Monument of Cypriot fighters of E.O.K.A.

What I can see

The sculpture, created by Aristides Patsoglou, is dedicated to the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA). It is an expressionist sculpture and the human figures are a reflection of the artist’s thinking. It has an irregular shape, with human figures both inside and outside the core of the sculpture. This is probably how he wanted to symbolize the bodies and souls of people, the dead who sacrificed themselves and the living today. A little further away, on a marble base, there is a column with the names of Greek dead who fought in Cyprus in 1974, during the Turkish invasion, and is a work by Linos Kydoniatis.

What I can't see

EOKA was a Greek Cypriot guerrilla organization that aimed to free Cyprus from British colonial rule, achieve self-determination in Cyprus, and later its union with Greece, something the Turkish Cypriot community was totally against. It was very active during 1955 and 1959 under the nationalist and fanatical anti-communist Georgios Grivas. With the recruitment of many young people into the organization, EOKA was behind many bombings and sabotages. This was followed by the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus with a government of Archbishop Makarios, which included both EOKA members and Turkish Cypriots. The political instability that followed, the unilateral change of the constitution by Makarios and the gradual weakening of the idea of ​​union with Greece led to the return of Grivas and the establishment of EOKA ΙΙ. EOKA ΙΙ was behind many attacks on government buildings, Makarios himself, the left-wing party of Cyprus (AKEL) and Turkish Cypriots. Together with the junta-ruled Greek military forces and the Cypriot National Guard, they carried out the coup against Makarios, which gave Turkiye the opportunity to invade the island and occupy 1/3 of its territory, which remains under occupation to this day.

Info

• Address: Iofontos & Vas. Alexandrou St.

Bibliography