The Greek Festival of Sydney held the launch of “The Greeks of Tashkent” photographic exhibition on Tuesday, May 14 at the Luna Studio Art Gallery in Newtown. The exhibition will run until May 19.
The Greek Civil War (1946-9) marked the lives of most Greeks and devastated the country. When it was over, 12,000 defeated communist fighters became political refugees taking refuge in Tashkent, the present-day capital of post-Soviet Uzbekistan. They settled in 14 local “Greek towns” and by the 1970s, this exiled community had grown to 35,000 men, women and children.
Most of them returned to Greece after the granting of political amnesty in 1981, while some moved to Australia, Canada and the United States following the path of alienation like other members of their families.
The Sydney exhibition featured rare photographic material from the archives of the Tashkent Hellenic Cultural Centre which showcased this history of the Greeks in Tashkent.
Esteemed guests in attendance on the night included the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis; Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Karteris; and President of the Greek Cultural Centre of Tashkent, Costas Politis, who travelled to Sydney for the event.
Mr Politis will also give a talk (in Greek) at the Greek Community Club (206-210 Lakemba St, Lakemba) tonight, delving into the stories of the exiled Greeks of Central Asia, in an effort to portray and research the historical course of a forgotten chapter of the turbulent history of Greece in the 20th century.
Mr Politis will even join Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos during the Greek-Australian Writers’ Festival on Sunday 19 May 2024 (12:00pm – 12:45pm) for a Visual Story Telling on Greeks of Tashkent at Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, UTS.
Photo exhibition details
- Event: “The Greeks of Tashkent” – Photographic Exhibition
- Dates: Tuesday, May 14| 6.30pm, Wednesday May 15 & Thursday May 16 | 12.00pm – 6.00pm, Friday 17 May & Saturday 18 May | 12.00pm – 10.00pm, Sunday, May 19 | 12.00pm – 6.00pm
- Location: Luna Studio Art Gallery | 465 King St, Newtown, NSW 2042
- Entrance: Free (no charge)
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Yannis Dramitinos.
