In November 1974, Doros Partasides, then a cameraman, set out for London on what was meant to be a short break from Cyprus. More than half a century on, that journey has become a lifetime, and the photographs he took of the island’s human drama that year now form part of its historical record. Ahead of the publication of his new English-language book, Cyprus Through My Lens, he spoke to Politis to the Point about memory, images and the place of Cypriots in British public life.
Leaving Cyprus in November 1974
Partasides was married to a Cypriot from London. When an officer came to the couple’s home to investigate him, for reasons he says he is still trying to establish, his wife was deeply frightened. They had a young family, and her relatives were all in London.
He took three weeks’ leave from his work as a cameraman so the family could be together.
“The three weeks have not yet ended,” he says. It has now been 52 years.
A photographic record of 1974
The images Partasides captured in 1974 have become his signature. They document the refugees, the island’s religious heritage, the homeless and the green line, and above all the human cost of that year.
He returned to the buffer zone six or seven times, photographing both inside and outside the line in Nicosia running from Paphos Gate to Ermou Street.
Today, he notes, those photographs are regarded as historical, and they continue to draw interest from groups in the United States and, mainly, in Britain.
Cyprus Through My Lens: the new book
His new book, published in English under the title Doros Partasides: Cyprus Through My Lens, is divided into five sections. It opens with archaeology and culture, moves to the coastline and landscape of Cyprus, then to culture and the wider world, then to religion, and closes with his photographs of 1974.
The book is in its final stages, with completion expected within about a week. Partasides credits his daughter, who has worked closely on the project.
He expects a presentation in Cyprus, as with his previous work, which was presented in cooperation with the Press and Information Office and CyBC.
Books placed in libraries, universities and parliaments
For Partasides, a book is not only a record but a tool of advocacy. His earlier work, Makarios: The Man, The Bishop, The President, was distributed to 400 libraries in London, and another title on the division of Cyprus was placed in public libraries across the city. He sends his books to leading universities, each accompanied by a personal letter.
He has also given more than a hundred copies to politicians, including presidents of parliamentary committees and European Commission figures.
One of his books was presented at the European Parliament, where 55 Members of the European Parliament attended, along with European Commissioners. Partasides recalls that then-Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou remarked that nothing like it had been held there before.
In conversation: the diaspora then and now
How does the Cypriot diaspora of 50 years ago differ from today’s?
“Fifty years ago, the community was always aligned with the Cypriot parties. The personalities have changed. A younger generation came forward, but they too have grown older and remain in their positions. So our attitude is still the party attitude of Cyprus. Instead, we need leaders who encourage young people graduating in politics to join the British parties, if we want to act in the politics of this country. We are outside. We are in the corridor. Decisions are made inside the British parties.”
Do Cypriots in Britain have a voice in Parliament?
“We have friends and acquaintances among parliamentarians, mainly in North London, and our vote matters to them. But the vote comes every five years. Politics is every day. In the two and a half years since this government took office, the Cyprus issue has not been raised. We may send letters, testimonies and statements, but it is different to be present in the Mother of Democracy, the British Parliament.”
Is it a false impression that loyalty to Cypriot parties prevents the community from taking a more active role?
“Some 80 to 85 per cent of the community follows the parties of Cyprus. The left wing of the Labour Party is very strong, and today it is in government. That is where the strength should be.”
What should be done to strengthen the role of the diaspora?
“Those who come from Cyprus must engage with purpose. They must be involved in the politics of this country and keep the Cypriot position high, as other communities do. The Jewish and Indian communities have a large number of MPs. When I look at elections, municipal or parliamentary, I see candidates from every country, and I feel that our community is not represented.”
How different are elections in Britain from those in Cyprus?
“Here, you have to knock on the door, speak to the voter, call them, and ask them to vote. In Cyprus, elections happen in cafés and restaurants and on television. Here, the voter waits for you at the door to tell you their problem.”
Cyprus in the international press
Partasides is a member of the Foreign Press Association in London, which counts some 600 foreign journalists from 160 countries. His presence there, he explains, is a matter of principle.
“If I am not there, where would they hear about Cyprus?”
