The topic of the exiled community of Greek political refugees to the city of Tashkent is set to take centre stage in two upcoming events in Sydney, which will also feature the participation of the President of the Greek Cultural Centre of Tashkent, Costas Politis.
The two initiatives, which are part of this year’s Greek Festival of Sydney (organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW), will put a spotlight on how the near 12,000 communist fighters created a community for themselves in Tashkent following the Greek Civil War (1946-49).
The first event is a photographic exhibition titled “The Greeks of Tashkent” that will showcase rare archival materials capturing the community as they settled in the present-day capital of post-Soviet Uzbekistan,
The community notably grew to roughly 35,000 people in 14 local “Greek” towns by the 1970s before many returned to Greece after the granting of political amnesty in 1981, with others moving to Australia, Canada and the United States.
These materials come from the archives of the Greek Cultural Centre of Tashkent and will be on display during 14-19 May 2024 at the Luna Studio Art Gallery in Newtown.
The second initiative will consist of a talk in Greek by Costas Politis on 15 May, 6.30pm, at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba as he elaborates on the stories of the exiled Greeks, shedding light on this chapter of 20th century Greece.
Harry Danalis, President of the GOC of NSW, stated that the Community awaits Politis’ visit with “great interest” as he explores a somewhat forgotten part of Greek history.
“It will also provide the opportunity to strengthen relations between the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW and the Greek Cultural Centre of Tashkent” said the GOC of NSW President.
Nia Karteris, the Festival Chair, said “we are particularly proud that the Greek Festival of Sydney gives the opportunity to other Greeks of the Diaspora to present the history of their communities through events of quality and intercultural respect”.
Politis will also speak on this topic during the Greek-Australian Writers’ Festival on 19 May, with him to be joined by Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos as he takes part in the session titled “Visual Storytelling: The Greeks of Tashkent”.
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