Eleni Foka: Teaching in Ayia Triada After the Turkish Invasion

Teacher Eleni Foka, a symbol of resistance, spoke to the Cyprus News Agency (CYPE) about her 23 years of teaching in Ayia Triada, in occupied Cyprus. She humbly states that she obeyed the call of parents and children to remain in the village.

After the Turkish invasion, the school initially operated with the existing teachers, but later there was pressure for their removal. Ms. Foka, responding to the parents' request, undertook to teach the children.

The reopening of the school was difficult, with the building being dilapidated, without electricity, and with damage caused by the Turkish authorities. Ms. Foka described her efforts to keep the school functioning despite the adverse conditions.

She also referred to the solidarity of the children when the Turkish authorities tried to arrest her. The children reacted and stated that they would go with her, forcing the authorities to allow one child to accompany her.

Ms. Foka mentioned the difficulties with textbooks and lessons, as well as the solidarity among the children. Children who finished primary school had to move to the free areas to continue to high school, with parents signing that they would not return.

Her strength, she said, came from weakness, humiliation, and degradation. She expressed grievances about the non-implementation of the Third Vienna Agreement and the treatment she received from the state when she came to the free areas in 1997.

Finally, she stressed the importance of memory and the reclaiming of the occupied territories.