“Unguarded Passage” unveils a valuable document, the unpublished diary of Evangelos Drakopoulos.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.
Photo credits: Souvenir of a Soldier from the Asia Minor Front Georgios Kanellopoulos – Source: Asia Minor Studies Center.
This is the first part of the show’s three-part tribute to Asia Minor Catastrophe – researched, written, and presented by ERT journalist Thomas Sideris