Eleana Vasiliades, TURKISH INVASION 1974 (DOCO 2021)

In August 1974, 200,000 Greek Cypriots were forced to abandon their homes and literally run for their lives in Cyprus. My parents and brothers included. These photos were taken in October 2018 when I travelled to Cyprus to visit my family. The man pictured in the photos (wearing a hat) is my Father, Artemis Papacosta. He made my wish come true and took me to their village (Vatili) so I can bring to life all the stories I've heard growing up. It was hard to watch my dad knocking on HIS front door and ringing the doorbell of HIS house in the hope that the new "owner" will let us in, so he could show me around. Unfortunately, nobody was home. We could only see the backyard through a side crack (as pictured-4forbiddenentry). The village cemetery was destroyed and most tombstones vandalised by the Turks. We felt pretty lucky finding my Grandfather's tombstone cross intact (pictured-3mygrandfatherstombstone). The village church which was run my Great Grandfather, "Papa Costa", has been vandalised and stripped bare. 46 years of ILLEGAL OCCUPATION which has caused cultural destruction and a violation of human rights #wewillneverforget

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