CHRISTODOULOS STYLIANOU

I was born in Avgorou, a large village on the southeastern panhandle of the island.  Being the youngest member of a family of nine, I stayed in the village with my parents.
The other six, three brothers and three sisters had already emigrated to London.  The story unfolds as follows:  The six-month old daughter of one of my brothers was left behind and we looked after her.  When my niece was two and a half years of age, I was “asked” to accompany her to London.  So, at the relatively young age of fifteen and a half, I found myself bound for the British capital.  I must explain that it was fairly common at that time, to live apart, for some years at least.  The deplorable financial situation was, of course, the major problem.

I was very happy in Cyprus.  The Lyceum was a lovely school and I was a key player in Avgorou’s football team.  On arrival, I was simply “enticed” to stay.  I can also recall that, at that time, Cypriots were arriving in the UK in large numbers.  Victoria Station was “full of emigrants”.  I joined the Cypriot Youth Club, where I met a lot of other youngsters, who shared the same interests.  We danced, we played football and we participated in various debates.  I soon became accustomed to a “new” way of life, which was so different to what I had become accustomed to.  I was young and it was easy to adapt.

Life, especially for those who could not speak the language, was extremely difficult.  However, our community co-operated, they looked after each other.  We were after all ‘stin xenitia’.  Let me give you one example.  A considerable number of our compatriots, used to frequent the offices of ‘Vema’, our newspaper, and ask for help, regarding the many problems encountered – state benefits, legal and medical issues, housing etc.  In addition, organisations such as the Cypriot Youth Club and the various Cypriot communist party ‘teams’ were housed there.  There was a small ‘kafeneio’ where we simply socialised. 

I also encountered many difficulties – the language problem predominating.  I stayed with my family and I proceeded to join the all-Cypriot progressive organizations.  We encountered first hand the worst kind of racialism.  The so-called ‘teddy-boys’, with their tight trousers and pointed shoes, were roaming the streets.  It was not safe to stay out late if you were on your own.  We also moved in groups and we were extra protective, since we usually had girls with us.  That’s how I met Nina, who would one day become my wife.  We married in 1962 and we now have two daughters – Eleni, who studied biology and is currently a research/lecturer at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, and Maria, who is a mathematician and is now the Vice-Principal at a state secondary school.

When my children were still young, I felt the need that they, together with all the other boys and girls of their own age, should have a ‘place’ where they could learn our language, our customs and our history.  As one of the many volunteers, I did my utmost to consolidate the efforts made by the GPA ‘Greek school of London ’ in Camden Town.  I worked on the minibus, which took pupils to the school from places such as the
Caledonian Road, Stoke Newington, Hackney, Manor House and Seven Sisters Road.  Then we had to take them all back.  We used to collect some 50 pupils.  It was a long day, from 4.30pm to 10.30pm.  Yet, it was enjoyable and rewarding work.

The GPA was the first organised body to start community schools that were housed in the buildings of English schools. I remember, however, one very unpleasant incident.  One headmaster here in Haringey claimed that he had too many Cypriot children in his school and proposed to transfer some to another school in a different area.  We protested and we targeted both his premises and the municipal buildings.  We demanded that such divisive and racist actions should not be allowed to pass.  This is just one example of how hard we fought to preserve the identity of our community schools.  We have to remember, that at the time, the prevalent view held, was the one which stated that if children learnt a second language, they would get confused and it would adversely affect their academic progress.  Surely, this view, has not stood the test of time

Our community here in the UK has certainly moved on.  We have so many scientists who have really excelled in their chosen field.  Surely, the first generation can look back with pride at what they have achieved. Their recent history is a testament to this, and so, “yes, we have done a good job”. The major problem we are facing today is this: ‘How do we preserve our cultural identity’?  The foundations have been laid by the first generation of immigrants.  We have our community schools, our churches, youth clubs, community centres and the Greek orthodox school in South London. However we have lost many first generation Cypriots and we do not have enough volunteers coming forward from the second and third generations. We have to make sure that we are in tune with their views and that we find ways of connecting with and of handing over the responsibility to them It is clear that they love Cyprus and that they wish their children to keep the connection with  it.. We can not achieve all of these on our own. We need the Cyprus government’s contribution. Our schools must receive all the help they can get from the Cypriot authorities; we must have cheap accommodation for our youngsters, so that they can keep in touch with Cyprus; and we need  constructive measures, so that our second and third generations, can feel that they are not neglected, that Cyprus is still there for them.  For our part here in the UK, we must learn to co-operate, to work together for the common good and not against each other.

Repatriation still remains a wish, albeit a distant one, for a lot of our compatriots.  Even here, the government of Cyprus has to offer help, advice etc.  With families expanding, the feeling to return weakens.  In such cases, what we can do is to help our less-advantaged compatriots to cope with all the difficulties which they face in a foreign land. 

My dream now is that the Cypriot Community Centre here in North London continues to look after the hundreds of our compatriots that we look after each week. To offer them a place to meet each other, a hot meal, to supply hot meals to those who are homebound, to take them to hospital etc. I hope that when I am older and in of these services that the Cypriot Community Centre would still be here to welcome me.