Let's not forget our history- Greeks and everybody!
Being an aspiring concert pianist in London consequently means that networking is a major part of my life- providing that one wishes to become a SUCCESSFUL concert pianist. The benefit in my case is double, firstly as I have been fortunate enough to have met some fantastically interesting people in London so far, but secondly, much as I actually do love getting in touch with new people and learning from them. Every person, case, event, story, can be a lesson- sometimes of vital impact and importance. One of those events and interaction was the yesterday one!
I got an iced coffee (London is being hot these days!), dressed smartly, and made my way to a very special event where I knew that I would meet some very dear Greek friends, as well as making some new ones. My expectations about the milieu and the event itself did not prove wrong at all.
Book presentation: "The Nilufer"-"Το Νιλουφερ" by distinguished Greek author Nikos Kazatzopoulos, hosted by the Hellenic Centre in Marylebone under the auspices of the Pontian Society of the UK. This book encapsulates memories, facts and stories from the Greek-Pontic genocide that happened in Turkey in the beginning of the last century. The author, descendant of one of those families himself, describes with great detail what happened against the indigenous Greek population of the Ottoman Empire, which included massacres, forced deportations involving death marches, summary expulsions, arbitrary execution, and the destruction of Eastern Orthodox cultural, historical, and religious monuments. According to various sources, several hundred thousand Ottoman Greeks died during this period. Most of the refugees and survivors fled to Greece- a few of the author's family members among them. Some, especially those in Eastern provinces, took refuge in the neighbouring Russian Empire. Many of the practices Kemal Ataturk used to eliminate the Greek-Armenian-Christian minorities from the Ottoman Empire were later used as the core of Hitler's policy. That means a lot itself. This book may be considered as a memoir of a family's tragedy, but it indeed describes the pain and suffer of nearly a million people who saw their families splitting and decimating, lost their homes and properties and got forced into a new, miserable life. As the President of the Society and dear friend Ms Kiki Sonidou mentioned, "if we forget our history, we are condemned to experience it again". Let's not ever forget what has happened on this Earth because of hate and cruelty. Bravo President for organising this moving event!
There were there lots of distinguished people from the Greek community across all fields, from arts to politics and science. A fantastic mix!
The President and the Board of Directors of the Pontian Society thought that it would be a good idea to have a dinner afterwards, and I'm very happy and privileged that I was invited, among a very selective and special crowd of guests. We headed to Bayswater, a lovely and affluent part of Kensington with a wealth of Greek and Cypriot restaurants, cafes, and we went to the famous restaurant "Santorini". The table was for only but a few, but all of them were extraordinary: the President of the Pontian Society, the author with his wife, the Greek Ambassador, the Greek Representative of the European Parliament in the United Kingdom Mr Galiatsatos, acclaimed solicitor Mrs Spanopoulou with her husband, and my humbleness. It was an evening to remember. Interacting with people who know so much about life always makes a young man like me a bit wiser. And this is the beauty of meeting people and desiring to learn from them!