Before nationalism and conflict, from the 1930s to 1950s, many Greek and Turkish Cypriots lived peacefully together.
This period in time saw deep friendships formed and strong intercultural practices and traditions present in society, evidenced by people speaking each other’s language, attending each other’s schools, working together, sharing in each other’s celebrations and entering the religious house of the ‘other’. There were even instances of inter-cultural marriage, becoming koumbaroi, and milk mothers – all of which paint a picture of a, once, harmonious and integrated society.
On Thursday, Stephanie Elisabeth Jacobs will give further insight into these largely hidden stories of friendship between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in a free open seminar at Melbourne’s Greek Centre as part of the Greek Community of Melbourne’s history and culture series.
An Australian government public servant with a professional and academic background in international relations, Jacobs will draw from her research as part of her PhD studies at Flinders University in which she explores the relationships between Greek and Turkish Cypriots from formerly mixed villages of Cyprus.
The seminar is being made possible with the sponsorship of H. and M. Asproftas.
‘Milk and Honey: The Hidden Stories of Friendship Between Greek and Turkish Cypriots’ will be presented at the Greek Centre (168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC) on Thursday 31 May at 7.00 pm.