The abandoned and silent today district of Agios Antonios in Limassol, which was once a common place of coexistence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, "comes alive" again through the memories and testimonies of local residents and through rare documents brought to light by the documentary "Agios Antonios - In the footsteps of a country", which is directly linked to the events of modern Cypriot history.
The documentary was implemented in the framework of the European program "Horizon 2020" and the research project "RePAST" (Strengthening European Integration through the Analysis of Conflict Discourses: Revisiting the Past, Anticipating the Future), coordinated by the Department of Communication and Internet Studies of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT).
"After months of academic research work within the framework of the European Project RePAST, which was coordinated by the Department of Communication and Internet Studies of CUT, we felt the need to contribute or 'give back' to the community a part of this research work. We chose to do so in a way that was direct, accessible and understandable. As if we were having a friendly and honest conversation with each other, looking into each other's eyes," says Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication and Internet Studies of CUT, Dr. Dionysis Panos.
Dr Panos notes that "both the subject of RePAST's research, and the content of the documentary itself, relate to a tragically topical issue: the provocation and/or resurgence of conflict in Europe. And at a time when the world around us is changing in a violent way, a look at the recent past and the mistakes made is not only useful but essential."
The documentary chronicles the evolution of historical events during the critical periods that eventually led to the complete withdrawal of Greek Cypriot residents in 1958 and the subsequent withdrawal of Turkish Cypriots in 1974, leaving the formerly bustling symbiotic neighbourhood an empty space today.
"We tried to give colour, aroma, voice, emotions to the space that 'fills' with the memories of people who once fell in love, loved, rejoiced, cried, laughed, created and gave life to this place. And in this way we pass, as the great historian Eric Hobsbawm would say, through the twilight zone, from the negligent exploration of the past to the remembrance of life itself," says project team member Dr. Stella Theocharous.
Dr. Theocharous says that "through conversations with former residents of the neighborhood of Agios Antonios and through testimonies of the time and documents derived from detailed and in-depth historical research, the documentary seeks to explore the question under which conditions peaceful coexistence and mutual respect can give way to rivalry, conflict and violence. The very same question that can be asked about the recent history of the whole of Cyprus as a whole - thus making the story of Agios Antonios a 'miniature' of contemporary Cypriot history."
The director of the documentary, Mr. Kyriakos Droussiotis, says that "the documentary, as a genre in itself, has its own peculiarities and difficulties. It is usually divided into: historical, political, geographical, creative, social, tourist, cultural/cultural, cinema-verité, wordless, contemporary, etc. But they all have one thing in common: they must tell and describe the truth. This documentary can be classified as Historical-Social."
"My biggest challenge, as a director, was the combination of telling the story of a neighbourhood that no longer exists and the memories of its former inhabitants. In other words, I had to visually convey something that does not exist today and show it on screen only through (a) the words of those who lived through the events (b) maps of the area at the time (c) academic and historical research & (d) photographs of beautiful and peaceful times," he adds.
"For me, the most shocking moment was when we visited the neighborhood with one of the former residents of the area who pointed out to us with her hands the exact spot of her house and her family's rooms which is now an empty space," he said, adding that the documentary shows, through images, the contrasts that exist in the area, most prominently the existence of the Jettit Mosque just a few meters from the church of St. Anthony, which are still in their places today, symbolizing the harmonious coexistence of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots at that time."
"The topic inspired me as I am a history lover. We listened to the nostalgic stories of the local people as they experienced them and tried to visualize their memories and bring them back to life. Which is not easy since apart from the Mosque, the church of St. Anthony and the small chapel of St. George the Poor, there is nothing else in this particular place that reminds us of the old neighborhood of St. Anthony," says the Director of Photography of the documentary, Mr. Christodoulos
"Modern drone technology helped me to recreate old aerial photos and maps of the area and highlight the change of the area through the years. The knowledge that this -now- empty space was once teeming with life filled my mind with images that through the interviews I tried to bring to the screen. A good and organized work was done by the whole production team of this historical documentary", concludes Mr. Demetriou.
The music of the documentary was written by composer Petros Kizas. "I didn't know about the invisible neighborhood of St. Anthony even though I went to school there. The history of the neighborhood touched me, especially about how the relationships between the two communities were in the past and how they ended up in the present. I tried to revive this place and its history through my music. The documentary was for me a journey of knowledge, a starting point for creation but also a bridge to convey emotions through my music. I imagined the introduction as a joint dance between the two communities. Together and yet at the same time at a distance from each other. The rhythm at ¾ 'like the rhythm of the medieval song "vier tziai vier" so loved by Marios Tokas whose music was a source of inspiration for me. My whole effort was to convey the alternation of emotions through my music, using but also exploiting at the same time all the functional references of the narrative of the image".
The students of TEPAK, Papazahariaki Irini, Lefteris Papageorgiou, Efraim Lili and Nikoletta Odysseos, will perform live at the event the unpublished song by composer Marios Tokas for the district of Agios Antonios, which can be heard in the documentary, courtesy of the Marios Tokas Foundation. Dr. Efi Ioannidou
The documentary will be screened for the first time on Thursday, March 17, at an event to be held at the CUT, between 19:00 - 21:00, at the "Tassos Papadopoulos" Building (Amphitheatre 1), corner of Themis and Ifigenia Streets, Limassol.
The screening will be followed by a discussion and the Rector of CUT, Professor Panagiotis Zafiris, will address the audience.
For registration and further information, please send an email to christina.fasouli@cut.ac.cy and/or call 25002482.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
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