2012-05-30 / Features

Genocide Recounted At Pan-Macedonian Society


Genocide was the main topic at the Pan-Macedonian Studies Center who hosted Sophia Kontogeorge Kostos, author of the newly released book, Before the Silence: Archival News Reports of the Christian Holocaust That Begs To Be Remembered. The work is comprised of a collection of newspaper reports documenting the massacres and genocides of Greeks, Armenians and Assyrian minorities who inhabited Asia Minor by the Ottoman Turks and later by the New Turks and Kemalists. As Kostos revealed during a question and answer session these original reports emanated from English language sources and showed that there was a systematic and organized campaign by Turkish authorities to commit genocide. The book attempts to serve as a permanent reminder that the many massacres starting from 1822, and the genocides carried out during the years 1914 through 1923 are a crime against humanity and the memories of the victims should never be forgotten but respected and remembered. Kostos concluded the lecture with the presentation of a copy of the book The Refugee Summer by Edward Fenton to Pan-Macedonian Studies Center Founder Elias Neofytides for inclusion in the center’s Greek American library; the first of its kind in the state. The May 23 lecture was followed by the screening of the documentary film, In The Footsteps Of The Argonauts. The film follows the fortunes of the Greeks living on the Black Sea, with particular emphasis on the City of Trebizond. Trebizond (Trabzon in modern Turkey) was not only the longest surviving of the Byzantine successor states, but also a symbol of the Greek communities which have lived and thrived on the shores of the Black Sea since the 8th century BC. The film was hosted and narrated by renowned Greek actor Kostas Arzoglou, (himself a descendant of the area), who was joined by an international team of experts from Greece, Cyprus and the UK.–Jason D. Antos Photo Jason D. Antos Genocide was the main topic at the Pan-Macedonian Studies Center who hosted Sophia Kontogeorge Kostos, author of the newly released book, Before the Silence: Archival News Reports of the Christian Holocaust That Begs To Be Remembered. The work is comprised of a collection of newspaper reports documenting the massacres and genocides of Greeks, Armenians and Assyrian minorities who inhabited Asia Minor by the Ottoman Turks and later by the New Turks and Kemalists. As Kostos revealed during a question and answer session these original reports emanated from English language sources and showed that there was a systematic and organized campaign by Turkish authorities to commit genocide. The book attempts to serve as a permanent reminder that the many massacres starting from 1822, and the genocides carried out during the years 1914 through 1923 are a crime against humanity and the memories of the victims should never be forgotten but respected and remembered. Kostos concluded the lecture with the presentation of a copy of the book The Refugee Summer by Edward Fenton to Pan-Macedonian Studies Center Founder Elias Neofytides for inclusion in the center’s Greek American library; the first of its kind in the state. The May 23 lecture was followed by the screening of the documentary film, In The Footsteps Of The Argonauts. The film follows the fortunes of the Greeks living on the Black Sea, with particular emphasis on the City of Trebizond. Trebizond (Trabzon in modern Turkey) was not only the longest surviving of the Byzantine successor states, but also a symbol of the Greek communities which have lived and thrived on the shores of the Black Sea since the 8th century BC. The film was hosted and narrated by renowned Greek actor Kostas Arzoglou, (himself a descendant of the area), who was joined by an international team of experts from Greece, Cyprus and the UK.–Jason D. Antos Photo Jason D. Antos

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