if 100 years pass, still my home is Famagusta… He had left Famagusta walled city when he was barely 16 years old in 1956… `Some people said let's leave and we left…` he says to Sevgi Yalman… When Sevgi asks his `Who said that?` he smiles and says `The British, the Americans!`
They had been living next to the old market (Bandabuliya) in a house his family rented for 10 shillings a month… They would leave the walled city but would get a house to live outside the walled city of Famagusta… He would get married there, have four kids and would live there until 1974…
`We left again on the 15th of August 1974… My daughter was only 10 months old… I left Famagusta with only slippers at my feet and shorts I was wearing and went to Limassol…`
According to Sevgi Yalman, there is no anger or bitterness at all in his voice… She says that Costas did not like Limassol at all where he has been living for the past 40 years…
`I worked at the port in Limassol. I made a lot of money but I don't want this… My home is Famagusta… Not only 40 but even if 100 years pass, still my home is Famagusta…`
Sevgi Yalman says that Costas came to the Good Friday ceremony but he is more interested in finding footprints from his past… He talks to Sevgi about the people he knew when he was a young boy, when he was newly married… He asks Turkish Cypriots about these friends…
`I know Ismet Kotak very well` he explains to Sevgi… `I think it was the street called Lala Mustafa and in that street we used to play marbles (pirilli) and we used to wrestle… I know Mehmet Shemmedi… I know Mustafa Matsouri and Ali and Fikret…`
When someone says that Ali is a football coach, he remembers that when Ali was playing at the Anorthosis football team he had broken his leg and everyone in Varosha went to visit him to wish him to get well soon…
`Matsouri was a policeman working on the train… There was Zeki whose father was an Arab… There was Murat Kaptan, Dedekko, Fikri, Hashim (Abatay)… I know them all… After the checkpoints opened I come here often, some of my friends died, I felt very sorry for this…`
In the end it is humanity that wins that day in Famagusta, not `nationalism`, even if some people in both communities fail to see that… It is the Famagusta Initiative who worked most for this day and let's hope more follows and these humanitarian encounters multiply to pave our peaceful way towards our common future on this island…
27.4.2014
Photo: Ertan Ince (far left) together with Costas Sophokliou (far right side of photo)...
(*) Article published in POLITIS newspaper on the 25th of May 2014, Sunday.
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