Smyrna Remembered (1922-2022)
100 years since the Smyrna Catastrophe
A series of events at the Hellenic Centre September to December 2022
Programme
Apollo Cokkinis: Proud Greek, Proud Briton: From Odessa and Smyrna to London and Dorking
Wednesday 21 September, 7pm
Alan Charlton, CMG, CVO and former British diplomat will present his book Apollo Cokkinis – From Odessa To Dorking, An Extraordinary Life (published June 2022) and will talk about the amazing life of Apollo John Cokkinis, son of international Greek opera singers with whom he travelled widely as a child. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
Smyrna My Love
Wednesday 28 September, 7pm
Presentation and launch of George Galdies’s book; a collection of his late father’s thought-provoking memories of Smyrna in the 1920s, and the author’s own narratives on growing up in the Izmir of the mid-twentieth century. Organised by the Levantine Heritage Foundation
The Refugee Lesson: Life in Kokkinia Among the Mikrasiates of 1923
Monday 3 October, 7pm
An illustrated presentation by Prof Renée Hirschon about life in Kokkinia/Nikaia, a settlement created to house Orthodox Christians expelled from their homeland through the Lausanne Convention of 1923. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
SMYRNA DAY: The Promise – An Asia Minor Story
Saturday 29 October, 2pm-3.30pm
A powerful and evocative story inspired by interviews conducted with Asia Minor refugees, written and performed by the award-winning international performance storyteller Anna Conomos-Wedlock. The Promise is a story suitable for both adults and children over the age of 7. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
SMYRNA DAY: Songs of Asia Minor
Saturday 29 October, 5pm
A recital performed by the Kyriakos Gouventas Collective. Kyriakos, the “genius of the violin” will be joined by guitarist-producer Pavlos Melas, brilliant santur prodigy Ioanna Riga and an amazing group of guests. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
Life After Life: Greeks of Istanbul
Thursday 17 November, 7pm
Film screening of Life After Life: Greeks of Istanbul by Dr Gonul Bozoglu and Cem Hakverdi and a follow-up discussion with Dr. Bozoglu who produced and co-directed it. Dr Bozoglu will also talk about the ‘memory map’ project she has been developing as part of her research, a repository of histories and memories of the Greek ‘Rum’ Community of Istanbul. Organised by The Association of Constantinopolitan Greeks in the UK (ACGUK) and The Hellenic Centre.
A Vain Endeavour : Greek Rule in Asia Minor, 1919-1922
Thursday 24 November, 7pm
Dr Victoria Solomonidis-Hunter FKC (UCL) will assess the pioneering work of the Greek Administration of Asia Minor which attempted to govern equitably over a widely disparate population. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
Biennial Andrew David Memorial Lecture – Political Prizes, Human Costs
Wednesday 30 November, 7pm
Delivered by author and journalist Bruce Clark. The speaker drawing on his book Twice A Stranger and subsequent research, explains why a near-total and compulsory population exchange seemed expedient to all the parties at the Lausanne conference – and considers the long-term consequences for both Greece and Turkey. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
Smyrna, September 1922: Memories of “others”
Thursday 1 December, 7pm
A talk by Dr Victoria Solomonidis-Hunter FKC (UCL) consisting of readings from the memoirs of three Americans and one Turk who all witnessed the fire and have written about it. Organised by the Hellenic Centre
The Wake of 1922 in Literature
Thursday 8 December, 7pm
A talk by Dr Natasha Lemos on emblematic works of Greek and Turkish literature inspired by the war of 1919-1922 and its aftermath which continue to shape public perceptions of the events themselves. Organised by the Hellenic Centre