Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

PARENTS of children attending a local primary school in Paphos were horrified to learn a school celebration for the April 1 holiday this week was to include a specially constructed set of gallows, illustrating how British colonial forces ended the lives of members of EOKA.

However, the headmaster of Konia school was yesterday quick to reassure them after parents complained to the school that showing how a rope was used to hang EOKA fighters might set the wrong example for playground games and distressing younger pupils.

“I spoke with some of the parents on Monday who had asked me if we intended to use a rope during our commemoration event. I said I would discuss it with other members of staff,” Menelaos Pitsillides said.

The school has now decided not to use a rope during tomorrow’s event. “We will just have the pictures of the nine heroes which will be on an angled piece of wood and the children will light candles for them.”

April 1 marks the independence of Cyprus from British colonial rule. EOKA started a guerrilla style campaign against British colonial rule, which was aimed at self-determination and union with Greece, on April 1, 1955.

“I just wish they would stop frightening children like this,” one mother of two children at the school said after seeing the gallows that had been specially created. “But the fact that my husband is English makes it all so much more difficult to handle when they come home from school and say that Daddy’s people were murderers.”

She continued: “sure, we should be teaching our children the story of the problems we have had with colonialism but not in this horrific manner, I would rather keep my children away from school than have this sort of stuff being taught, my kids are still at an age when they don’t really have any reasoning powers and they will just believe everything an authority figure says to them. It’s so wrong to keep this hate going, it should stop.”

A father of two other young students - also Cypriot - agreed. “I don’t want my kids to be filled with the same poison that I was at school. I know there were awful things going on, and that terrible things were done to people and many cannot or should not forget that, but what good is it to make children hate so young?”

He continued, “I think this sort of thing will start bullying in the playground and even worse, all it needs is a kid to start a game which has a rope and a tree handy and we will have another tragedy; it’s dangerous on so many different levels.”

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/prima ... n/20110330

[Sotos]

oh ... so those who occupy parts of Cyprus want us to forget about it? Not happening. Sorry. If you don't want us to hate you then take your troops off our island and let Cyprus be free. No other way around it.

[quattro]

oh ... so those who occupy parts of Cyprus want us to forget about it? Not happening. Sorry. If you don't want us to hate you then take your troops off our island and let Cyprus be free. No other way around it.

Its not about forgetting Sotos is just about teaching our kids the right history the right way .

You learn the Zallongos dance history from a book did anyone took you to the escarpment to dance it .

[kurupetos]

oh ... so those who occupy parts of Cyprus want us to forget about it? Not happening. Sorry. If you don't want us to hate you then take your troops off our island and let Cyprus be free. No other way around it.

Its not about forgetting Sotos is just about teaching our kids the right history the right way .

You learn the Zallongos dance history from a book did anyone took you to the escarpment to dance it .

What?

[bill cobbett]

Well there are ways of teaching history ... and there are ways of teaching history.. and we are talking about children at a very impressionable age, and such a measure may well have a psychological effect that isn't intended, and which goes way past history, let's not take the risk of emotionally damaging children please.

... and where's the limit to this teaching method?

Should we dig up some charred remains from the napalming of Tylliria in "63 as Lesson 2?

[Get Real!]

If a play depicting hangings horrifies the Cyprus Mail staff 50 years on, imagine the horrific REAL experiences of the victims and their families!

[CBBB]

I was quite happy when my son came home from Demotiko one day and told me that he had learnt that he had two countries. I said yes Britain and Cyprus, he said "No, Cyprus and Greece".

I hope the idiots that run our education system have got past this shit!

History is one thing, propaganda (as Halil knows), is something else.

[ZoC]

April 1 marks the independence of Cyprus from British colonial rule.

isn't it the mother of all ironies that cyprus celebrates its "independence" from colonial rule on april fools day? that woz some joke... though not a very practical one.

[humanist]

I'd like some clarity here. There was a comment in hallil's post that said EOKA fighters formed a guerilla type organisation to free Cyprus from the British colonialists. True. But I do not recall being taught that at the same time there was a move during that time for Enosis. I believe that the failed enosis movement was the aim of Eoka B which of course and thankfully failed otherwise we'd be broke like Greece today. Any clarity would be appreiated and its 6.30am now here am not about to call my dad to see what he learnt as a child back then.

[Sotos]

April 1 marks the independence of Cyprus from British colonial rule.

isn't it the mother of all ironies that cyprus celebrates its "independence" from colonial rule on april fools day? that woz some joke... though not a very practical one.

Actually Independence day is October 1st. Cyprus-Mail is misinforming people.