Cyprus-Forum.com

[conemmanuelle]

[size=18]Greetings from Melbourne, Australia.
I am currently interviewing Cypriots living in Melbourne who were born between 1920 and 1950 for a personal research study about the way things used to be like in Cyprus, before EOKA - before Independance - before the war.

You see I am very concerned that after our parents and grandparents die (mi-gako) so do their wonderful recollections and stories about 'life in Cyprus' during a period that was truly authetic, and genuine in terms of our islands cultural identity. Our parents and grandparents represent the end of an era and are perhaps the last generation who experience the true and authetic life in Cyprus before immigration, war, the EU and globalisation changed the cultural identity for ever. We will never again see the rural, rustic lifestyle of our fathers and forefathers.

So I have decided to capture, write, record and document as many stories about the past as I can. Before I miss my chance and everybody dies.

WHY?
Because I am witnessing the end of an era and way of life.
Because somebody has to do it?
Because it is better to have a first person eyewitness account, than try to remember the facts after a person has died.


WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?
I want to know the answers to these questions?
What was life truly like in the village back then (between 1920 -1950)
What games did young children play? How did they amuse themselves?
What were the relations like between Christian and Muslims in mixed villages?
What did people in the village fear the most?
How did they plan and prepare food to eat?
Did people read and write?
What about law and order?
What were the greatest memories (fondest) about those times?

CAN YOU HELP?
If you have any information - or would like to contribute your own stories (based on your parents and grandparents life and times in the villages of Cyprus between 1920 and 1950, please let me know.
I can do with all the help I can get?
Has anybody else in the history of Cyprus gone to the trouble to record the stories of the past - from the villagers from the past?

It would certainly be nice to hear from you?
Yiasou!
Constantinos Emmanuelle[/size]

[miltiades]

Hi Costantinos , as a 64 year old born in Stroumbi Paphos in 1946 I most certainly have some very clear recollections of what life was way back then . I can tell you about the first radio that we had , the music we used to listen to , the games we played as children , the highlights of village life long before the motor car , my earlier recollections of my late grandfather who died age 104 , the stories I listened to , the food we ate and the methods used to cook , our concerns and most importantly our simple and humble desires all those years ago when even toilet paper was not available !!
My village suffered from the biggest earthquake to strike Cyprus in modern times causing the death of some 22 villagers amongst them my dear mother aged 38 ...
My late father was a master tailor and travelled or rather walked from village to village in search of work , being a communist as he then was , he could only obtain work from fellow ...comrades , oh yes political divisions existed then just as much as they exist now. The old man served a three year prison sentence imposed by the British who administered Cyprus way back then , he shared a cell with Cyprus's most famous poet Tefkros Anthias.
Looking back I can not regret one single moment of my life apart from my mothers premature death , still love and cherish the past just as much I love the present.
Will tell you a few stories and will break them down into "series " promising that the stories will be real and not exclusively personal but based on my own witnessing of events and occurrences back then.

[CBBB]

Hi Costantinos , as a 64 year old born in Stroumbi Paphos in 1946 I most certainly have some very clear recollections of what life was way back then . I can tell you about the first radio that we had , the music we used to listen to , the games we played as children , the highlights of village life long before the motor car , my earlier recollections of my late grandfather who died age 104 , the stories I listened to , the food we ate and the methods used to cook , our concerns and most importantly our simple and humble desires all those years ago when even toilet paper was not available !!
My village suffered from the biggest earthquake to strike Cyprus in modern times causing the death of some 22 villagers amongst them my dear mother aged 38 ...
My late father was a master tailor and travelled or rather walked from village to village in search of work , being a communist as he then was , he could only obtain work from fellow ...comrades , oh yes political divisions existed then just as much as they exist now. The old man served a three year prison sentence imposed by the British who administered Cyprus way back then , he shared a cell with Cyprus's most famous poet Tefkros Anthias.
Looking back I can not regret one single moment of my life apart from my mothers premature death , still love and cherish the past just as much I love the present.
Will tell you a few stories and will break them down into "series " promising that the stories will be real and not exclusively personal but based on my own witnessing of events and occurrences back then.

Not the story of your voyage to the UK again, please!

[paliometoxo]

tell us the story i did not hear it and how it was for you in cyprus int he 60's

[CBBB]

tell us the story i did not hear it and how it was for you in cyprus int he 60's

Don't encourage him, please!

[paliometoxo]

lol but it interests me to hear stories for people who where alive in those times. not that it was very long ago but its good to hear it.

[miltiades]

I have so many stories to tell not least the events following the biggest earthquake to strike Cyprus in modern times and actual events that happened following the April 1st 1955 commencement of the liberation struggle.

[Gasman]

Interests me too Militiades - so consider this post as more 'encouragement'!

Are you going to post them on this thread, or will you be starting a new thread for them?

[RichardB]

Interests me too Militiades - so consider this post as more 'encouragement'!

Are you going to post them on this thread, or will you be starting a new thread for them?

A New Thread!!!!

We'll need a new forum

[paliometoxo]

my family dont like to talk about it, i feel weird asking them to tell me, just a few stories by my uncles and grand perants about the war before and after. my uncle says his friend tried to shoot a turkish plane down with a Gun one of those really old guns they used to use and that he nearly got them killed and other stories like that, but not many.

when iw as younger it was normal for families to keep a cobourd full of guns.

LOL richard, in england it used to be that all males had to do army time like in cyprus?