Tracing our roots
It’s strange, but in comparison to the Greek War of Independence, whose bicentennial was celebrated last year but did not seem to stir much public enthusiasm for history, the 100-year anniversary of the 1922 Asia Minor Catastrophe has prompted a lot of often intense debate. And this is not just among history buffs and experts, but also among people with only an occasional interest in the subject. Conversation is rampant over what happened, who took the right or wrong decisions, or the stance of the Great Powers. Books addressing this period are selling remarkably well and, the best thing about it all, many younger Greeks are showing an interest in learning about what happened.
Perhaps the difference with 1821 is that this chapter of history touches us all on a more personal level. Almost every family has some roots in Asia Minor or Pontus on the Black Sea. Most Greeks have grown up hearing stories from their grandparents of the dramatic events of that time, or of life as a refugee. For most, the impact of the stories was emotional and did not stir the need to inquire further. The protagonists and historical setting were left to gather dust on the shelves of the collective subconscious. The trauma was too deep to allow a sober analysis. Even the most timid academic forays into the role of certain individuals, like the governor general of Smyrna, Aristeidis Stergiadis, stirred controversy and led to arguments between a handful of experts, away from the general public.
Personally, I have always felt compelled to ask questions and learn more about this period of Greece’s history. The memory of driving from Izmir to the suburbs of Ankara remains deeply etched in my mind. I made this road trip in the summer and enjoyed the safety of a car, but I could not help thinking how reckless the endeavor was or the hardships of the people who spent 10 years fighting on different fronts.
People who care about our history and who want to see it conveyed to the younger generations will find the Benaki Museum’s ongoing exhibition on the subject very illuminating. It is excellent and worthwhile for people looking for real and emotional connections, but also for lovers of history. It features uniforms of the Greeks of Pontus and Cappadocia, reproductions of typical, middle-class Greek homes in Smyrna, personal items belonging to Eleftherios Venizelos, the uniform of General Nikolaos Plastiras and so much more. A big “bravo” is due to curator Evita Arapoglou and the Benaki team. And, most importantly, make sure to take the kids and grandkids along.
Historian Paschalis Kitromilides put it best when he said that we need to stop maintaining a distance with things that happened somewhere, because the history of Hellenism is incomplete without Asia Minor. It may have been lost ethnologically, but it remains with us as a spiritual legacy and as a historical memory, he says.
