Experiences of loss and identity for Pontian refugees and their descendants were brought to the fore, during a Zoom presentation organised by the Greek Australian Women’s Network, Food For Thought Network (FFTN).
The session, tackling the topic of Intergenerational Trauma of the Pontian Refugee Woman, featured psychologist Sofia Georgiadou, from Kozani Greece as a keynote speaker and was moderated by FFTN founder and chair Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou.
Over 50 participants from Australia, Greece and around the globe attended, while three Greek Australian women of Pontian decent – Roma Siachos, Litsa Athanasidis and Simela Stamatopoulos – narrated their own family stories of uprooting and loss.
The keynote speaker Ms Gergiadou, of Pontian descent also, explained the mechanisms of traumatic experiences, and how these apply in the case of Pontian refugees and their descendants.
The trauma inherited by the second and subsequent generations is referred to as intergenerational trauma.
As explained during the session, intergenerational trauma is primarily passed on via the emotional attachment with parents, with subsequent generations inheriting the trauma through recurring exposure to fear and threat.
The session concluded with an open discussion extending beyond the planned two hours.
“As Greeks […] the past that engulfs us is woven with the pain of war, genocide and displacement: the delicate course of our history fragmented by forces more powerful than us,” says FFTN founder and moderator of the event Ms Athanasiou-Ioannou.
“However, despite the years between, Greeks remain connected to these past events impacting us to this day in ways that are insidious and covert.”
To find more about Food For Thought check their website www.fftn.org.au or contact info@fftn.org.au
