The program “Unguarded Passage”, in honor of the historical memory of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, presents a major tribute with three gripping radio documentaries, airing on September 13, 20, and 27, 2024 (13:00 – 14:00 Athens time) on Voice of Greece, researched, written, and presented by ERT journalist, Thomas Sideris.
“The Unpublished Diary of Evangelos Drakopoulos” – Broadcast: Friday, September 13, 2024
“Unguarded Passage” unveils a valuable document, the unpublished diary of Evangelos Drakopoulos. Drakopoulos records the peaceful and quiet life of the residents of Smyrna and its surroundings in his diary during the years leading up to the Asia Minor Catastrophe. These regular entries provide precious insights into the social life and daily activities of the Greeks living along the Asia Minor coast.
This diary was discovered many decades later and is an important written document. In the radio documentary, Evangelos Drakopoulos’ granddaughter, Katerina Tsakona, speaks about him, while rare audio records of traditional songs from Asia Minor, recorded by Melpo Merlie in the 1920s and 1930s from first-generation refugees, are also featured.
“My Dearest Brother George” – Broadcast: Friday, September 20, 2024
This radio documentary sheds light on unknown written records from the period 1919-1922, focusing particularly on what happened at the front during 1920 through the eyes of ordinary soldiers. Some of the letters, included in the documentary, never reached their recipients, either because the authors decided at the last moment to keep them in their personal archives or because they were killed in battle before they could mail the letter or postcard they had written. The documentary presents the following records:
a. Excerpts from the diary of Charalambos Pliziotis titled “Memories of the Front 1920-1921, Asia Minor-Thrace.” This document is housed at the Archives of the Center for Asia Minor Studies.
b. Part of the correspondence in 112 postcards from soldier Georgios Magnis during the Asia Minor Campaign.
c. Part of the diary of soldier Georgios Kanellopoulos.
d. Excerpts from notes and letters by Artillery Corporal Giannis Koutsonikolas under the title “From Arachova to the Outskirts of Ankara.”
e. Part of the correspondence and notes of soldier Christos Karagiannis.
f. Excerpts from the notes of soldier Theodoros Kiakidis under the title “My Military Life Diary, Asia Minor Campaign, 1920-1922.”
The documentary is scientifically overseen by historian and director of the Center for Asia Minor Studies, Stavros Anestidis. Excerpts from 1920 operettas from the ERT Archive will also be played.
“Cinnamon from Smyrna” – Broadcast: Friday, September 27, 2024
A radio documentary based on the novel “Cinnamon from Smyrna” by Thomas Sideris, published in 2014, and based on oral testimonies he gathered over more than two decades.
The story follows a woman during the darkest decades of the past century: from the early interwar period to the first post-war years. What separates tragedy from ultimate happiness? Happiness might be right beside us, living and breathing by our side, but we may be unaware of it. We first meet Cinnamon from Smyrna in a brothel in Halkapınar. As the flames engulf Smyrna and the unspeakable tragedy unfolds before her eyes, a French Naval officer tries to smuggle her to Marseille.
Photo Information: Commemorative Photo of a Soldier from the Asia Minor Front, Georgios Kanellopoulos – Source: Center for Asia Minor Studies.
