ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

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Name (Ονοματεπώνυμο): Akansoy Huseyin / Ακανσού Χουσεΐν
Sex (Φύλο): Male (Άνδρας)
Year of Birth (Έτος Γέννησης): Before (Πριν το) 1960
Place of Birth (Τόπος Γέννησης): Famagusta (Αμμόχωστος)
Nationality (Ιθαγένεια): Cypriot (Κυπριακή)
Community (Κοινότητα): Turkish-Cypriot (Τουρκοκυπριακή)
Occupation (Επάγγελμα): Private Employee (Ιδιωτικός Υπάλληλος)
Refugee (Πρόσφυγας): No (Όχι)
Language (Γλώσσα Καταγραφής): English (Αγγλική)
Related to Killed or Enclaved or Missing persons (Σχετίζεται με Σκοτωμένους ή Εγκλωβισμένους ή Αγνοούμενους): Yes (Ναι)
Serving the army in some capacity at the time (Υπηρετούσε στο στρατό με κάποια ιδιότητα κατά την περίοδο εκείνη): No (Όχι)
Lived in Refugee Camp (Έζησε σε Προσφυγικό Καταυλισμό): No (Όχι)


Nikoletta Christodoulou: So are you considered a refugee?
Huseyin Akansoy: No, because my village is at the North.
R: So you didn’t have to leave.
H: Yeah, I didn’t leave there. But now I am living in Kyrenia. So somehow I am a refugee [laughs] But my place is from Limassol, I have been placed in Kyrenia.
R: Okay, I would like you to tell me things you know about that period in Cyprus. That we call the Cyprus problem – from 1960 or before that, to ’74 and after that. But what are some of the things? Or experiences, things that you’ve heard from family members about that.
H: Okay, I was born in 1956 as I said a moment ago. And since I was born,  I have been hearing from my parents and the people around me that Cyprus is a country where the clashes always carried on.  [rearrangement of seating] My parents used to tell me when I was 1 and a half years old, in ’58 the clashes between the two communities, between British army here – we were taken by my father to Famagusta, the big city, in order to protect us. So, since I was born, we have always been through those clashes, problems.  Lots of things that we couldn’t set up, good relations between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, couldn’t produce good neighborhood relations between us.  From fanatics of other side. So, when I come to 17, 18 years of age I just completed my secondary education in Famagusta. 1974 the Turkish invasion started at that time. Before that, a small village, I mean we were 100 people from youngest to oldest in Maratha.
R: Turkish Cypriots?
H: Just Turkish Cypriots. We had [unclear] [6:06] very small Turkish villages as well next to each other. And altogether the population was 200, the 3 villages. We were surrounded by the Greek Cypriot villages but we had very good relations with those people. We had to, we had no other chance. We had animals, we were milking the animals, giving the milk to the cooperative. We harvest our wheat and….whatever, and gave them to the cooperatives. All Greek Cypriots, this was how it worked at the time. So we had lots of good relations, we knew each other…
R: You also had your own shops as well or Greek Cypriots?
H: No, no. We didn’t have. We were going to the Greek villages. We used to go there and shop at the time.  From that time up til now, I cannot reason why those things happen, why nobody….protect Turkish people or in some cases, Turkish people did the same thing for the Greek Cypriot neighbors. At that day, Greek Cypriots from our neighbor village came to Maratha and took us as prisoners.
R: When was that?
H: The first day of the invasion. 20th of July. They were using the excuse that there were some Greek Cypriots as prisoners in Turkish army. So they have to keep us as, you know, the exchange. Okay, that’s understandable [laughs]. But they gathered all the people, women and children as well. We argued a lot to convince them to let women and children go back to the villages. We used to think, at least they are safe. They are at home, so whatever would happen, would happen for us. So, I don’t want to carry on the story…
R: So you had, your father, your mother…
H: I had 2 sisters, 2 brothers, my father and mother. My mother, 2 sisters, 2 brothers were sent to the villages. We were taken to the [unclear] in Famagusta, that was a military camp [10:05]. And then on the day of second invasion, that was the 14th of August, we were taken to Limassol. At that day, a big catastrophe has been experienced in our village. We didn’t know that at the time. They took us in the lorrys. We knew that Turkish army was moving, but there was no indication that there was village would be massacred at the time. We learned that later.
R: That was in Limassol.
H: Me and my father, of course, in Limassol. And I heard it in Limassol. Two people were talking to each other, two people I don’t know them. Apparently they had a radio, a small radio at the camp, and they used to listen to Bayrak, the Turkish radio.
R: And that was in the North that happened, the massacre?
H: Yeah. They used to talk to each other, they talk about the massacre taken in those small villages in the North. I couldn’t understand it very well, but I turn to ask what they are talking about. And they somehow understood I am one of those villages. They deny it, they say no, no, no nothing has happened, you are wrong.
R: The villages you come from?
H: Yes. Of course, those are the news, you cannot keep them …. and very soon as it happened, when we were there, we learned that yes, some nasty things had happened. They killed people, children. How many? They killed everyone? Are there still people who are living? And I spent 72 days in Limassol camp. About one month or 40 days, I kept thinking who is living, who has died without knowing exactly what has happened.
R: So you were wondering about the rest of your…
H: Yeah, of course! My mother, two sisters, two brothers were at the village. And they were subject o anything might happen there. So after 72 days it was my turn to be exchanged.  We were taken to Nicosia.
R: After 72 days?
H: After 72 days. Cause I spent 72 days in Limassol. I spent 24 days in Karaolos. Altogether 96 days or something like that. My father had been released a month ago from me. So I insist on him that inform me whatever has happened in the village. So the United Nations, whatever, we had some contacts.  But no information…..so you get in the mood that [pauses]…something real bad happened there. But you still need to keep hope that one of your brothers or sisters is alive, or your mother is alive. And when I got back here, of course my father hugged me. And he burst in cries, tears, and I understood that everything is gone. At that year, I graduated from secondary school. I set for the university entrance examinations. And my main ambition is to be a veterinarian surgeon. Why? Because of our livelihood, in our gardens we had cows, goats, sheep, and everything. And I really liked them, I just wanted to be a veterinarian surgeon to be, better farming or whatever. And when I got back, the university entrance exam results were ready, I was given a card that I [mumbles] [16:51], there was no people. So, I carried on, studying veterinarian surgeon. Because my father said, okay, this situation, these conditions, I don’t believe that you can manage. But. Just try. It’s a different atmosphere.  You will find different friends, but it might be good for you to be there. I took his word and I went to Istanbul.
R: That was a year after the massacre?
H: 3 months later. I think it was the end of October that I was released from the camp, 1974. The first week of November, I was in Istanbul. I was trying to enroll, trying to my registration in the university. They were saying you are too late, it’s finished. Go back. And I explained, this and that situation, I accepted them and made my registration. And I carried on. The reason I could manage to finish, complete my studies, my wife actually. Because I engaged the first year with a girl from Limassol, that I met her father in the camp, and we met in Kyrenia, and we married later.
R: Turkish Cypriot?
H: Yeah, Turkish Cypriot. She has been a work motivation for me, academic…she was going to teacher, and I used to think. Okay, she’s going to be a teacher. What are we going to be. And if you leave the school, so, you know, that was a good motivation for me. And of course that atmosphere that I was also in in Istanbul was also encouraging, for study. I had lots of friends. So, I became a veterinarian surgeon, and of course, at that time, I completed my studies in ’80. 1980. And at that time in our side, there were no pets. People were not having cats or dogs, things like that. And only veterinarian services that would belong to the government were giving service to the people who had animals. I applied there but I was a communist [laughs], because I had been in the front of the student movement in Istanbul. I always fought against the hatedness, racism, against atrocities. I have always been in the struggle for reuniting Cyprus. So, you are an unwanted person. But they didn’t give any position in the government [chuckles], so I shifted because my wife was teacher, I shifted to teaching. I make my Masters degree, PhD, and then I am a teacher now. [laughs]
R: Your wife was as well?
H: In education, so we are colleagues [laughs]
R: Did you want to come back to Cyprus after Istanbul…
H: Yeah, because my wife was here. Memories were here, friends. The people in Istanbul that we were fighting, for a purpose, for a aim, are all here. There was no chance to keep my wife away from Cyprus.
R: The massacre that happened, how did it affect you? Did it make you be more activist?
H: When you first learn….my position had been different from other people. People have missing in their family. Different psychology, different mood. I can understand … so they still don’t know. Are they killed? Or are they living, there are lots of rumors coming here and there. I saw him living in Ankara, Greek Cypriots for example. Istanbul, he married someone. There are lots of rumors. But we knew…10 days later from the massacre, that they’re found the people. So, we know where they are. We know where they’re buried. A statue was made for them, so. It’s finished. You know them, they are there. Of course the first days…[pauses] you are furious. You are in a great anger. For who are those people who committed those crimes. I myself have always…I could manage to differentiate, not to blame the Greek Cypriots as a whole. I never believed that a nation could be wholly bad or good. That was my conscious at the time. But I am still very angry for those people who committed. I don’t want…doesn’t matter those guys are Turkish Cypriot or Greek Cypriot. They shouldn’t die without getting punishment. At least they should come, say sorry for whatever they’ve done to these 2 communities. But lately my reaction turn into something else. I found out we have to struggle against those things and we have to struggle to find peace on this island. Otherwise, our children, our grandchildren, and their children we will subject it any problem, any time, if we cannot find a solution to the Cyprus problem. And now it’s not very promising unfortunately. I’m not very much excited for what’s going on intercommunal talks at the moment.
R: Do you know before 1974, what happened, ’63…
H: ’64…
R: ’64, were you…
H: I was about 7, 8 years old. At that time, I was not at the age to identify things or make everything clear in my mind. But later on you hear things, study, read, you are told some things that you learn in schools. It’s always been one sided narration, so you get some idea. Until you reach certain point of age and understand, if you are willing to understand what’s happened to Cyprus. It is always sad that in our circles, imperialism to blame. Okay, I do not deny that. But I also say that we Cypriots couldn’t find a way to protect ourselves, to protect our neighbors against any fanatical movements. Any irrelevant ideologies, TMT in Turkish side, EOKA B particularly in South, has influenced community lives. And unfortunately they reached their aim and divided the island. This is very sad to say, but not very easy to make it reverse, make it otherwise.
R: Why?
H: Why…the only power that we have is intercommunal talks. And very recently, two progressive leaders have power. I myself believed that they would manage to do something, at least better, that could have reached to some point. To reach a solution. But we can see now, where are we? Nobody knows, we are almost nowhere. Because with Eroglu on our side, we do not have any way to go, [unclear] [30:42]
R: What is the problem, why do you think Cyprus is always like this…so it starts with the conflict, now we don’t know where we are.
H: As I said, there are some circles insisting on the impact of imperialism, British colonialism. [31:05] Whatever, United States imperialism.  But the main thing I think is the ideologies. Greek Cypriots had the ideology to be united with Greece. They call it enosis.  Turkish Cypriots had the idea of making it….at least, they knew at least they don’t have chance to unite Turkey with Cyprus, to at least have partition, to divide it and half half of Cyprus. Those two ideologies played a very important role. And we’re at this point at the moment. We don’t have any powerful weapons to fight against them.
R: You mean weapons weapons, or…
H: Not religion weapons [laughing] because I observe that most Greek Cypriots are not ready to share the power with Turkish Cypriots. I mean, the number of Greek Cypriots is very rare, who can accept a Turkish Cypriot as a president of a united Cyprus. On the other hand, there are lots of Turkish Cypriots, they are very happy of getting their Greek Cypriot properties. And just pretending that those properties are paper. They own them, because they shed blood and conquered.  Both sides there are great problems, those are ideologic , they are not always ideologic though, problems – interests. Sometimes the interests are very far apart from each other. That’s how I somehow lost my excitement over reaching a solution, finding peace here. Are we in a peace here? I don’t think that we are living in peace here, unless we reach a solution, and agreement, a concrete agreement, we’re not in the peace. There is always a possibility that we can face…these problems with each other.
R: What would be a good solution do you think?
H: The Annan Plan for me, was a good chance for the communities. We missed it, because there are very big players, Turkey for example. I am not sure if Turkey would come to the same point as she was during 2004. I am trying to follow the politics there and I can understand that playing time, they are playing  a game actually, a blaming game. Greek Cypriots, or the Greek side…Greece is guilty….we are trying our best, we are one step forward, and they are not coming to any settlement. At least I can say that we are not at the position of 2004, Annan Plan period.
R: We are better now or worse?
H: Getting worse now.
R: What about the settlers who come from Turkey, is that an additional problem?
H: Yes. Definitely. They increase the problem. They make the problem absolute. If you follow, I don’t know if you follow. Some time ago, the Turkish prime minister was in the north, a month ago. He was giving a speech and saying that you Turkish Cypriots do not give birth as much as I want you to, so I will send you more people to get to the population of Greek Cypriots. What he is trying to do is make the populations similar, to equalize the population. This is a real danger for Cyprus. And we don’t know our population, we don’t know how many we are, as original Turkish Cypriots. So this is making the situation get worse and worse every day, I can say that. And I fear of that, of course, I scare of it.
R: Let me go back to that era. So when you are in elementary school, you were in Maratha. And
H: And when I was of age, I went to Famagusta, that was secondary.
R: It was Turkish Cypriot…
H: All Turkish Cypriot.
R: Language was Turkish.
H: Turkish, yes. We had English, French lessons as foreign languages.
R: But were there also mixed schools?
H: No. I don’t been to any mixed schools. We don’t have any mixed school in that area. Not in Famagusta, not in Maratha. I know there were other places where they had mixed schools, perhaps up to 1960’s, I don’t know. After that, they separated. There were mixed villages up to ’74, I know some that I really admire them for protecting each other. There is a village called Lapithos, that is not Lapta – different Lapithos that is in Famagusta district. They were mixed village. What was it – Dali, in South. And those villages protected each other. Lapithos, when Greek Cypriots came, the Greek Cypriot villagers stood open to….those Turkish Cypriots are our villagers, our neighbors, you cannot touch them unless you kill us. And the same thing happened in other places. We couldn’t show this approach everywhere, in every place.
R: Were you effected when the coup, the military coup from Greece happened, were you effected at that point?
H: That was on 15th of July. 5 days later, that was the excuse of the Turkish invasion anyway. I remember in our village people were very anxious about it. They didn’t know what was going to happen with them. Okay, now Greek Cypriots are fighting between each other…this is something between Greek Cypriots. What was going to happen? Sampson was very well known guy at the time, Turkish Cypriots know him from Kimakle, so nobody was trusting him. Everybody was in a great anxiety. It took only 5 days anyway, and then Turkish invasion came in effect.
R: What about Makarios, did the people of Cyprus want…eh….likable person?
H: Makarios among Turkish Cypriots is known as a very clever man. He would make enosis slowly by making Turkish Cypriots leave the island. Because at that time there were lots of Turkish Cypriots who were fleeing to London, Australia, Turkey. There are lots of Turkish Cypriots those places. And people on our side believe that Makarios was clever. If he was given the chance, because Grivas had dramatic and sharp solutions, if Makarios had enough time, he would manage the Turkish Cypriots to get away so the island would be all Greek [laughs]. This is what Turkish Cypriots believed about Makarios.
R: But he didn’t manage to do that [laughing]
H: He wasn’t given the chance [laughing] We don’t know. We can learn a lot of things by the books about Makarios…
R: Was there any Turkish Cypriot you considered a good leader?
H: [laughs] Good leaders in Turkish side…were either assassinated, killed, or made to leave the country. All the leaders Turkish Cypriots had at the time was nationalist fanatics. Danktas is a bit more clever than Grivas. That’s it, because he was educated in London, in England, so he was a bit more clever. That’s it. [laughs]
R: Anything else that you want to share? Maybe some story that comes to mind that you feel is important to share?
H: Well….you know how we set up an initiative, bicommunal initiative, missing people, those weekends of war in 1963, ’74. And we found out that our pain is common. And unless we share our pain, it will not relieve. So we are visiting places, we are visiting villages, schools, in an effort to make people understand history, that no one is innocent on this island. Or, that it is not possible to blame Greeks or Turkish Cypriots or Turkish side only. We are all our parents, older generation, responsible for what happened in those ways. You see, still it’s amazing that students you meet in schools do not believe you when you tell them, my family was massacred in Maratha by Greek Cypriots. They cannot believe it. Why? Because they have been taught that Greeks are pure, innocent nation that cannot do….and also Turkish Cypriot student son north side, [laughs] at that time after 30, 40 years, clashes in ’74, there are still people that cannot believe Greek Cypriots or Turkish Cypriots committed those crimes.  So we still have a very long path, very long way to go. [laughs]
[Interview ends, 48:27]