Eleni Foka: Memories from Agia Triada After the 1974 Turkish Invasion

Teacher Eleni Foka, speaking to CNA, shared her experiences of teaching in Agia Triada after the 1974 Turkish invasion. She taught the children of the enclaved for 23 years, during a period of great difficulty and pressure.

Ms. Foka described the adverse conditions, such as the state of the school without electricity and with damage caused by the Turkish authorities. She referred to the efforts to reopen the school with the help of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus and the solidarity of the children.

She spoke of incidents of intimidation and harassment by the Turkish authorities, as well as the difficulties in providing education, with limited books and lessons. Children who finished elementary school had to move to the free areas to continue to high school, often under adverse conditions.

Eleni Foka expressed her disappointment at the non-implementation of the Third Vienna Agreement and at the treatment she received from the state when she came to the free areas in 1997. Nevertheless, she continues to fight for the preservation of memory and the claim of the occupied territories.

"It is impossible to forget the invasion and the occupation. They are the graves of our parents, it is our culture. We must claim them," Ms. Foka emphasized.