51 Years of Occupation: Memories and Nostalgia of Second-Generation Refugees

The Turkish Invasion of 1974 marked Cyprus, leaving behind a generation of refugees. A second generation, born after the invasion, grows up with the memories and nostalgia of the occupied territories.

Born in Trachoni, Limassol, a woman shares her childhood memories of refugee homes and her mother's stories from Varosha, before the second Invasion on August 14. Her mother, working at the "Loiziana" hotel, was forced to abandon the city.

Her mother's stories about Varosha, Panagia Chrysospiliotissa, and the "Loiziana" hotel were transformed into her own images. In the fifth grade, in an exhibition with the theme "Traveling on a Cloud," she chose to travel to the occupied territories, conveying greetings to the mermaid of the "Loiziana" and praying for liberation.

At school, the students, mostly "displaced persons," marked their villages on the map. "I Don't Forget and I Struggle" was everywhere around them, with events dedicated to the occupied land. The Occupation has reached 51 years, with the barbed wire integrated into the Cypriot land and Pentadaktylos bearing the crescent flag.

The relay race of memory continues, with the children of 1985 having their own children. Memory, as an experience and heritage, is a way of resistance and a point of reference.